While there may be several takeaways from this illusion, we primarily want to drive home the fact that there is always more to see. Because we are focused on a particular detail, question, or line of thought, we often read past other significant details that are right before our eyes.
This is especially pertinent for our current lesson because we are now exploring the commands in a passage for the third time. What more could we possibly glean? Much indeed! As we read Scripture, we must press beyond what we already know or expect, look with fresh eyes, come with new questions, eager to discover all that the text has to offer. Ultimately, this is a matter of humility. We need always to read Scripture with a teachable heart, not as masters of the text.
We now come to the commands and exhortations with questions related to "How?" Just as Scripture provides rich truths to motivate our obedience, so it also offers full resources to show us how to obey. Both Means and Manners answer the question “How?”
Means
How can we obey? Scripture often shows us how by saying, “By doing x.” That is, the Bible teaches what we can or must do in order to fully obey.
1. Actions that contribute to obedience
Consider the example from Philippians 4 from the beginning of this lesson. How can you short-circuit anxiety? Paul gives no pat answer, “just pray.” Rather he unpacks a full strategy:
Lay your requests before the Father, entrusting to him the circumstances that cause anxiety.
Pray with thanksgiving, seeing everything that causes anxiety to rise as an opportunity to give thanks.
Think on all that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise.
Put into practice the truths you’ve been taught, following the pattern of mature believers.
2. Patterns of living by faith
Scripture makes clear the essential link between faith and obedience:
All our obedience should spring from faith. Thus, as we meditate upon the commands and exhortations in Scripture, we should always be asking, “How is my obedience to this command an act of faith?” As we explore the the actions that contribute to our obedience, we should likewise ask, “How do these actions promote greater hope and trust in Christ?” In short, we want our obedience to build patterns of living by faith—the ultimate means of living the Christian life.
For example, in Eph 5:15–16, Paul exhorts us to pay careful attention to how we walk in the world—to walk wisely. How? By making good use of the time. That is a means to obey the command. Yet Paul is aiming for much more than efficient scheduling. Whether you keep a daily planner or not, you should ask yourself how your use of time might nurture trust and rest in Christ, such that your obedience to the command to walk wisely in the world is itself an act of faith.
Manners
How is our obedience to look? Scripture also answers the “How?” question by saying, “In this way.” That is, the Bible teaches the character of healthy obedience.
1. Attitudes (to pursue or avoid)
When Paul exhorts servants to obey their masters, he aims for a right heart in that obedience and offers both an attitude to avoid and one to pursue.
2. Comparisons
Some of the most effective illustrations come by way of a simple comparison. Peter exhorts his readers to chase after and hunger for spiritual nourishment that we might grow in holiness and maturity. He shows in what way with a simple but vivid illustration: like a newborn baby!
3. Models
One of the best ways to learn how is to watch someone else. Paul regularly calls his readers to follow his example, to be imitators of his way of life. He also points us directly to the model we have in Christ.