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This is part of a series of posts based on the Churches Together in England publication one light: one world. If you click on the link you will find the biblical texts. This post of the same name covers the purpose of this series.
1 Peter 1:22
I will focus on 5 words in four paragraphs.
'Obedience to the truth' raises a number of issues for the modern reader. I have previously explored the meaning of the word 'obedience'. It means to listen and the opposite of obedience is not disobedience but 'acting inappropriately'. So, we must not understand it as following orders; it may be obedient to refuse to follow orders.
So understood, obedience helps us understand the meaning of truth. We see obedience to the truth as discerning the truth and then acting appropriately.
The fifth word is 'heart'. An atheist friend told me the other day, the heart is only a pump. Some argue it is the seat of emotion. Maybe it is but I don't find this particularly helpful. If we can use heart and emotions interchangeably, we are just using heart to obscure what we mean.
I prefer to think of heart as a way to stay focused on love. Our thoughts too often get in the way. When we need to act, the state of our heart determines how we act. Through prayer we can change the disposition of our hearts towards love or away from it. To be sanctified is to have a heart full of God's love all the time. Is this possible? There's only one way to find out.
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