"My teaching is not Mine," said Jesus, "but His that sent Me. If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God, or whether I speak from Myself." John 7:16, 17, R. V. The question of these cavilers Jesus met, not by answering the cavil, but by opening up truth vital to the salvation of the soul. The perception and appreciation of truth, He said, depends less upon the mind than upon the heart. Truth must be received into the soul; it claims the homage of the will. If truth could be submitted to the reason alone, pride would be no hindrance in the way of its reception. But it is to be received through the work of grace in the heart; and its reception depends upon the renunciation of every sin that the Spirit of God reveals. Man's advantages for obtaining a knowledge of the truth, however great these may be, will prove of no benefit to him unless the heart is open to receive 456 the truth, and there is a conscientious surrender of every habit and practice that is opposed to its principles. To those who thus yield themselves to God, having an honest desire to know and to do His will, the truth is revealed as the power of God for their salvation. These will be able to distinguish between him who speaks for God, and him who speaks merely from himself. The Pharisees had not put their will on the side of God's will. They were not seeking to know the truth, but to find some excuse for evading it; Christ showed that this was why they did not understand His teaching.

Min lære er ikke min egen,sagde Jesus, men hans, som sendte mig. Hvis nogen vil gøre hans vilje, skal han erfare, om læren er fra Gud, eller jeg taler af mit eget. Joh. 7,16-17. Jesus imødegik disse smålige kritikeres spørgsmål, ikke ved at svare på deres spidsfindigheder, men ved at forkynde den sandhed, som er livsvigtig for sjælens frelse. Han sagde, at opfattelsen og vurderingen af sandheden i mindre grad er afhængig af tanken end af hjertet. Hvis sandheden kun skulle være underkastet fornuftens dom, ville hovmod ikke være nogen hindring for at kunne modtage den. Men den skal modtages ved nådens påvirkning af hjertet, og dens modtagelse beror på, at man giver afkald på enhver synd, som Guds Ånd afslører.