Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

“And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.  He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.  He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.”  I John 2:3-6

I have yet to figure out folks who claim to be a Christian, yet they do not live like Christ.  I mean, after all, a Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ.  If we follow a particular person, doctrine, creed, or philosophy, the usual thing is to live according to the tenants of whatever it is that has our allegiance.  People who play golf, practice, read about, watch others play, talk about, spend lots of money toward, and can’t wait to get back out on the course.  Up until the COVID-19 pandemic came upon us, some folks were so wrapped up in football, particularly college football, that they were almost fanatical about it.  Actually some are fanatics, except the football and basketball games have become political rather than just a sport that folks like to watch, and thus people have grown sour upon these games which just goes to show us that worldly pleasures are short-lived.

The Apostle John wrote that if we truly love Christ and know Him personally and intimately, we will keep His commandments.  In Luke 18:18-22, Jesus was asked by a rich ruler how that he could inherit eternal life.  Jesus began to list the commandments that deal with the relationship between people.  Don’t commit adultery.  Check.  Don’t kill.  Check.  Don’t steal.  Check.  Don’t lie.  Check.  Honor your parents.  Check.  So far, so good, the man thought because he had been very careful not to break any of these commandments.  But then the “piece de resistance”:  “sell all that you have, give unto the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  The man went away sorrowful for he couldn’t part with his riches.  He could follow his conscience in doing the right thing towards his fellow human beings, but when it came to an eternal commitment to Christ, he was not willing to give up that which had become his god.  That was just too much to bear.  He might have thought that because he had kept some of God’s commandments, then that was enough.  But God requires 100 per cent of a person’s devotion and requires a lifestyle that supports that commitment.

We know that just doing good works, keeping the commandments, and trying to live a righteous life are all good goals for which to strive, but none of these things will save a sinner and bring him or her into a right relationship with the Lord.  Jesus had told the ruler that in order to inherit eternal life, he must follow Christ; he must be like Christ in all that he does, says, and thinks.  A sinner must repent, that is, turn from his sin and place his faith in Christ.  When a person has truly done that, God puts in his heart a desire to live for Christ, to do what is pleasing to Christ, to witness for Him, and to be His representative on earth to all with whom he comes in contact.  Christ, through the Holy Spirit, becomes a 24/7 companion to the believer.  He goes everywhere the believer goes, sees everything the believer sees or does, and hears everything the believer says.  He is not given to us to be a spy, but as a helper to keep us on the straight and narrow.  I would hate to know that I had to keep myself in line without the help of the Holy Spirit.

It has been said many times, “You just may be the best Christian, or even the only Christian, that someone else knows.”  That is quite a responsibility.  And, as also has been said many times, “If we are going to talk the talk, then we better walk the walk.”