The motto for one of the world’s most famous religious systems is “JESUS IS LORD.” The question those within this organization need to answer is: “Bit is He YOUR LORD? If so, why do you reject the very Law by which He governs His true disciples and apostles?” In the Hebrew language the word “Lord” (YHWH/ Jehovah) is defined as He Who exists, He Who causes to exist. In the Greek language the word “Lord” (KYRIOS) is defined as master, slave owner. Slaves are owned by their master. The same is true in the spiritual realm. Christ’s disciples are totally owned and operated by Him because He “bought (them) with a price”–His life (1 Cor. 6:20).

In Romans 6:16,17 the Apostle Paul declares that the one to whom WE YIELD OURSELVES AS SERVANTS TO OBEY is the one WE SERVE AS OUR LORD AND MASTER WHO WILL LEAD US IN THE WAYS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS WHICH ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE (Rom. 5:21; 6:22). Read those verses carefully. Note the words “end” and “unto” which refer to THE END RESULT OF ONE’S “WALK” OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS, WHICH IS ETERNAL LIFE. There is no substitute for godliness of thought, speech and action, which is Biblically known as the believer’s “walk.” For a beautiful but sword-wielding view of exactly what this “walk” is like, we will turn to my favorite book in the Holy Bible. If I was forced to live alone for the rest of my life and was allowed to have one book of the Bible, I would choose First John. After reading John’s Gospel and his epistles I understand why he was “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jn. 13:23). John was a Word man all the way. Turn with me now to First John. Anyone wondering what the Christian “walk” looks like will have his question answered.

In the first four verses of the Apostle John’s Gospel and in the first verse of his first epistle to the church we find him writing about the two Gods of the Godhead before one of Them came to earth as a man. At that time the God Who would become the other God’s Son was referred to as “the Word.” In the first chapter of Genesis we find the two Gods re-creating the universe following a war between the two Creators (Elohim–Gods) of the universe and Lucifer (Satan) and his angels who tried to take Their creation from Them. The war left all of creation in a state of waste and emptiness (Heb.–tohu and bohu). Darkness filled the universe. The earth, which was tohu and bohu, was covered in water.

In First John 1:1 Jesus of Nazareth is called the “Word of life.” The Word (Gk.–logos) means the doctrine, word of God. It also means Speaker of that Word. Note that the Word of God and He who spoke that Word have the same name–the “WORD.” When I fully surrendered to God He focused my attention on the 119th Psalm. I soon learned why–that psalm is ALL ABOUT HIS WORD. Everything comes back to the Word of God, which is EVERYTHING we know about the Godhead. Following the creation of mankind, God (yhwh) spoke to the Word, Who relayed His message to His prophets and apostles who spoke it and recorded it for those who would seek the Truth. This includes God’s end-time church today (1 Cor. 10:11). At the appointed time The Word (Jn. 1:1-4,14) came to earth as God’s Word/Truth made flesh in the form of a human being like all other human beings. By calling Him “the Word of life” John was pointing us toward Him as the model Whose “walk” we must emulate in order to join Him in paradise in the next life. John brings this out in First John 2:6 where he states that if we claim to be followers of Christ, we must “walk (live) as He walked (lived)” while on earth as a man. If not, we are not His disciples–spiritual brethren/friends. Read the two series about Jesus’ friends and brethren. Key words–Friend and Brethren respectively.

There is no alternative to walking as He walked, no other way into the Kingdom of God. In order to qualify for eternal life in paradise we must obey God and be filled with His righteousness, holiness and Godliness. This must be our priority in this life. Those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” are assured that they will be “filled” with God’s righteousness.

