“O TO BE LIKE THEE!”
Every pastor, worthy of the name, can echo this sentiment of the beloved apostle John. It might be added that every Christian parent worthy of that solemn title will feel the same way. And, if we take it but a step further, the same disposition may doubtless be found in the Son of God Himself.
John, of course, is speaking metaphorically. The “children” to whom he makes reference are those who under his ministry had responded to the gospel and professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every true pastor is in the ministry not for personal gain or glory, but to see souls saved and lives transformed for the glory of God. When there is evidence of this in the life of one who has been under his spiritual care, it is, indeed, the ultimate reward of his labor.
The question arises, then, what does it mean to “walk in truth?”
We will have, I think, a tendency to respond to that query in terms of doctrinal content, certain Biblical pronouncements, commandments. Certainly that is not wrong, as many other texts will verify, but it is not enough. It is of paramount importance to remember that in the New Testament “Truth” is a Person. As you are well aware, Jesus said,”I am the…truth [Jn. 14:6b].” Truth is not simply something He communicates; it is Himself. Thus to “walk in truth” is to abide in Christ, finding in Him the reason, the resources and the regulation for living. John had said on another occasion, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked [I John 2:6].”
The Person is “the image of God.” The incarnate Christ is identified in the epistle to the Hebrews, among an number of other references, as “the brightness of [God’s] glory and the express image of His person [Heb. 1:3a].” The result is that when the apostle Philip said to Jesus, “Show us the Father,” (Jn. 14:8) Jesus could respond, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father (v.9).”
When we “walk in truth,” —to the extent that we do so— the nature of Christ will be seen in us, just as the nature of the Father was evident in Christ. It is not mere conformity to a set of rules or standards, but embraces the whole person. It involves not only outward appearance, but internal character. It includes disposition as well as deportment; doing the right thing for the right reason and in the right spirit. And it is here that we so often fail. Jesus charged some very religious persons, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity [Mt. 23:27-28].” Too often our conduct has the appearance of conformity to Christ, but our heart attitude is far from being what it ought to be. And, that is not walking in truth.
Unfortunately, external conformity to a set of standards may cause a pastor to rejoice that his “children” are walking in truth, but it will not satisfy God. As the Lord said to Samuel when looking for a king for Israel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart [I Sam. 16:7].”
It is what I would call the “three dimensional image of Christ,” that constitutes walking in Truth.” And that is the divine goal for every believer; “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren [Rom. 8:29].” It is not attainable by us, but in us as we devote ourselves to contemplating Christ Who is Truth, and surrender our will to His, our government to His Holy Spirit: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [II Cor 3:18].” The “glass” (mirror) is the word of God studied not as a theological textbook, but as a revelation of Jesus Christ and with an eye to His glory.
May we be stimulated so to seek Him who IS truth and bring joy not only to a pastor’s heart, but to be a joy to the great Shepherd (pastor) who loved us and gave Himself for us. Let others see Jesus in you! This side of heaven, that is the goal of New Testament faith.
For His joy,
"Pastor" Frasier
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