As we continue the God’s Image study, I want to pause within our examination of the first commandment and turn the questions toward myself.
We have considered the Father, the Son, and the importance of honoring their roles. We have examined titles and the difference between Scripture’s wording and our conclusions.
Now I want to ask: Have I allowed what I am reading to guide me?
Jesus gives us a passage that makes this question especially important.
“I Never Knew You”
In Matthew 7:21–23, Jesus describes people who address him as Lord and appeal to the remarkable things they have done in his name. Yet his response is:
“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
— Matthew 7:23, LSB
The surrounding words matter. Jesus identifies doing his Father’s will as essential, while the people speaking point to their claimed prophecy, exorcisms, and miracles.
That makes me pause over the difference between what someone claims about a relationship and how Jesus recognizes it.
These people speak with confidence about their activities. Their confidence does not settle the matter.
When I read this, I want to examine myself. What have I relied on as evidence that I am following? Have I considered the Father’s will as carefully as I have considered what I believe I have accomplished?
Have I Trusted His Guidance?
Proverbs 3:5–6 calls us to trust YHWH (יהוה) wholeheartedly, acknowledge Him throughout our lives, and receive His direction.
Within that instruction are these words:
“And do not lean on your own understanding.”
— Proverbs 3:5, LSB
I need to consider that personally.
Have I asked for guidance while already deciding what the answer must be? Have I welcomed correction only when it agreed with something I believed? When a passage challenged me, did I examine it carefully or immediately explain it away?
Understanding requires thought, attention, and comparison. But am I willing to let God challenge the conclusions I have reached?
If I ask Him to lead me, I need to leave room to be led.
Have I Remembered His Name?
When God identifies Himself to Moses, the ASV preserves the name Jehovah. The declaration ends:
“this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
— Exodus 3:15, ASV
Have I given His name the attention He gives it here?
Have I noticed how He identifies Himself, and have I allowed that identification to remain meaningful in my relationship with Him?
In this study, I use YHWH (יהוה) in my own prose and preserve the wording of the translation when quoting Scripture.
The question I am asking concerns remembrance and recognition. Am I seeking to know the One who speaks, including what He asks to be remembered about Him?
We will return to this more fully when we reach the command concerning His name. Here, it belongs beside the question of whether I have listened to His instruction.
Have I Looked to the Father to Lead Me to Jesus?
Jesus describes the Father as the One who draws people to him. He then connects coming to him with hearing and learning from the Father:
“Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”
— John 6:45, LSB
I want to keep that relationship visible.
The Father sends and draws. Those who hear and learn from the Father come to Jesus. Jesus promises to raise them on the last day.
This leads me to ask: Have I gone to the Father for guidance? Have I asked Him to teach me and lead me to the Son He sent?
When I bring this beside Matthew 7, I notice that Jesus directs attention to the Father in both passages: the Father’s will, and the Father’s work of drawing and teaching.
That is the comparison I want to follow.
Letting the Comparison Examine Me
Matthew 7 names the Father’s will and the practice of lawlessness. It does not specifically list neglecting the divine name or failing to ask for guidance as the reasons for Jesus’ response.
The questions I am bringing from Exodus, Proverbs, and John are my way of examining whether I have listened to God’s instruction.
I want that distinction to remain clear. A comparison should help us investigate without adding words to a passage.
And the questions belong to me too. I cannot ask others to reconsider an inherited belief while treating my own understanding as beyond examination.
Am I willing to listen? Can I explain why I understand a passage as I do? Can I receive a correction when someone notices something I have missed?
Is What I Am Learning Becoming Love?
Jesus’ answer in Matthew 22:37–40 remains central: wholehearted love for God and love for our neighbor.
As I understand the commandments, following them gives that love expression.
So my reflection must reach into conduct. Am I truthful? Do I respect another person’s life, relationships, and belongings? Do I listen patiently and treat people with care when they disagree with me?
This continues the concern running through the God’s Image study: receiving the Spirit and living faithfully afterward. In my understanding, the relationship reaches into the whole of life.
Jesus’ warning gives me reason to examine what I rely on. His teaching about love gives direction to how I live.
Questions I Carry With Me
Have I sought the Father’s will, or assumed my activities establish that I am following it?
Have I trusted Him enough to let Him challenge my understanding?
Have I remembered the name He declares for all generations?
Have I looked to the Father to teach me and draw me to Jesus?
Am I distinguishing Scripture’s wording from my conclusions?
Is what I am learning becoming visible in love for God and for people?
These are questions I ask alongside you.
I want to keep returning to them as we study, allowing the first commandment to reach into the way I listen, respond, and live.
Threads to Follow
Jesus’ warning: Considering the Father’s will alongside claims of religious activity.
Trust and understanding: Remaining willing to receive direction.
The Name remembered: Taking the declaration in Exodus seriously.
The Father’s guidance: Hearing, learning, and coming to Jesus.
Self-examination and love: Applying the questions to ourselves and our conduct.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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