God’s spoken and printed Word is God Himself in verbal and written form. God and His Word are one; Jesus and God are one (Jn. 10:30). Jesus was His Word/Truth (Jn. 17:17) in human form. He is “THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.” For this reason He said that whoever looked upon Him was looking upon His Father. Jesus is the template, the “walk” the true saint walks in order to: “come to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Sadly, few people know that Truth, and even fewer want to know that Truth. And of those who do know that Truth, the vast majority reject it, preferring to believe Satan’s lies as did Adam and Eve did anciently. For this reason Jesus said that few would enter His Father’s kingdom which is accessible only by searching for, “finding” and entering His strait (highly restrictive, very difficult) gate and walking His (narrow, His-way-only) path that leads to eternal life. Many, He said, would go in the wide gate and walk the broad path leading to destruction (Mat. 7:13,14).

We have all been told that the “walk” of Christ is impossible to follow, that, because of Adam’s fall, sin is inevitable. As one preacher told his vast t.v. audience, “Don’t even try to be righteous. You’ll just make yourself sick. You are nothing but a society of sinners.” Those who believe him and his fellow ministers are being lied to by Satan’s messengers, also known as “false prophets,” “hirelings,” “sleeping dogs,” “cowards” and “liars.”

In First John 1:2 the apostle refers to Jesus as THE LIFE that was manifested, touched, seen and heard by the apostles whose job it is to “REVEAL TO YOU THAT ETERNAL LIFE.” Their ministerial descendants continue to do this by telling people what Jesus taught and did (“manifested”) according to His written Word. Note that Jesus is called “THE (ONE AND ONLY WAY TO ETERNAL) LIFE.” This means that there is only ONE LIFE (“walk”) that will produce eternal life–the life of Christ being lived by the true believer.

In verse three John reminds the church that the apostles had enjoyed true fellowship with the Word/Jesus, and that through their preaching and writing true disciples could have THE SAME LEVEL OF COMPANIONSHIP the original apostles had enjoyed. Notice what this means: BY HEARING AND READING WHAT THE APOSTLES WROTE AND SAID, ONE CAN EXPERIENCE THE SAME FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON THAT THE APOSTLES HAD ENJOYED IF ONE HEARS AND READS WITH THEIR LEVEL OF FAITH. This tells us just how powerful and rich the Word of God is in the lives of true believers.

By reading and hearing God’s precious Word with full faith in its contents, we are spiritually looking at and listening to the Messiah Himself. Therefore, when someone is hearing or reading the words of a true messenger of God and believing it, he is, in a spiritual level, HAVING FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD HIMSELF. That is how powerful the Holy Scriptures are in the hands of a true, sanctified, purchased saint of God. And when the saint speaks what he has spiritually received from on high, he is speaking the very will, Truth, power and holiness of Almighty God.

In verse five John states that GOD IS LIGHT (POWER, HOLINESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, TRUTH), AND THAT THERE IS NO DARKNESS (SIN, EVIL, FALSITY, WEAKNESS) IN HIM AT ALL. If we claim to be “in Him,” we must be His Word manifested in human form, exactly as was Jesus of Nazareth. In verse six John warns that if we say we are sons of God but continue to sin, WE ARE LIARS AND THE TRUTH (WORD/POWER) OF GOD IS NOT IN US. Therefore, let us be about manifesting His Word in human form as did Jesus who commanded us to follow His example.

But be prepared. Jesus warns all who would follow Him that the world, especially the church world, WILL hate them because their light exposes their (the world’s) darkness. (Jn. 15:19; 3:20). The world He is referring to is the church world. The non-churched world does not care what we say, do or think. The enemies of the Godhead are the churches that comprise professing Christendom. This is the counterfeit church system where our relatives and other loved ones hear Satan’s doctrines and beliefs, a list of which are found on the Home Page of this website. Though they may continue to love you socially, they will hate what you stand for spiritually. That is why we are told to “count the cost” of true discipleship and be willing to pay it. Read the series titled Persecution, using that word as the key. Remember these Words spoken by the Master: “ALL WHO WILL LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS WILL SUFFER PERSECUTION” (2 Tim. 3:12). Notice the words “ALL” and “WILL.” Recall that it was the Jewish religious hierarchy that arranged the martyrdoms of Jesus and the apostles. Why? Because darkness hates light. Nothing has changed. L.J.