Philippians 3:15-16 (NIV) All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

The Apostle Paul was instructing the Philippian believers about the fact that as followers of Christ, they should not put their confidence in the flesh, or in other words, in doing things according to the Law of God in order to attain to righteousness. He was telling them this because there were a group of false teachers that were teaching the Christians at Philippi that they had to be circumcised in order to be made right with God. After pointing them to faith in Christ for their righteousness, Paul told them what they should really do: live up to what they already had as an understanding of following Christ. Paul was telling them to stop listening to new doctrines about things that they had not been taught by himself or the other true Apostles and to instead, focus on living up to the teachings that they already had.

This is something that is still happening today. People are still getting caught up with false doctrines and truths that unscrupulous false teachers teach, while not even living up to the Word that they already have. For example, there are Christians who go church hopping or who surf the internet to see what deeper truths they can find from other preachers and teachers when they aren't living up to the truth that they have and understand right now. It's one thing to want to go deeper in doctrine, but have you mastered the art of forgiving someone who has hurt or betrayed you (Matthew 6:14-15)? Have you become adept at considering others better than yourself and putting their interests before your own (Philippians 2:3-4)? Do you worry and try to do something about a speck in someone's eye when you have a log in your own (Matthew 7:3-4-5)?

We are very good at seeming to want to go deeper in knowledge, but the truth many times is that we are prideful and want more head knowledge to boast about, while we have not yet begun to die to ourselves so that we can be in full submission to the truth that we already know. The truth is useless unless you obey it and put it into action. If you really want to go deeper, put into practice what you already know with the help of the Holy Spirit so that the result will be a deepness in your relationship with Jesus. It is then that you will be living up to what you already know, which will lead to a fruitful life to the glory of God.

Pastor Joey Vazquez