Following Jesus means we live a loving life, as He did, John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." This is the only new commandment Jesus gave us. It is only a minor addition to the commandment to love our neighbors. Of course, this was only made possible once He lived a life that showed us how to love like Him. We humans need to see the proof before we are willing to follow.
So, God sent Jesus, full of grace and truth, to be that proof, John 1:14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." He had to live before we could follow Him.
Following Him means we are born again, or spiritually reborn, John 3:1-3, "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This rebirth opens our hearts and minds, allowing us to abide in Him, becoming one with Him and the Father, John 17:20-23, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."
Jesus came humbly as a helpless baby. Ultimately, as the lamb of God, John 1:29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." He didn't come to condemn this world or overthrow the rulers of it; He came to save those who would willingly choose to follow Him, John 3:17, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." We are not capable of living a perfect life without abiding in His love, Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" and John 15:5, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." Without Jesus, we would be led by our appetites and/or those who would enslave us. It is our rebirth that saves us. It is the belief followed by action that saves us, Ephesians 2:8-10, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." We were created to do good works. If we are not about our Father's business, we are not following Jesus, for He demonstrated that behavior while He walked the earth, John 9:4-5, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Following Jesus means we understand what He said and what He did not say while He walked this earth. But we must think, say, and do those things He calls us to do, thus following Him and the way He is leading us to live, John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." We cannot add or subtract from what He said and did. We must not take other parts of the Bible and misapply them to Jesus. He came to explain the parts of the Bible we have misunderstood. His teaching is meant to open our hearts and minds to do the will of the Father. So, He further explained the commandment regarding killing, Matthew 5:21-22, "Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
Following Jesus means we live the love He calls us to. It is an unselfish love. It is an unconditional love. We cannot follow Jesus and hate at the same time. We are to become the light of this world, Matthew 5:1-15, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." As Jesus prepared to leave this world, He began lighting our candles, so we might be His light in this world. We do this by reading the Bible with a heart and mind willing to follow Jesus.
God has placed us in unique places throughout this world. This blog is about sharing His Word; please share it with those you believe would be blessed by hearing it. Bless you! If you want to receive the Quarterly Newsletter, email us at bill@reasoningwithgod.com. If you want to read past blogs, go to https://www.reasoningwithgod.com/blog.
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