Knowing and doing are often separated by a great gulf. Isaiah 59:2 tells us: “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God.” Sin separates us from the God of the universe–the One Who determines good and evil, Who determines who is saved and born again at the return of Christ and who is rejected and cast into the Lake of Fire. The Lord spent much time in both the Old and New Testa- ments telling us how to affect one fate and avoid the other. For example:

“Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (Jam. 1:22). We deceive our- selves when we hear or read His Word and fail to obey it. We have all done this in times past. But a time comes when we must grow up, change course and strive to qualify for entrance into the Kingdom of God. “The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17). Notice that righteousness is the prerequisite for entrance into God’s Kingdom where one will find peace and joy. Righteousness is the result of obeying God’s Word. Hearing it, believing it, witnessing it, preaching it, writing it, etc. is meaningless unless one obeys (lives/walks) it. Hundreds of millions of people read it, hear it and believe it but refuse to “do” it. In the eyes of God they are worse sinners than those who do not believe it. Jesus made this clear in Matthew 11:20-24 where He spoke about Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum–cities in which He had ministered–warning them that Sodom, Tyre and Sidon will fare better than they will on the Day of Judgement.

In John 13:15,17 Jesus told the disciples (and us): “For I have given you an example, that ye should do even as I have done to you.” He had shown them how to obey the Father, doing what the Father told Him to do. “… the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He dies, the son also does in like manner. I can do nothing of Myself. The Words that I speak to you … are life” (Jn. 5:30;6:38,63). “Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it” (Lk. 11:28). The Lord’s warnings concerning knowing and doing did not originate with the New Covenant Church. He has been speaking to us on this manner for thousands of years.

In Ezekiel 33 God is speaking to His prophet concerning the children of Israel–our spiritual ancestors: “… I have set (made) thee a watchman unto the House of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the Word at (from) My mouth and warn them from Me (vs 7). Israel had strayed away from God. He had appointed Ezekiel the task of warning them. Ezekiel would be bloodguilty if he failed to do so (vs 8). Those of us whom God has appointed to warn the Institutional Church have the same bloodguilt hanging over our heads. God continues His Words to Ezekiel: “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O House of Israel?” God is speaking those same words to to the church–the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16). He is warning church people to turn from disobedience to obedience TO HIS WORD, not the commandments of men–church doctrine. The difference between church doctrine and God’s Word is the difference between life and death. God speaks to this in verses 30,31. Here he tells Ezekiel that the people were hearing His (God’s) Words spoken by the prophet, talking about them, believing them and inviting others to hear them. “… they hear your words, but they do not do them.” God adds that one day they would “… know that a prophet had been among them.”