Slaves and friends
John 15:14,15: " You are my friends if you do what I tell you*. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father."
Jesus Christ makes a very clear distinction between a (faithful and understanding) slave and a friend. A slave does not need to know EVERYTHING or he has knowledge but no real understanding. In this process of gaining understanding, we recognize that someone could have considerable knowledge and yet not understanding. Understanding deals not only with facts but also with the why and wherefore of things. It expresses the application or use of that knowledge for the highest good. Therefore, knowledge without understanding is of little value. This is especially true when it comes to the practical application of the knowledge we have of God, His kingdom and His law. The above scripture suggests that it is possible to have wisdom and yet not understanding. We may choose to follow a right course. We may have consecrated ourselves to the service of the Lord, which is all wise action; and yet we must also acquire understanding. The apostle says that the difference between a friend and a servant is that the Lord Jesus makes known to friends what His Father does. (John 15:15) He reveals to us the why and wherefore of the things we need to know. This understanding is within the reach of every child of God, but he must go and acquire it. Without this understanding, he cannot make a success of his Christian calling.
Just one example: Knowledge would be to know that servants of God should not partake of blood. (Acts 15: 28,29; Gen.9: 4, Lev.3:17 ) Understanding implies more. Whoever has understanding knows that God's name YHWH is coded in the DNA. If you take the mRNA vaccination, you change this code. And tampering with your blood or DNA is a sin against God.
For our part, we have to do something. We need to gain an understanding of Jehovah's purposes and learn how they apply to us as individuals and as a community. If we fail or refuse to gain this understanding, we jeopardize our future existence in any part of God's territory.
