KC Tsai—Toronto, Canada

SANCTIFIES AND GRANTS ETERNAL LIFE

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (Jn 17:17)

Before ascending to heaven and departing from His disciples, Jesus prayed to the Father, saying, "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do" (Jn 17:4). Jesus also said, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (Jn 17:3).

An essential part of the work that Jesus completed was to give the word of God to those whom the Father had given Him (Jn 17:8–9). Thus, they knew that Jesus had come from God and had been sent by God's Spirit to the world to fulfill God's salvation plan. The ones whom the Father had given Jesus were the eleven apostles and those who would believe in the Lord because of their word (Jn 17:20). Those who came to believe in the Lord through the apostles' witness would become one with the apostles, just as the Lord and the Father are one (Jn 17:22). Therefore, today, amidst a baffling array of Christian denominations, persevering in the apostles' teaching is key to ascertaining the true church. The true church's preaching must be consistent with that of the apostles. For example, baptism should be administered in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 2:38), not in any other name. Those who receive the promised Holy Spirit will speak in tongues (Acts 10:44–46). Conversely, the true church must not do what the apostles neither practiced nor instructed, such as celebrating Christmas, Easter, and so on.

The word of God is a crucial channel for man to know God (Jn 17:3). God speaks in multiple ways to those who are willing to believe in Him. He speaks through the ancient saints in the Old Testament who feared and trusted Him, through the interactions between them and Himself, through the words of the prophets, and through the words spoken directly by Jesus. Everyone has the opportunity to know Him and inherit eternal life (1 Tim 3:16). However, we must carefully learn God's word from the entire Bible, not just selecting parts that appeal to us while discarding the rest. We must not only heed what God directly speaks but also His messages conveyed through biblical characters and events.

SWEETER THAN HONEY

How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. (Ps 119:103–105)

"The word of God is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." When these words were written, there were no electric lights as we have today. After dark, if clouds obscured the moon, paths would be indistinguishable. Torches or lanterns were essential if people wanted to walk around. The Psalmist's analogy emphasizes the importance of God's word as the lamp illuminating the path ahead to prevent one from stumbling in a pitch-dark world. God's word is the light that indicates the direction we should travel, especially when we are faced with choices at life's crossroads. In short, if we want to walk peacefully and smoothly and enter into eternal life, we must faithfully obey the word of God.

"How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Another critical aspect the Psalmist highlights is that God's instructions for our walk of faith are not burdensome. In fact, the enlightenment that His word brings surpasses any worldly sweetness. Therefore, if we cannot taste the sweetness of God's word when reading the Bible, it is because we have not sincerely pondered the meaning of the words or immersed ourselves in them. If our hearts are filled with secular things, are longing for worldly matters, or are consumed by the lusts of the flesh or of the eyes, then our hearts cannot contain the word of God. This is why many of us often read the Bible, pray, and listen to sermons, yet lack spiritual knowledge in our hearts. Our speech and actions do not reflect spiritual virtues.

SHARPER THAN A TWO-EDGED SWORD

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:12–13)

"The word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." To help make sense of the world, we often categorize things or people in terms of their similarities or dissimilarities. However, we must be careful not to inadvertently do it in a way that causes division in the church. For example, some people separate believers in the true church into two groups: those who have believed from a young age and those who converted to Christianity later in life. What is the purpose of making such a distinction? How does it help—if ever—the church? If there is no ostensible benefit, we should refrain from making such a distinction lest it erode the unity of the church.

Friendship with the World Is Enmity with God

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (Jas 4:4)

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (1 Jn 2:15–16)

On the other hand, there are important differentiations that we should make. One such distinction is between being human-centered and God-centered. The human-centered individual brings in what he has learned from the world and views church affairs through a solely secular lens. He emphasizes individual rights, human relationships, and interactions. He advocates for the church to be managed and led according to secular principles, using legislative, administrative, and management concepts originating from a society without God.

