by David Gibson<\/p>\n
A student joked, “You know, school wouldn’t be half bad if it weren’t for the tests and term papers!” He knows, of course, that such requirements are not just busy work. They are necessary to maximize learning.<\/p>\n
If a student chooses to audit a course, he can attend class when and if he chooses and doesn’t have to do any assignments or take any tests. There is no pressure, no hassle, but also no credit.<\/p>\n
In my own experience, I discovered that auditing, though much easier, didn’t benefit me nearly so much as taking the course for credit.<\/p>\n
I needed the pressure of deadlines. I needed the expectations of the professor if I were to develop my potential. It’s the old principle at work: You get out of something what you put into it.<\/p>\n
The same principle applies in the church. Those who get the most out of their Christianity attend faithfully, study the Textbook diligently, complete the Master Teacher’s assignments, and make diligent preparations for the Great Examination Day.<\/p>\n
It appears that many church members are attempting to audit their Christianity. They listen and listen and perhaps even learn many things. But that’s about as far as it goes.<\/p>\n
In Christianity, auditing is not an option. Yes, we are saved by grace, but Christ does require us to be obedient (Matthew 7:24-27). As James says:<\/p>\n
“But prove yourselves doers <\/b>of the word, and not merely hearers <\/b>who delude themselves . . . . But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer <\/b>but an effectual doer<\/strong>, this man will be blessed in what he does<\/strong><\/em>” (James 1:22, 25 NASB)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I want to be blessed! Don’t you?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by David Gibson A student joked, “You know, school wouldn’t be half bad if it weren’t for the tests and term papers!” He knows, of course, that such requirements are not just busy work. They are necessary to maximize learning. Easy Does It? If a student chooses to audit a course, he can attend class…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[482,54],"class_list":["post-70422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-learning","tag-obedience"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":64257,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/he-tests-the-mind\/","url_meta":{"origin":70422,"position":0},"title":"He Tests the Mind","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton \"I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings\" (Jeremiah 17:10). The sum of all our good and bad experiences in this testing ground called life is, in fact,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3568,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/would-god-be-pleased-with-my-example-to-my-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":70422,"position":1},"title":"Would God be pleased with my example to my children?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 10, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I would like to ask a question since it deals with teaching my children. Will the Lord be pleased with the way I am teaching my children to live in this world today?\u00a0 Lying example - I have a son who is disabled and has a life expectancy in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39221,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/spiritual-maturity\/","url_meta":{"origin":70422,"position":2},"title":"Spiritual Maturity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 3:8-17 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What is your goal in life? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Life is short. You don\u2019t have time to accomplish everything that is available to you, so what do you desire most to obtain? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For Paul it was to be like Christ and obtain heaven - Philippians\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14150,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-i-help-a-brother-become-a-better-teacher-and-preacher\/","url_meta":{"origin":70422,"position":3},"title":"How can I help a brother become a better teacher and preacher?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 7, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: One brother here that is dependable when it comes to helping me with preaching and teaching.\u00a0 He has very little experience but\u00a0will\u00a0do his best at anything I ask him to do, really a prince of a man.\u00a0\u00a0A few of the members have come to me complaining about his teaching\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19669,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-church-pay-school-fees-as-an-act-of-benevolence-if-the-student-has-no-family\/","url_meta":{"origin":70422,"position":4},"title":"Can a church pay school fees as an act of benevolence if the student has no family?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please, brother, can a church pay school fees as an act of benevolence if the student has no family? Answer: \"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95394,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-alternative-to-autonomy\/","url_meta":{"origin":70422,"position":5},"title":"The Alternative to Autonomy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steve Dewhirst via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 1, March 1995 Considering our brotherhood's abundance of controversies, teamed with an all-too-common sectarian mindset, it's not surprising that some are beginning to show their true colors. Historically, brethren have revered the sacred axiom of church autonomy in principle, if not in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70422"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70422\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}