What’s the Difference Between Listening to And Hearing the Word?
Jesus said that everyone who hears His words and keep His words will receive eternal life, so what’s the difference between listening to the Word of God and hearing the Word of God? Our Lord said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). We can hear how to put on a parachute, but we are careful to really listen close if it means we might have to jump. We might hear things in the background, but if there’s engine noise on our plane, then we’re listening a little closer, right? That is, we’re really paying attention. Today we can still hear Jesus’ words as found in Scripture, but if we stop at hearing and not believing in them, we’ve missed the boat. The word “believe” comes from an Old English word, meaning “to live,” so if you are believing, you will be living what you are believing. In other words, you are living out what you are believing. We actually show we believe in Jesus when we hear His Word and listen to His Word but also obey His Word.
