John 5 - The Life Recovery Bible

5:39-40 The Jewish leaders knew the Scriptures backward and forward, yet they were spiritually dead. They missed the whole purpose of the Scriptures—to bring people into a vital relationship with the God of grace. Intellectual knowledge about the Bible does not bring us into a transforming relationship with God unless we act on that knowledge. Knowing about God’s truth concerning recovery without applying it personally only results in failure. Real growth and recovery come through knowing God through Jesus Christ.

5:41-44 Jesus called the Pharisees to task for being more concerned about what others thought of them than about what God thought. At times during recovery it may be necessary to do things that are neither understood nor approved of by those around us. The bottom line for us is whether or not God approves of what we are doing, not what others think. As we take our moral inventory, God and his Word—not the opinions of others—are the standards for our behavior.