On the other hand, the God-centered individual seeks the will of God in all matters, as revealed in the Bible. He fears God and puts Him first. He constantly examines himself to ensure he still walks before God and faithfully serves Him. The God-centered individual understands that God shepherds His church through His chosen servants. These servants must obey the word of God, leading and caring for the believers according to God's will. They serve willingly, not for dishonest gain. They serve not by being lords over those entrusted to them but by being examples to the flock (1 Pet 5:2–3).

There is only one way to progress from being human-centered to being God-centered: we must diligently study the word of God and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pierced by the Word of God or the Word of Man

Sometimes, we are deeply moved, even to the point of tears, by a sermon. What exactly is it that touches us? Is it the memorable anecdotes of members who endured great hardships? Is it the eloquence and expressiveness of the speaker? Or are our hearts touched by the recognition of God's manifold love and unfailing mercies? Are we touched by the vast, boundless grace of Jesus Christ—how patient, longsuffering, and forgiving He is towards stubborn and rebellious man? We must have spiritual wisdom to discern the messages that we hear.

It is not wrong to be touched by emotive words and stories—we would be heartless if we were not. Many people are swept away by fictional romance novels or drama series created to evoke strong emotions in the target audience. But when it comes to sermons about faith, we need to discern whether the message aligns with the principles of the Bible and allows our souls to be touched by God's truth rather than superficial feelings.

For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. (1 Thess 2:13)

The believers in Thessalonica heard the message preached by Paul, Silas, and Timothy and could discern whether it was the word of God or the word of man. They could confidently welcome and accept what they heard because they compared what they heard with the Scriptures. Can we do the same?

INCORRUPTIBLE SEED

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. (1 Pet 1:22–23)

The word of God is an incorruptible seed; it is full of life. When nurtured and cultivated with care, it will surely grow and mature. Our rebirth is a transformation from being born of flesh and blood to being born of God, being born from above. One is born again through baptism in the true church and is a child of God through the abidance and testimony of the Holy Spirit. Such a person must continue to be renewed and transformed by submitting to the Holy Spirit and obeying God's living word. To finally enter into eternal life, one must continually maintain a born-again life (Jn 3:3–8).

In the parable of the sower spoken by Jesus, the seed represents the word of God that falls on different types of ground. While the word of God is unchanging truth, its effects vary depending on the individual listener. Some people's hearts are like the wayside, where the devil snatches away God's word from their hearts. Others are like the rocky ground, receiving the word with joy but failing to let it take root. Some are like the thorny ground, filled with the deception of worldly cares and riches that choke the word of God and prevent it from growing and maturing (Lk 8:12–14). The word of God is the word of life, but such people fail to see its value.

The wise are those whose hearts are like the good ground—they receive the word with a noble and good heart, keep it, and bear fruit with patience (Lk 8:15). They allow the word of God to take root in their hearts. They persist in living out the word of God amidst life's challenges and, in so doing, bring glory to God.

CONCLUSION

When the apostle John was in his old age, based on his experience and understanding of serving God, he said:

The Elder,

To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever. (2 Jn 1:1–2)

The recipient of Elder John's letter, the elect lady, is the true church. Her children are the members within. Elder John said that the truth is the motivation of his love for the brethren. A love outside of the truth is not true love, as he continues to write:

This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. (2 Jn 1:6–7)

If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. (2 Jn 1:10–11)

We emphasize love in the church, but it must be a discerning love that differentiates the truth from falsehood. God's love cannot be separated from the truth. He reveals His love within His written word and imparts His word to us so that we can follow it and be saved from destruction. In turn, we love God by following His commandments.

Knowing this, let us be sanctified by the truth, ensuring we follow the same gospel preached by the apostles, which aligns with God's principles throughout the Bible. Allow God's word to take root in our hearts to illuminate our path, distinguish God's will from worldly ideals, and bring sweetness and spiritual vitality to our lives. Learning the word of God and constantly meditating on it is vital to our survival in a world full of confusion and deceit. As we walk on our journey of faith, let us pray for the Holy Spirit to guard us with the truth and keep us in the love of the Lord Jesus.