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John 8:12 ESV
To follow Jesus Christ is to obey him and his commands (New Covenant). It is to follow him in truth and in righteousness, and to follow his leading in our lives, and to go wherever he sends us, and to do and to say all that he commands us to do and to say. It is to be his servants and his witnesses. It is to surrender our lives to him fully, and for him truly to be our Lord and Master. We are now his possession and our lives belong to him fully.
Jesus is the light of the world. He is righteousness, holiness, truth, godliness, uprightness, moral purity, faithfulness, integrity, and The Word of the Lord, the divine revelation of God to humankind. And darkness is the opposite of light, so it is all that is evil, wicked, dishonest, not trustworthy, lying, cheating, stealing, committing adultery, hating, and murdering, etc. Darkness is sin and sin is opposed to righteousness and holiness.
So, if we are walking in darkness, we do not have the light of life within us. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and holiness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, the Scriptures teach that we do not know God, he does not know us, and we do not have eternal life in him, and we will not enter the kingdom of heaven regardless of what faith we have professed with our lips.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
But if we follow the Lord Jesus in truth and in righteousness, and if obedience to his commands is our practice, then we will not walk in darkness because darkness is opposed to the light, and light is opposed to the darkness, so the two don’t mix together (see Galatians 5:16-21). So, you say you know Jesus, but you are still walking in sin? And some of you say you don’t want to walk in sin? Then walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the sinful cravings of the flesh.
John 8:31-32 ESV
To abide in Christ is to comply with him, to obey, follow, conform to, adhere to, uphold, and agree with him. And to agree with the Lord is to have his mindset about things and to speak to the same conclusion as him about matters, in truth. And to abide in Christ is also to continue, remain, and stay in him and in his word steadfast in faith and in practice, and it is to not vacillate back and forth between sin and righteousness.
And if we are abiding in Christ, in truth and in righteousness, then we are truly his disciples. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of the name of Jesus we die with Christ to sin and we are living to him and to his righteousness, then we have eternal life in him (see Luke 9:23-26).
And we will know the truth because we are abiding in him and in his word and he is teaching us the truth and we are listening to him and we are obeying him. And the truth of God’s holy Word is what will set us free from our lives of living in sin and for self so that we can walk in holiness and in righteousness, if we comply with the truths of God’s Word and we do what our Lord commands us to do. For we must die with Christ to sin and now live to him and to his righteousness in order to inherit eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
John 8:34-36 ESV
We can’t be slaves to sin and slaves to God and to his righteousness at the same time. We are one or the other. Either righteousness and obedience to our Lord are what we practice or sin and wickedness are what we practice. And this is not speaking of sinless perfection here (see 1 John 2:1-2). But the Scriptures divide saved and unsaved according to what we practice. Are you still habitually and deliberately sinning against the Lord Jesus? Then, sin is your practice. For you are choosing and plotting out how you might sin.
So, if we are still slaves to sin, and if we are not walking in victory over sin, then we are illegitimate children of God, i.e. we are his in name only, but not in practice. And this is what the Scriptures teach. It is what Jesus taught and it is what his New Testament apostles taught. So it is critical that we do not ignore this and choose to go our own way, instead, for the word of God is truth, and what he says he will do, he will do. And he will cast out all those who give lip service to him only but who are still living in sin (Matthew 7:21-23). So, please take this to heart (see all Scripture references noted above).
Come Into His Presence
By Don Moen
Come into His presence with thanksgiving in your heart
And give Him praise, and give Him praise
Come into His presence with thanksgiving in your heart
Your voices raise, your voices raise
Give glory and honor and power unto Him
Jesus, the name above all names
Jesus!
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“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
To follow Jesus Christ is to obey him and his commands (New Covenant). It is to follow him in truth and in righteousness, and to follow his leading in our lives, and to go wherever he sends us, and to do and to say all that he commands us to do and to say. It is to be his servants and his witnesses. It is to surrender our lives to him fully, and for him truly to be our Lord and Master. We are now his possession and our lives belong to him fully.
Jesus is the light of the world. He is righteousness, holiness, truth, godliness, uprightness, moral purity, faithfulness, integrity, and The Word of the Lord, the divine revelation of God to humankind. And darkness is the opposite of light, so it is all that is evil, wicked, dishonest, not trustworthy, lying, cheating, stealing, committing adultery, hating, and murdering, etc. Darkness is sin and sin is opposed to righteousness and holiness.
So, if we are walking in darkness, we do not have the light of life within us. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and holiness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, the Scriptures teach that we do not know God, he does not know us, and we do not have eternal life in him, and we will not enter the kingdom of heaven regardless of what faith we have professed with our lips.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
But if we follow the Lord Jesus in truth and in righteousness, and if obedience to his commands is our practice, then we will not walk in darkness because darkness is opposed to the light, and light is opposed to the darkness, so the two don’t mix together (see Galatians 5:16-21). So, you say you know Jesus, but you are still walking in sin? And some of you say you don’t want to walk in sin? Then walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the sinful cravings of the flesh.
John 8:31-32 ESV
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
To abide in Christ is to comply with him, to obey, follow, conform to, adhere to, uphold, and agree with him. And to agree with the Lord is to have his mindset about things and to speak to the same conclusion as him about matters, in truth. And to abide in Christ is also to continue, remain, and stay in him and in his word steadfast in faith and in practice, and it is to not vacillate back and forth between sin and righteousness.
And if we are abiding in Christ, in truth and in righteousness, then we are truly his disciples. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of the name of Jesus we die with Christ to sin and we are living to him and to his righteousness, then we have eternal life in him (see Luke 9:23-26).
And we will know the truth because we are abiding in him and in his word and he is teaching us the truth and we are listening to him and we are obeying him. And the truth of God’s holy Word is what will set us free from our lives of living in sin and for self so that we can walk in holiness and in righteousness, if we comply with the truths of God’s Word and we do what our Lord commands us to do. For we must die with Christ to sin and now live to him and to his righteousness in order to inherit eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
John 8:34-36 ESV
“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’”
We can’t be slaves to sin and slaves to God and to his righteousness at the same time. We are one or the other. Either righteousness and obedience to our Lord are what we practice or sin and wickedness are what we practice. And this is not speaking of sinless perfection here (see 1 John 2:1-2). But the Scriptures divide saved and unsaved according to what we practice. Are you still habitually and deliberately sinning against the Lord Jesus? Then, sin is your practice. For you are choosing and plotting out how you might sin.
So, if we are still slaves to sin, and if we are not walking in victory over sin, then we are illegitimate children of God, i.e. we are his in name only, but not in practice. And this is what the Scriptures teach. It is what Jesus taught and it is what his New Testament apostles taught. So it is critical that we do not ignore this and choose to go our own way, instead, for the word of God is truth, and what he says he will do, he will do. And he will cast out all those who give lip service to him only but who are still living in sin (Matthew 7:21-23). So, please take this to heart (see all Scripture references noted above).
Come Into His Presence
By Don Moen
Come into His presence with thanksgiving in your heart
And give Him praise, and give Him praise
Come into His presence with thanksgiving in your heart
Your voices raise, your voices raise
Give glory and honor and power unto Him
Jesus, the name above all names
Jesus!
