Why Read the Bible: To Learn What Happens When We Follow Jesus

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

–2 Corinthians 3.1-6, 17 (NIV)

As I have written here before, faith in Jesus must always translate into action. People’s lives, the communities in which they live, and ultimately the world must slowly but surely be transformed when we faithfully obey Jesus. In short when we give our lives to Christ, he will heal and transform us and equip us to help him in his work of New Creation.

We see this illustrated clearly in Paul’s writing today. He reminds the Corinthians that the proof of his ministry is in their transformed lives. Paul does not take credit it for any of this, either for the success of his ministry or for the changed lives he sees in the church at Corinth. No, he acknowledges that any success comes from the power and presence of the Holy Spirit living in us.

In practical terms this means changed lives right here and now. It usually doesn’t come quickly or dramatically, but it comes.

“If you want to change the world,” Paul seems to be saying, “then submit your lives to Jesus and obey him. He will equip you with all you need to help others see him in you. In your joy and in the way you conduct your life, others will see that you belong to Jesus and it will make a difference. But if you think you can change the world on your own, you are only kidding yourself.”

This is what Paul was talking about when he tells us that the letter (think the 10 commandments) kills. It kills, not because the Law is bad, but because we humans cannot on our own obey the Law, which is God’s will for us. We cannot on our own conform our lives to please God because we are by nature rebellious creatures. But when we allow Jesus to rule our lives and obey him, he can make a real difference in our own lives and help us make a real difference in the lives of others. Neither do we have to worry about our eternal destiny because as Paul reminds us, Jesus has freed us from the power of sin and death through his own death on the cross.

Here then is the one and only recipe for finding real joy and meaning in your life. You will find it paradoxically by losing yourself to Jesus. When you do, he will equip you to do his Kingdom work. Your orientation will shift naturally from yourself to others. You will look for ways to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your Savior. You will stop seeking self-aggrandizement and will stop making life all about you. Instead, you will start making life all about Jesus and serving others in loving obedience to him.

Obeying Jesus will arouse the ire and scorn of Jesus’ enemies–and believe me, they are legion and you will encounter them in the most unexpected places–and they will hate you and persecute you. But you will see yourself  making a difference right here and now and you will discover that the scorn of Jesus’ enemies (and consequently yours) is really a badge of honor because it reminds you that you really do belong to the One who loves you and gave himself for you. You will be reminded that not even death can break your relationship with Jesus because you are living your life at the foot of his cross. This is God’s eternal promise to you and it will lead you to engage in a life of humble service and obedience to others. None of this will be your own doing. It will come from the power of Christ in you.

And then there will be those folks in whose lives you will make a difference. They will want to know why you live the way you do, why you would possibly care for them, what’s in it for you. This will give you an opportunity to let them in on the secret, to let them know about this Jesus who has claimed you and made all the difference in the world for you. Best of all, you can do this in the context of your own life. You don’t need to become an ordained minister or vocational missionary. You can do it in the context of your family, your job, your community, your neighborhood, your relationships. See a neighbor in need? Help him out. Talking to a friend who is searching for meaning in life? Help her out. Learn about a sick friend? Visit him and offer him your presence (and Jesus’). You get the idea. The opportunities are endless and you will find yourself being refreshed by Christ in you.

Don’t misunderstand. I am not suggesting that all will be rosy or peaches and cream. In fact, following Jesus is one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. He demands everything from you, not just part of you. He demands that you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. This means that you will have to work each day to put to death those things in you that seek to keep you separate from God and alienated from him. You will be confronted by the forces of evil who will seek to destroy your relationship with God (and sometimes you). It will require that you develop discipline in your life so that you can do the things necessary to cultivate your relationship with Jesus and help him be Lord of your life.

But take heart. You don’t have to do any of this by yourself. As Paul reminds us today, you have the very Presence of Jesus living in you in the form of his Holy Spirit. Jesus isn’t some dead guy. He is alive and well and wants you to give your life to him. He will help you do that. He will also give you help in the form of other believers because he knows you are human and need the human touch. Obeying Jesus will be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do but once you try it, you will find incredible joy and life-changing meaning and purpose in your life because he will help you understand that in your obedience to him you are demonstrating your love and allegiance to the Source and Author of all life. And as I used to end my sermons, that is Good News for you, both in this mortal life and for all eternity.