A Committed Disciple Is Committed To The Teachings Of Christ

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free.”
—John 8:31-32

According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, a disciple is “a pupil or follower of any teacher.” That simple definition means that whoever is a disciple is a person who will follow the teachings of a particular person. Likewise, every single person who claims to be a believer should, by this simple definition, be someone who adheres to the teachings of Christ. We know that Christ is the single greatest teacher who has ever lived, and He gave us some of the most important lessons regarding how we are to live our daily lives as Christians.

All throughout the Word of God are lessons on how we are to live this life here on earth. In fact, the majority of the Bible deals with living for God. However, we know that millions of people, who claim to be Christians, or who truly are born again, do not actually follow the teachings of Christ, but they pick and choose what they will adhere to. We are not to pick and choose the parts of the Bible we like and live by those. Rather, we are to completely live our lives based upon the words of Christ.

The Bible Is Our Textbook Regarding How We Are To Live For God

Some of the greatest teachings of Christ that are found in the Bible are located in the gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5 through 7. This teaching is known as the Sermon on the Mount and is something that every single Christian ought to study, dive into, and learn to live by. These chapters express what it means to not only be a Christian, but they tell us how we ought to act, and how we ought to be.

These next few words are not pleasant, but, I must be truthful. In today’s modern Christianity, the word that comes to mind that describes modern Christians is “superficial”. In other words, today’s Christian is only concerned with the obvious, and, for the most part, is shallow and never desires to go past a certain point in his relationship with Christ. Because of this, almost anyone who looks beyond the veil, so to speak, cannot help but realize that the most significant characteristic of the modern church is superficiality. I speak of the Pentecostal world, for that is where I am from, and it pains me to see it heading in a direction that is totally against our heritage and what we are supposed to be. We need to return to what is recorded in the book of Acts and become reacquainted with our heritage. We need to believe that God is able to do that once again, even in this day and age.

The cause for this is more than likely a tendency not to ignore the Bible, but rather put it to the side, and use it only when we feel up to it. However, we should be reading and studying the Bible constantly and letting it draw us closer to our heavenly Father through His Word. We have failed to take it for what it is, the Word of God, and have resorted to treating it as just another book.

Here in America we are blessed to have Bibles spread throughout our homes and vehicles, but most of the time, the Bible is used as a decorative piece in our living rooms.

Let me be clear: There is nothing more important than the Word of God and our understanding of the Word of God. The Bible is not easily understood, but if we have a proper understanding of the Word of God, we will be able to live according to its precepts, and gain wisdom according to Scripture, which will help us in our daily lives.

The Bible does not merely contain the Word of God—it is the Word of God—and we must treat it as such. It is our textbook, our only reference, and our lone authority. To ignore such is to welcome peril and destruction. It’s something that we should not take lightly, but cherish and utilize it while we still can.

Evil Forces Are At Work

I say that because there are forces at play—evil forces mind you—that have one agenda at heart, and that is to remove any semblance of God, or more particularly, Jesus Christ, from our consciences. That means that these forces are working tirelessly to remove the Word of God from our existence, but they have not completely succeeded yet.
Anytime that the Ten Commandments are erected in front of a city courthouse, a fight is right behind, stating that there should be separation of church and state. Now, let me say that I do agree that there should be a separation of church and state, meaning that if there is one church, such as the Church of England, and everyone has to join. That’s not what I am referring to.

Their fight is not against church and state, but is rather a fight to remove Christ from the equation. However, what they fail to realize is that our form of government was taken from the Ten Commandments. So, they fight against a monument that has been erected of the Ten Commandments, or they target a coach who prays before every game, a teacher who has the Bible on his desk, or the student who carries a Bible and prays in school. These forces are doing everything in their power to remove the Word of God from this country—a country that was founded on “In God We Trust.”

It is their desire to remove the Word of God from our lives, so they can rule how they see fit. We, as Christians, must be committed to the teachings of Christ, which are found in the Word of God, and we should live our lives based on what the Bible says.

All False Doctrine Is A Misunderstanding Of The Finished Work Of Christ

Now, let me address one more issue: All false doctrine stems from a misunderstanding of the Bible, and more importantly, a misunderstanding of the atonement. If the believer does not understand the Cross of Christ relative not only to justification, but sanctification, as well, then he cannot truly understand the Bible. I say that because the Cross of Christ is the single most important part in the plan of God. Without the Cross, there is no salvation, plain and simple. If there is no salvation, then there can be nothing else that we can experience that will benefit our lives, such as the baptism with the Holy Spirit, healing, deliverance, blessings, etc. Remove the Cross from Christianity, and you have something along the lines of philosophy, and it will be equal to every other religion in the world, which will produce no salvation.

I heard someone say that if we preach any other Christ and leave off the crucified Christ, then we are doing our people a tremendous disservice. That person was right. If we are to preach the Word, then we must preach the entirety of the Word, which means that we are to preach the Cross without compromise. That’s why Jesus stated that “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The truth spoken of here by Christ is the Cross, and the Cross alone. Our faith in the finished work of Christ produces salvation, healing, deliverance, blessing, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and everything else that we will ever need. If we misunderstand that, then we lose what it is.

If we believe it, then we can experience all that He says we can experience.

We must adhere to the Word of God and obey the teachings of Christ, and not pick and choose what we want to abide by. The Bible is the only light in the world that delivers true spiritual light. It is our road map for life and our guide for eternity.

Share this Post

0 Comments

    No one has commented on this article yet. Leave your comment below!

Leave Your Comment