As Christians, we should ordinarily live by the ‘Word of God.’ Our Lord Jesus Christ said in the Book of John 14: 6, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” But most times, we are caught between the pull from the Holy Spirit energized by the ‘Word of God,’ and pull from our own flesh occasioned by misleading worldly trends and desires. Are we following the way of our Lord Jesus Christ? Are we living by His words? BARBARA NEGBEJIE interrogates this issue. Read the excerpts.
Most of us are not living by the word; we are not humble
Most of us are not living by the word in the sense that we are not humble, not believing the Word, disobeying the commandments, not recognizing that God is our ultimate provider and not seeking His will in our lives. However, living by every word that proceeds out from the mouth of God is not easy. It’s tough and challenging. However, it comes with great rewards-rewards for both today and the life to come.
So much hypocritical Christians believe so much in keeping the laws like the Pharisees but their hearts are far from God
The Word of God is truth, spirit and life. Honestly, in our world today, most people don’t live out what they believe and preach about Jesus Christ our Saviour. So much hypocrisies amongst our so called brethren in the Lord. Christians believe so much in keeping the laws like the Pharisees but their hearts are far from God. So in a nutshell, if we truly live out the word our world will be like heaven on earth. There will be no hatred, corruption, conflicts, greed, fornication, adultery and other vices.
We live by the Word of God when we live in accordance to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ
Going through the scriptures, one notices that God has always communicated with man using his Word as a means. The Gospel of John tells us that the Word was God (Jn.1:1). He also says that the Word took flesh and dwelt among us in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. This means that Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. Therefore, when we speak of the Word of God, we speak of the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and his ways. The question now is, “are we living by the tenets and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ; and what does it mean to be living by the Word of God? The above question is an opportunity for us to examine our lives as Christians and determine if we are indeed living by the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do our lives portray what we preach as Christians? Do we live as if we are the owners of our lives? 1Cor.10:26 tells us that, “ the earth is the Lord’s and all it contains.” Heb.3:4 says: “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God”. Therefore, how can we live effectively by the word of God? 1. We must be humble as Christ was humble unto death 2. We must believe in His words wholeheartedly without reservations. 3. We must seek for his will and ways in our lives. We must surrender our wills to him. God must be our priority. We must put him first in everything we do. In conclusion, we live by the Word of God when we live in accordance to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. Living by the word of God entails a new life; leaving the old ways and putting to death our old selves.
When the sanctification that comes through the Word of God is not seen, then we do not live by the Word
One of the major questions being asked by right mind thinkers is whether Christians are really living by the Word. The so called believers also take their time to ask one another whether people still live by the Word, the Word of God. To live by the word of God is to live by the spirit. To live by the Word of God is to live by the truth and faith in the Son of God – John 17:19. Living by the Spirit goes beyond reading the bible, it is living and believing in the Word of God. If there is no Spirit that inspires the Word, we only live by the letters and the letter kills – 2 Corinthians 3:6. There is a sanctification that comes through the Word of God which ultimately affects our morality and every aspect of a man’s life and when that is not seen, then we do not live by the Word.
Christians read the word of God, know the word of God but living by it is a different thing
The word ‘We’ is a plural word and when you come to things pertaining word of God, I always insist that it’s an individual reaction. Christians read the word of God, know the word of God but living by it is a different thing because they have interpreted it in ways to suit their individual lifestyles (remember our interpretation may not be correct). I would say that we are living by the ‘Word of God’ depending on our various understanding of the Word.
