Obeying without All the Information
There are times when the soul is weary, when we feel we are incapable of receiving that more direct instruction; we are so tried, and our minds are so tired, and our hearts may be so bruised, that we somehow cannot make the effort to concentrate upon principles and to look at things objectively."
–– Martyn Lloyd-Jones
When my family and I first moved to Chicago, we knew nothing about Chicago. Like most people who've only visited the city, we knew it was cold, the hotdogs were delicious, and Michael Jordan was the mayor (only recently did we all learn at what cost). Despite our limited knowledge and even less experience, we came to this city and fell in love. Now, having lived here over a decade, everything we knew about the city has almost nothing to do with our life in the city. I don't eat a lot of hot dogs. I've only been to two Bulls games. And I've come to realize I had no idea how cold "cold" can be.
At some point in our Christian formation, we're taught that knowing precedes doing. After all, that's why we go to church on Sundays and meet in homes through the week, right? We gather spiritual knowledge from the Bible and one another so we can embody righteous living. Or perhaps, that's why you or someone you love still hasn’t fully committed to following Jesus. There are more questions. You need more information.
In matters of faith, we’ve come to believe that right thinking leads to right living. And, of course, there's a great deal of truth to that. A.W. Tozer famously opens up his book Knowledge of the Holy with that sentiment: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” He goes on to expalin how thinking rightly about God leads to thinking rightly about everything else. Totally agree. The writer of Proverbs explains that godly wisdom is the fountainhead of a righteous life. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." Our minds give shape to our affections and behaviors.
However, there's more than one kind of knowing. In his book, From Strength to Strength, Arthur Brooks draws on the work of psychologist Raymond Cattell who coined two kinds of knowledge. He calls one fluid intelligence and the other crystallized intelligence. Brooks explains, "When you are young, you can generate lots of facts; when you are old, you know what they mean and how to use them." Fluid intelligence is facts. Crystallized intelligence is wisdom. The first is understanding that leads to behavior. The second is behavior that leads to understanding.
Psalm 73 is a poignant expose on crystallized intelligence. The psalmist says, "But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end." Notice, insight came after behavior. It's not until he goes to the sanctuary of God that he understands the truth of God.
My family and I couldn't have loved Chicago without moving to Chicago. Because we couldn't have known Chicago without calling it home. You see, doing leads to knowing.
I love how David Brooks explains these two kinds of knowing. He says, "Some moral skills can be taught the way academic subjects are imparted, through books and lectures. But we learn most virtues the way we learn crafts, through the repetition of many small habits and practices, all within a coherent moral culture - a community of common values, whose members aspire to earn one another's respect." In other words, doing leads to knowing.
The reason I think this type of learning is so important is because "there are times when the soul is weary ... [and] we are incapable of receiving ... direct instruction." There are moments when our minds are hazy, uninformed, or uncertain. We don’t have all the information and we have more questions. On days like that, righteousness can seem like a wearisome, meaningless, and even foolish task. And yet, it's not until we respond with trust and obedience that we gain the understanding that initially seemed out of reach. We learn only by doing. Obeying without all the information is really hard. However, obedience is often the only way to gain insight. We learn truth by living it.
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Written by Jason C. Helveston, Elder for Teaching and Vision
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "Faith on Trial: The Problem Stated," sermon on Psalm 73; also published in Faith on Trial: Studies in Psalm 73 (London: Inter-Varsity Press, 1965; repr., Fearn, Scotland: Christian Heritage, 2015).
A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1961), 1.
Prov. 9:10 (ESV).
Arthur C. Brooks, From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life (New York: Currency, 2022). Brooks discusses psychologist Raymond Cattell's concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence in chapter 2, "The Second Curve."
Ps. 73:16-17 (ESV).
David Brooks, "How America Got Mean," The Atlantic, September 2023, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/09/us-culture-moral-education-formation/674765/ (accessed August 28, 2026).
