John 7:17
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
Study Note
Study Note
Jesus's epistemological principle — 'if anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority' — grounds theological discernment in moral orientation rather than intellectual capacity alone. The 'will to do' (thelein poiein) the divine will is the prior condition for the cognitive recognition of divine teaching — ethical receptivity precedes theological clarity. This inverts common epistemological sequences that require knowing before deciding; Jesus claims that the knowing follows from the choosing, that moral commitment opens the capacity for theological recognition. The principle has important implications for the hermeneutics of scripture: the text may be intellectually accessible but spiritually opaque to those whose will is not oriented toward obedience.
Other Translations
If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself.
if any one may will to do His will, he shall know concerning the teaching, whether it is of God, or--I do speak from myself.
If any man is ready to do God's pleasure he will have knowledge of the teaching and of where it comes from--from God or from myself.
Cross References
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