BaptistWay Bible Series for October 17: Centering life on the Word of Life

BaptistWay Bible Series for October 17: Centering life on the Word of Life focuses on 1 John 1:1-2:2.

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James teaches that real faith influences every detail of our lives. John goes even further, calling us to a state of total Christ-centeredness.

As we consider this, the question we must ask is, what does it mean to live a Christ-centered life? John says, “Our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Essentially, being Christ-centered means being in constant, close fellowship with God.

Live in the light

John begins by stating, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). He’s actually quoting a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees, where Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

The imagery used here is of sightedness. Before we enter fellowship with God, we live in darkness. We can’t see clearly, if at all, and we may be clumsy or trip over things. Only when we live in fellowship with Christ can we live graceful, fulfilling lives.

But there’s more. In John 8:31-32, Jesus says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” When we accept Christ as Savior, we step into the light. Then, through obedience, we become his disciples. (Salvation is only the first step of obedience. We must choose to obey him in every aspect of our lives.)

Through obedience, a wonderful sequence occurs. Jesus says that once we become his disciples, we’ll know the truth. And once we live in truth, we’ll enjoy freedom.

Live in the truth

This leads us to the second part of John’s teaching, which is breaking through mere surface-level Christianity so we can walk in true fellowship with Christ.

John says, “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (1 John 1:6). Real fellowship requires obedience. Our faith should be reflected in our thoughts, words, actions and attitudes, and if it isn’t, we aren’t in fellowship with Jesus. John goes so far as to call us liars if claim fellowship but don’t act in a Christ-like way.


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Then John says, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him (Jesus) out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 John 1:10). Jesus also says in John 8:44, if we’re unable to hear (or obey) Jesus’ teachings, “you belong to your father, the devil, … for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Jesus is the word. In Romans 3:23, the word says we have all “sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” To deny this is to deny the word and make Jesus out to be a liar. But now let’s take that one step further. If we deny any word of the Bible, we reject Jesus, who is the word. And because Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), when we reject his word, we also reject truth and life.

Fellowship is a commitment

All too often, our faith becomes another entry on our to-do list. On Sundays and Wednesdays, we go to church. In the morning, we have a quiet time. We pray before meals. Then we feel we’ve done our duties. We’ve obeyed, so we can check that off our list and get back to the real business of life, whatever that may be.

But here’s the thing. If Jesus is the life, there is no other business. And if on any level we leave our Christianity inside the church doors, when we claim to be a Christ-follower, we call him a liar. Real fellowship is permanent. It requires a minute-by-minute commitment. It isn’t something we put on and take off.

According to John, we must strive to live in light, truth and freedom.

•    Light is fellowship. To achieve this, we pray without ceasing and focus on glorifying God in everything we do.
•    Truth is obedience to the Word. It’s pure dedication to the smallest commandments and God’s will for our lives.
•    Freedom is life more abundant. It’s the peace that passes all understanding. Through it, we find ourselves producing fruit of the Spirit.

It’s hard to read John and not feel challenged in your faith. He calls us to a higher standard than simply salvation. He asks us to center our lives around Christ. To do this, we must never grow tired of seeking God. We must read his word and spend time with him so we can know him better. And we need to be willing to examine ourselves and allow him to show us where we’re falling short.

It’s a high calling, to be sure. But the rewards are worth it.

Food for thought

John calls Jesus the “Word of life” (verse 1). What does this mean?

It’s easy to believe God’s word. The challenge is living it. Is it possible to please God if we don’t obey him? What can we do to make our lives more centered around the word?


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