christian spirituality

I (Tim) need Jesus. Bob the bloodhound does, too. The Bible’s New Testament is convinced of it. Bob just looked at me with a tilt of his head, letting me know it’s time to talk about how much everyone needs Christ the Savior and Lord of all.

“I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

Yes, we have many troubles in this old fallen world. And, yes, there a lot of things we need right now: healing from disease and damaged emotions; economic stability; solutions to the awful human issues conditions that beset us, and more. We need relief, guidance, and wisdom.

So therefore, Bob and I declare with conviction: Out of all the great needs which surround us, the greatest need is for Jesus.

I don’t just need his teaching. I don’t only need to imitate his model of loving service. I don’t need to merely be a fan of his. I need Jesus himself!

The Lord spoke to his disciples in the Upper Room on the night before his crucifixion. He told them he was leaving (dying) and that it must be this way.

The disciples were understandably troubled. Thomas was worried about what was going to happen and how he and the others were going to deal with an uncertain future. (John 14:1-14)

I will tell you how millions of people have dealt with their past difficulties, their present troubles and their worries about the future: The Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Way

Christ is the way to deal with our current concerns and anticipated anxieties… he himself. The way is not merely through:

  • A program of self-improvement
  • A fake-it-till-you-make-it approach
  • An ability to articulate well-crafted words or through being able to answer with certainty every question of faith
  • Finding just the right plan or system

The way of rescue, the road to a life of harmonious peace and settled rest, even when the world is going to hell around us, is Jesus. He is our connection with God. To trust Christ is to give up the personal delusion of control and to walk with him on his terms.

Jesus is the way for the church everywhere – fellowship, encouragement, acts of loving service, teaching, and strengthening of faith all center around Christ because he is love incarnate.

The way of the Lord for the world is in serving neighbors and nations, advocating for those who are mistreated and victims of injustice, and tackling the dozens of world problems which oppress humanity.

Jesus is the Truth

Christ does more than speak truth; he is truth incarnate. Truth is more than abstract ideas and personal perspectives. What is true about God has its ultimate expression and demonstration in the person of Christ.

“You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, CEB)

To see the face of Jesus is to see the reality of Truth. God’s character and attributes expressed through creating, loving, sustaining, healing, and providing has its highest expression in Christ.

Jesus is our truth. When troubles abound, Christ is the ballast of truth we can rely upon, the rock of our salvation, and the anchor of our soul.

Truth within the church resides in the person and work of Christ. All teaching, mentoring, and instruction points and centers in him. Guidance and direction – whether in family, work, school, or neighborhood – all flows from Christ. To merely dispense homespun advice falls short if there is no Jesus.

Christ is truth for the world. Proclaiming him is more than a verbal activity; it is embodying truth. (Luke 4:16-19) Followers of the Lord embody truth by looking for ways to be Jesus to the lost, the least, and the lonely in acts of basic human compassion and advocating for their justice. (Luke 19:10)

Jesus is the Life

“Life” and “death” in the Bible are relational terms, not just physical references. When Adam and Eve fell into disobedience, they spiritually died without being physically dead. They originally enjoyed the connection of life with God; then, after the Fall, experienced a separation from God by being cast out of the Garden.

Jesus is our life. He is the person in whom Christians have their identity. Instead of connecting myself to a narrowly expected outcome, I tether myself to Christ because he is my connection, my life.

The church’s very life is in it’s head: Christ. Christians experience life as their prayers and their praise are directed toward him as both the subject and the object of worship. (John 4:23-24)

The Lord is the life of the world. The good news of Christ’s redemption – incarnation, earthly ministry of teaching and healing, death, resurrection, ascension and glorification – is good news for everyone. There is forgiveness of sins deliverance from guilt and shame, and a life connection in and through Christ.

Concluding with Christ

Our problems, concerns, and troubles on this earth are not sufficiently addressed by simply acknowledging Christ’s teaching. I need him! For he has the power to give life.

“Salvation can be found in no one else. Throughout the whole world, no other name has been given among humans through which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, CEB)

“I need Jesus!” is the affirmation and declaration that Bob and I proclaim. He is the way to live my life instead of trusting in my own power and ability. He is the truth I choose to bank my life upon. Christ is the life graciously given for which I can say with boldness that I belong to God.

Christ is the midpoint of history, the center of life, the subject and object of the New Testament:

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is the King of Kings with authority to back it up.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is the Deliverer of humanity and all of creation.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is the Son of Man who relates to us and is attentive to humanity.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus is the Word become flesh, the Good Shepherd, the Bread of Life, Living Water, and the Light of the World.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus is Lord, the risen and ascended Christ who will come again.

In Romans, Jesus is the Son of God, securing our union with God, justifying us according to his mercy and grace.

In 1 Corinthians, Jesus is the Wisdom and Power of God, despite the foolishness of the cross.

In 2 Corinthians, Jesus is the Reconciler, the One who has brought forgiveness and reconciliation to the world.

In the book of Galatians, Jesus is our Substitute for sin.

In Ephesians, Jesus is the Victor, the One who has subdued all the dark forces of this world.

In Philippians, Jesus is the Humble Servant, having submitted himself to death on a cross for our deliverance.

In Colossians, Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

In the First letter to the Thessalonians, Jesus is the Coming King and will soon be here!

In the Second letter to the Thessalonians, Jesus is the Glorious Lord who makes us partakers in God’s glory.

In the book of First Timothy, Jesus is the Savior of sinners of whom I am chief.

In Second Timothy, Jesus is the Righteous One who will come to Judge the living and the dead.

In Titus, Jesus is the Redeemer, snatching us from the realm of wickedness and godlessness.

