Translate

Saturday, 23 November 2024

The way of Jesus Christ

 The Son of Man, Jesus, was sent by the Father to be the light of the world because, as the Son of Man, he is also the judge. That is what he meant by “I am he.” He meant, in effect, “I am this very Son of Man, and the light of the world sent by the Father.” To believe this is to start to believe in the reason to hold to his teachings, to see the importance of his sayings, in the light that he will one day be your judge.


He is uniquely positioned to tell us right in these sayings much of what we need to know in the light of him being our future judge, the Son of Man. He can start judging us right now to start to set us on a straight and narrow path of avoiding dying in our sins and suffering the direst scenario when he judges us finally at the end. But we first have to believe he is this one, and believing it, to hold to his teachings and truly be his believing disciples in our lives. Then we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free from the trappings of sin.


Sin is a tough master. We either have sin as master, or we have the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Son of Man as our master instead. If we have him, our prospects are good. If we are this kind of disciple, we can receive the Holy Spirit and take communion, remembering the body and blood of Jesus shed for us in his crucifixion. He is alive from the dead, having died on the cross. His living body in heaven is augmented by us as his corporate body. As members together of his one body, his teachings apply to us.


All of the Ten Commandments are in the teachings and commands of Jesus. If we obey the teachings of Jesus, we will find ourselves obeying the Ten Commandments, or perhaps not realize we are doing so. Ten Commandments once written in stone are now written into the teachings of Jesus. The apostles took these teachings and applied them practically to the lives of the believing disciples in homes and churches. We read them when we read the New Testament. Those who receive the Holy Spirit are encouraged by the Holy Spirit to honour these teachings and to honour the Lord Jesus Christ who taught them.


A commandment is given to have no other gods before God. We learn from Jesus and his apostles and with encouragement from the Holy Spirit to obediently call Jesus “Lord,” making only the Father “God.” Historically, most Christians ignored this and instead tried to avoid allegations of blasphemy and polytheism by inventing a way of having one God, the Trinity, instead of one God, the Father. However, for those converted to obedience, the command to have no gods before God is obeyed by calling the Father ‘God’ and Jesus ‘Lord.’ It is not about titles and words. Jesus we honour as Lord. We obey him as our Lord. Only the Father we worship absolutely as God. Our final absolute obedience and worship is to the Father, to God. Even Jesus does this.


As members of his body, we are effectively all one, so we should no longer practice lies or deceptions or even dishonesty with each other. This fulfills the commandment against bearing false witness. We must replace our language of lying with a new language of speaking truthfully. We can even help ourselves by learning truthful thinking since it is out of the inner being that the mouth speaks. The Holy Spirit can help with this, cleansing lips with heavenly power and holiness.


The hatred we sometimes feel taking over can make us angry. The danger with hatred and anger from hatred is that it can lead to serious wrongs and even crimes, and implicate us even in unlawful killings if it goes too far. This is against the commandment not to kill. The murderer condemned in the teachings of Jesus and the witness of the Holy Spirit is Satan, and lies and murder are his hallmarks, mirrored in those whose lives he is influencing and shaping. We must learn to curb anger and never let it go too far. This protects not only our own consciences but the lives of those in the body of Christ who might be impacted harmfully by our actions. Love is no harm-doer. 


We must stay faithful in our marriages and honor the marriages of others. 


We must respect property rights of others and work to support ourselves and our families instead of seeking what is not rightfully ours and stealing. If we are doing such wrongs, we must stop and switch over to honest living. 


Covetousness is not to be allowed to take us over. When our bodies are spiritually part of the body of Christ, this truth comes into how we treat our bodies. Sexually, it matters whether we engage in sexual activities because they unite us physically on a certain level with another. We cannot anymore do this immorally. Even our thinking can be a physical engagement with another. It should be done as befits members of Christ’s spiritual body, and not in any kind of fornication. It is only right within proper relationships, as befits the new lives we have in Christ. We should honor true relationships, not holding out from a proper marriage partner. Wisdom is needed here. Setting it out here in a simplistic way could harm families, so we need wise applications of these teachings. That is why pastors and marriage counselors need good training and education in offering practical advice in such matters.


Sabbaths are controversial, but for non-Jews, it is merely voluntary to keep them. It is largely a matter of conscience. Some live in countries and communities where it is mandatory, and here again, they must respect what is right. Originally, the Sabbath commandment was for Jews to set them apart, but in Isaiah’s prophecy, God promised a blessing for those who voluntarily kept it while living among people who kept it.


Honoring father and mother is important in Jesus Christ’s teachings and in the teachings reiterated by his apostles. Paul noted it is a promise-command. It promises longevity. Jesus is all about eternal living, so this is fully in keeping with his promises.


If we speak of God and of Christ or the Holy Spirit, we must be very careful not to be offensive, not even to celestial beings, not even to Satan. But to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, in particular, is an eternal sin without forgiveness, so be careful in all these things. Slander is a deep offense to each other, but when celestial dignity is concerned, it is all the more serious.


In turning to Christ and to the Father through Christ, some have to leave a life of worshipping idols. This can mean leaving practices strongly embedded in a community. It can be a challenge to cease to partake in such things. Some of these practices exist subtly in communities due to toning them down and disguising them due to the introduction of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. We cannot be engaged in the body of Christ and still stay engaged with idol worship or false worship. We are to live according to the truth that is in Jesus. We must keep away from idols, their worship, their feasts, and rituals. This can be a major challenge, causing believers to stumble, so we should be careful not to trip up others in the body of Christ by our actions, even if we have a clear conscience over it ourselves.


So here is a sample of how, in Jesus Christ’s teachings, we practically obey the Ten Commandments and live by his truth.


The goal is his promise: eternal life in knowledge of the only true God the Father and of the Christ Jesus whom He sent. Father and Son do show themselves to those who do these things and will do so all the more in the future too, and fellowship with the Father and the Son is for those who keep to these teachings.