Christmas and the Way, the Truth and the Life

[HKHaugan]

Christmas and the Way, the Truth and the Life

 There are lots of philosophical systems to think with, lots of emotional avenues for the heart to stroll down and lots of things that promise a good life, but none are the combined balance of personal belief, heart trust and spirit action like Jesus exhibited and besides, remember this, remember that He rose from the dead and lives in our hearts.

 When Jesus came into this world He brought a new way to live in this world, an eternal truth to think with and a spiritual life that lasts forever (Jn.14:6).  These are the essence of the new kingdom, a spiritual kingdom in which He is king, a kingdom that descends on this world and changes it heart by heart. But let’s take the way, truth and life and look at what they mean.

 The way is a spiritual, personal and relational faith walk; the way Jesus lived. Faith is the action word. Jesus, the man of perfect faith, walked from place to place in order to go from person to person and share Himself. He poured His life into 12 men and taught them His faith walk. His personal encounters while He was on the way carried the substance of His teaching them. It wasn’t only what He said but the reaction of those that heard Him. Whether they were shepherds, officials, men, rich, poor, men, women or children, He had something special for each. He treated everyone uniquely. He knew them just as they were and called some to accountability, some to faith and others according to their needs. He met each person and responded to them based on the will of His Father whom He wanted everyone to know personally. Jesus was not a religious person. He was a relational person. Think Christmas.

 The truth is the person of Jesus thinking God out loud, giving us a reasoning process. In keeping with His relational way, He taught using parables in order to engage people’s minds to get to their hearts. His miracles demonstrated the reality of His truth. His reactions to circumstance speak loads about Him being truth. Some he confronted with who He was, others their hypocrisy, still others with words of wisdom and authority, all the time being loving, compassionate and forgiving. Even His enemies, the Romans, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the clergy and other compromised officials, He treated with loving respect and caring confrontation. His claims to be the Messiah as well as God the Son in the flesh were met with cries of blasphemy, yet He knew that soon His claims would be justified by His sacrifice on the Cross and the reality of His Resurrection. He wanted them to see He bore the truth in everything He said and did, even if it meant His death.

 The life is the Spirit of God teaching the mind, loving the heart and motivating the spirit in each person, Jesus being the example. The Scripture is the spiritual guarantee of God’s mind, Jesus’ heart and the Spirit’s leading. Through its words for the mind, the Holy Spirit brings the life of Jesus directly into the heart and the wordless reality of the Spirit does His work in us. What goes into the mind from the Word challenges the heart’s sinful attitudes with the singular attitude of Jesus which is His life moving us His way while we are on the way in the world of people on their way. The life is full of the fruit and gifts of the Spirit that enable us to live spiritually in a secular world. Jesus is the picture of the fruit (Gal.5:22,23) and gifts of the Spirit (Rom.12, 1Cor.12, Eph.4). So, life in Jesus is not only existing in a biological context but living a spiritual life that is the ultimate reality. It is a life the produces and reproduces love, compassion, kindness and all the qualities of God as we move by faith in Him from one moment to the next. This is Jesus being our daily Savior from sin and directing us as Lord in all that we are and all that we do.