God grants us revelation of scriptural teachings according to the measure of obedience we render to Him. The more we obey Him, the more light we will receive. If we continue to obey God, we will continue to see. Without consecration, we cannot see. Without a continual obedience, we cannot continue to see. If our consecration is not thorough, the shining will not be great. If our obedience is not fine and detailed enough, the light we receive will not be fine and detailed enough. Therefore, the fundamental issue is consecration. If a man does not understand the meaning of consecration, he cannot understand the Bible. A consecrated person must not only have an initial, fundamental consecration, but he must sustain an obedience before the Lord all the time. Only then will he continually see. The amount of light a man receives depends on the amount of obedience he sustains after his initial consecration. If we are perfect in our obedience, we will be perfect in our seeing.
We should pay special attention to the Lord’s word in John 7:17: “If anyone resolves to do His will, he will know concerning the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.” If a man resolves to do God’s will, he will know. In other words, obedience is the one condition for knowing. A resolution to do God’s will is a condition for knowing God’s teaching. If a man has no intention to do God’s will, yet wants to know God’s teaching, he is asking for the impossible. In order to know God’s teaching, a man must first resolve to do His will. This resolution relates to one’s attitude. God wants us to be obedient first in our attitude. If a man is obedient to God in his attitude, God’s teaching will be clear to him. We should not ask what the Bible teaches. Instead, we should ask if we are willing to obey His word. The problem is with our attitude; it has nothing to do with the teaching of the Bible. Whether or not the Bible will be open to us depends on our attitude towards God. We are responsible for our attitude, while God is responsible for His teaching. If our attitude is right, God will reveal Himself to us and open our eyes immediately. If we supplement this with our obedience, our attitude will be right once again and God will grant us further revelation. First there is a right attitude, and then there is revelation. If we respond to the revelation with obedience, we will have more of the right attitude and will receive more revelation.
Many people claim that they have seen truths in the Bible. Actually, only those who resolve to do God’s will have seen them. Only they can claim that their seeing is clear and thorough. The Lord has to do much work in us before we can “resolve” this way. Do not think that light comes without a price. Every seeing is accompanied by a high price; we have to pay a price to see. Sometimes God has to bring a person through two or three experiences before he sees something. Sometimes God has to bring him through six or seven experiences before he sees anything. God’s light often comes to us in a reflective way. First it shines on something else, and then it is reflected to us. God’s light is often reflective light. We must see light from one angle before we can see light from another angle and then a third angle. Sometimes we need to go through a few experiences before we can see light. If we are disobedient in one thing, we miss the revelation. This is the way God’s light acts. Many times we can only see clearly after we have positioned ourselves in different angles. The more price we pay before the Lord, the more light we see. One experience of obedience will lead to another experience and then to even more obedience. One experience of light will lead to another experience and then to even more light. God’s will is behind every arrangement He has made. Whenever a man misses two or three opportunities to obey God, he suffers loss before God.
No matter how much confidence we have in our consecration and obedience, we have to realize that something is wrong with our consecration whenever we are veiled. Whenever we fail to see, our eyes are wrong. God is never short of light, but whenever He sees any unwillingness on our part, He will hold back His speaking. God never forces anyone to do anything, but neither does He release His word in a cheap way. If there is any unwillingness on our part, the Holy Spirit will shy away; He will retreat and not release Himself in a cheap way. If something is wrong with man’s consecration, God will not give him any light. It is not a small thing for a man to fail to understand the Bible, because it underscores a problem in his consecration. Spiritual eyesalve involves a price; it does not come freely. Every seeing involves a price. No seeing comes freely.
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