In the little book of Philemon, Jesus is Good, and therefore, every good thing we have comes from him.

In Hebrews, Jesus is the Pioneer of Salvation and our faithful High Priest.

In James, Jesus is the Wise Teacher.

In First Peter, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In Second Peter, Jesus is the Divine Power that allows me to live a godly life.

In the Epistles of John, Jesus is Love, demonstrating God’s grace and mercy through the cross.

In Jude, Jesus is the Holy One who keeps us from falling and presents us faultless before God.

Finally, in Revelation, Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

I need him, the Son of God and Son of Man; the Lord and Judge of all, the Redeemer and Savior of humanity, my Healer and my Friend.

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Experiencing practical victory over the darkness involves identifying the enemies of every Christian. Bob did some sniffing around the Bible to help us know what we are up against and what to do about it.

The Three Big Enemies

The Christian’s struggle is with sin. Sin is present in three dimensions: the “world” (1 John 2:15-17), the “flesh” or “sinful nature” (Ephesians 4:22) and the “devil” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

The “world” in the Bible has a couple of meanings. God loves the world, that is, the cosmos with its creatures and all creation. However, another use of “the world” are all the institutions and organizations throughout the earth which operate apart from God’s Word and will. A more contemporary way of saying this is “systemic and structural evil.” (Galatians 4:3; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 2:8, 20; Jude 1:19)

The “flesh” is not the physical body but the sinful nature. This refers to an old life dictated by selfish desires, manipulation of others, and hustling for love. It is a bent toward hiding from and shaming others. The flesh pursues radical independence from God and others. The sinful nature seeks to not be dependent on anything or anyone. A person might want to do good but is unable to because of these base motives. (Romans 7:5, 19; 8:5, 8)

The “devil” or “Satan” is the one who seeks to exploit the world and the sinful nature to tempt and move us into rebellion against God. He is our ancient enemy. Since he’s been at this for a long time, his craft and deceit are formidable. (1 Corinthians 7:5; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:26-27; 1 John 3:8, 10)

The good news is that Jesus Christ has obtained deliverance and freedom for people from each of those enemies (1 Corinthians 15:56-57; Colossians 1:13-14; 1 Peter 2:9). For this deliverance and freedom to be a practical victory over the darkness, each believer in Jesus must know and practice the truth.

The Fall of Humanity

In the original Fall of humanity there was a passive response to the temptation of the serpent, the devil. There was an acceptance of doubt concerning God’s Word, through Satan’s insinuations that God is not so good. The original people made a deliberate choice to follow the suggestions of Satan and disobey the true and living God. (Genesis 3:1-6).

The seriousness of that Fall into disobedience cannot be overemphasized. The Fall introduced sin, lust, depravity, slavery, ignorance, death and every form of evil into humanity. People became alienated from God and enslaved to the devil. (Genesis 3:7-24)

The final effects of this sinful bondage will not be completely severed until the final judgment (Revelation 20:10). The hold of the devil is so profound that it took the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to experience victory over the darkness. (Romans 5:17; 2 Timothy 1:9-10)

Satan

The descriptive titles given to Satan indicate his activity and what he is up to: Tempter (Matthew 4:3); Deceiver (Revelation 12:9); Accuser (Revelation 12:10); Adversary (1 Peter 5:8); Murderer and Liar (John 8:44); the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4); and the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

The Bible indicates a Christian can be significantly influenced by Satan through:

Indeed, the Christian ignores the activity of Satan at their peril.

Satan aims to keep every believer in Jesus from spiritual progress and maturity, from the daily experience of living in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and from victory over the darkness. Unfortunately, the evidence of Satan’s success is all around us. All Christians are under the attack of the enemy in some way, shape, or form.

When well-meaning Christians have trouble in prayer, reading Scripture, witnessing to the truth of Christ, overcoming sins, or maintaining right fellowship with other believers, then this is a tangible reminder of the subtle and powerful effect Satan has in the church, not to mention the world. Such a situation requires that we know and understand the provision we possess in overcoming the evil one.

Overcoming the Devil

The most basic truth to know and practice is that in the crucifixion and resurrection the Lord Jesus Christ defeated Satan (Colossians 2:15).  Jesus, through his death and rising from death, destroyed the power of death and delivered those held in bondage (Hebrews 2:14-15).  In fact, Jesus, the Son of God, came to this earth so that he might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). What’s more, through the Ascension, Jesus is seated in triumph over Satan. This tremendous victory over the darkness is given to every believer in Christ (Ephesians 1:19-21; 2:5-6).

For this incredible access to become a reality there must be a complete and honest confession. Repentance and renunciation of past and present sins are needed.

“If we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—God won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:9, MSG) 

Rejecting Evil and Living the Truth

There must be a complete and honest practice of the truth in the obedience of faith and love through standing with the truth (Ephesians 6:10-18). In addition, there is a need for aggressive resistance of Satan’s work through constant vigilance and standing firm (1 Peter 5:8-9).

When you feel guilty but don’t know why – then be pugnacious about rejecting it. If feeling accused on the inside, i.e. “If you were really a Christian you would not be thinking a thought like that…” then be steadfast about refusing such guilt. If your thoughts, emotions, and desires threaten to get out of hand – then take charge of them and bring them into subjection to Jesus. The truth is that you have all the authority of Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension behind you to reject error and refuse satanic whispers.

Know the enemy’s lies and deceptions. Be aggressive about dealing with falsehood using gospel truth.

May the kingdom of God come in all its fullness as we together learn to renounce evil and practice the truth of Jesus Christ. Amen.

See you on the trail!

 

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