What Is Obedience to the Truth in 1 Peter 1:22?

   The Bible is not a newspaper--they both have  dates, names, and events. But unlike a newspaper, the word of God conveys truth to us. But truth doesn't mean that you just know the facts, like a journalist giving a report. It means those facts are real to you. 

We took the father of one of our international students to
Deception Pass this week. This is the view off the bridge.

Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth and unfeigned brotherly love, love one another from the heart fervently.  1 Peter 1:22

     While I was reading  chapter 14 of the Life-Study of 1 Peter, I realized I never really got what  obedience to the truth means here.  I thought it was obeying commands like love one another, forgive one another, and bear one another, things like this.  Witness Lee's speaking on page 115 in this chapter made this more clear to me:

Truth here is the sanctifying truth, which is God's word of reality (John 17:17).  Truth in this verse does not mean doctrine.  Truth is the reality contained in God's word and conveyed by it.  For example, John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world." ….To read this word only in a doctrinal way is to have a natural understanding….When we read, "God so loved the world," we need to ask ourselves if we have experienced this love….Does this 'world' include me?  Does this word mean that God so loved me? Anyone who reads John 3:16 in this way will get saved.  Such a one would say, "O God, how I thank You that the world includes me.  For You to love the world means that You love me." This is to take John 3:16 as truth, as reality, and not merely as doctrine…
.We should not only receive doctrine from God's word--we should touch reality (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 Peter. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1982, Print).

     This fellowship sparked something inside of my heart--everything in the Bible needs to become real to me! But did you see in the above example, that it requires us to talk to the Lord about His word?  while I was typing this, I was listening  to a message on Living Stream Ministry's website. When I heard this sentence- "We need to pray His word back to Him." I thought this is exactly what brother Lee means by touching  the reality in God's word.  If we're not getting it, we  can tell Him, I need you to show me what this means.  He said that the Spirit will guide us into all the reality.

I like to listen to the Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking or typing. You can listen to live excerpts of these messages that were given in 1982 along with some outstanding commentary. 

What is the Sanctification of the Spirit in 1 Peter 1:2?
What is Obedience to the Truth in 1 Peter 1:22?
How Do Believers Grow According to 1 Peter 2:2?
How Does God Get the Living Stones in 1 Peter 2:5?
What Does 1 Peter 4:1-2 Say About Sufferings?
Why Does 1 Peter 4:17 Talk About God's Judgment?
What Does Partaking of the Divine Nature Mean in 2 Peter 1:4?
How Does the Prophetic Word in 2 Peter 1:19 Prepare Us For the Lord's Coming?