Walking With God in 2010

“We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says ‘I know Him’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” I John 2:3-6

Yes, it’s time once again for New Year’s resolutions! I am working on mine as I sit here today, trying to decide between a few different ones. At the moment, the front-runner on my list is to become a vegetarian in 2010 and see how I fare. That could pose a problem in some of the far-away countries I go to, but I learned long ago that one could live off Cliff Bars for quite some time.

The Apostle John brings to our attention a resolution that we cannot pass over. It is one that should not, and cannot, be debated-- the resolution of obedience. John quickly informs his readers that one can easily distinguish between doctrinal and moral truth from error. He is building his case that mere intellectual knowledge is not the end-all when it comes to being a true follower of Christ. Knowing Jesus Christ must actually impact our behavior, our morality, and our charity.

Tiro Prosper was a disciple of St. Augustine in the early 5th century. He wrote prolifically; and like the Apostle John, much of his writing was against the heresies of his day. Prosper’s writings were also in letterform, like John’s, as he wrote to those holding heretical views. In one of his writings, or letters, Prosper commented on I John 1:6 and wrote, “Walk as He walked: does that not mean giving up the comforts He gave up, not being afraid of the kind of trials He bore, teaching what He taught, persevering in helping even those who show no appreciation, praying for one’s enemies, being kind to evil doers, serenely tolerating the proud?”

How easy it is to be ‘Christian’ without being Christ-like! How easy it is to believe certain truths without amending our behavior. How easy it is to have faith without following the actual commands of Christ. Even that word ‘commands’ sets us back a bit. We want heaven, we want God’s blessing, we want forgiveness of sin, but we don’t want to put out anything for it. And yes, it’s true; salvation is the free gift of God, but there are some requirements.

The Apostle John, one of the very ones who listened to Jesus non-stop for three years, says that security of salvation can be seen in many ways through our behavior. The true Christian is the one who ‘walks as Jesus did’ in every area of life. No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote, “…Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God”. Paul agrees with John in that every believer is responsible for his or her continual growth in holiness. We are created with a will, and with that will we can choose to keep the commands of Jesus or reject them; and this we do on a daily basis.

Many New Year’s resolutions will encompass the will. The will must be called upon to keep a resolution of reading the Bible every day in 2010. It will be called upon to keep steady attendance at the local gym. The will must be engaged to push away the sweets or second helpings while trying to get to the weight that God designed our frames to carry. Yes, the will must be engaged for resolutions. Therefore, let us exercise our wills in 2010 and purpose to do the things that Prosper wrote about. Let us give up some comforts, cast aside fear, help those who don’t even appreciate it, and love like Christ asked us to love.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “Christian love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will”. Praise the Lord, we have the Holy Spirit of God residing in us to help us activate our will towards those things that bring about holiness. We are not left completely to our own initiative but we have Him helping to move our will forward towards Christian behavior.

We have no idea what the New Year will bring us, but we do know that God will test us and deepen us because He cares. He cares because we are in His family. He cares because He knows there must be a family resemblance for us to be in His family. He cares because He knows there are things more important than houses, cars, accounts, and stuff. I think St. Prosper hit the nail on the head; it really is time to ‘walk as Jesus did’!

Happy New Year!

Dan Owens

Copyright 2010 Eternity Minded Ministries