“The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below.” (Prov. 15:24).
The Christian walk is a path to eternity; as we live on this earth, we are either moving upward or downward. To move upwards is to become more like Christ. John described the goal of the Christian life as love that is being perfected (matured) in us. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” (1Jn. 4:11,12). All who are honest with themselves will admit that our love needs to be perfected; it has hindrances which must be overcome. “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” (Gal. 5:7-9). Our walk is never stationary because the enemy of our souls is behind these hindrances. If we don’t push forward, we are pushed back. To continue to walk on an upward path, we must grow in obedience with our spiritual senses developed to discern between good and evil (Heb. 5:14). How do we do this? How do we grow in obedience and discernment?
In the later years of his life, Peter summarized the key instructions of life in his second epistle. “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2Pe. 1:10,11). In previous articles I have covered the eight qualities Peter listed that are needed to be “neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Pe. 1:8). These eight qualities are added one to another in a definite sequence. They are steps that lead to the highest quality which is love. But, like the writer of proverbs stated, the path is circular as it moves upward. We must have these qualities, but we must also have them in abundance (2Pe. 1:8). The highest quality, love, is increased through the obedience of faith as we increase in the other six qualities.
Faith is the foundation for growth. If we are to continue upward in our walk, faith must continue to increase. We cannot, as Paul accused the Galatians, begin in faith then turn to human means to accomplish our goals (Gal. 3:3). Faith will be challenged, but we must stand fast in it.
Take for example the current situation with the corona virus. As the world battles this issue, there is a lot of talk of restrictions and vaccines. Faith is not recognized as a useful means to fight this problem, so the world relies on science. Those who refuse to follow the guidelines, or to be vaccinated, are labelled as careless and selfish. I think some are, but what about those who are standing in faith? I do not mean wishful thinking, but serious faith. “And this is the victory that overcomes the world—our faith. (1Jn. 5:4). Our freedom as individuals is also being challenged, but for me that is not the main issue. Freedom is ours in Christ, but it must be the servant of love (Gal. 5:13). For the sake of those without faith, I follow the guidelines because that is all those people have for protection. But what about vaccinations? Is it selfish to not get vaccinated? Not if we truly have faith, because what we have is better than a vaccine. Standing in faith does not mean that we will not contract the disease; it means that we will battle and overcome it. We wage war with spiritual weapons, such as the blood of Jesus and the Word of God, but it is still a fight of faith. The price has been paid for our healing (Isa. 53:4,5). We can take God’s Word as our medicine (Prov. 4:20-22). If, because of work or travel, I choose to get vaccinated, it need not hinder my faith. I will be careful not to put my trust in it, and I will still need to use my faith to oppose all the possible side-effects of the vaccine.
Having obtained faith, we add the next two qualities, which are virtue (moral excellence) and knowledge (2Pe. 1:5). Virtue is added before knowledge because faithfulness to what we have is necessary before more is given to us, but knowledge is needed for us to increase in virtue. “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2Cor. 7:1). Remember that salvation is in three aspects: spirit, soul, and body. What Paul is talking about in this verse is cleansing our soul from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. Our mind, which is part of the soul, needs to be renewed. We must be spiritually minded.
The enemy has established many strongholds in the cultures of this world (2Cor. 10:5). Take world religions for example. One of the areas that I have seen the influence of eastern religions in the lives of Christians is regarding health. Exercise programs like yoga may help to relieve stress and tone the body, but what spiritual effect do they have on the soul? The basis of Buddhism is that you can be one with the “force of the universe” through meditation or self-purification. It teaches that you can achieve as state of “perfection” without a Saviour. You may think that you can participate in the martial arts without the spiritual influences, but that is not how the Lord sees it. He rebuked the Israelites for similar attitudes: “For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with eastern ways.” (Isai. 2:6).
It is not only in exercise that we see the influence of “eastern ways”. We see it in alternative methods of healing like reflexology and acupuncture. The basis behind these methods is to remove blockages to the flow of divine energy. There is no scientific basis for these methods; they are spiritual in nature. Any healing method that speaks of achieving a balance of yin and yang originates in the spirit of divination. Some may argue that these methods work, but at what price? To submit to a spirit is to come under its control.
There are other qualities that must be increased in our lives to bring love to maturity, but we must begin with faith and continue with obedience and discernment. If you have participated in any of these practices, you must cleanse yourself from their influences. You must turn from them in repentance, and by faith you must renounce these practices and deny the spirits behind them any further claim to your life.
Highway in the Wilderness 