Day 58: What Does it Mean to Walk in The Truth?
3 John 1:3-4
For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. {ESV}
Ephesians 4:21
…the Truth is IN Jesus.
We have already been completely accepted in Christ—welcomed into the eternal fellowship of the Father, Son, and Spirit—through faith in Christ. In this new relationship, we have a New Position and Identity that equips us to live an entirely new way of life that is pleasing to The Father and soul-satisfying to us.
Where Are We Heading?
Welcome to Phase 2 of MilktoMeat! This unit follows our Phase 1 Discovering The Way: Recovering The Master Story and Enlightened by The Gospel.
We have two units in Phase 2: Realizing Your New Identity in Christ and Rooted and Growing in Christ. In this phase, we are going to be covering the core truths that help you understand who you are in Christ and how you can live in the peace, joy and power that this relationship with Father-God brings.
We are also going to be touching on basic truths about spiritual warfare. We live in a world at war and our Adversary, the Devil, does not want us to know or realize who we truly are in Christ. He seeks to steal our hope, kill our joy, and destroy the power that is available to us. We need to know how to walk in The Truth in order to withstand his attacks.
“Walking in the Truth” will be the theme of this stage of study and application. Our lives are journeys. We are moving through time, moving through LIFE heading toward a destination. The Bible uses the word-picture of “walking” to talk about the manner – the WAY – we live our lives. This Way is shaped in the thoughts, desires, emotions, and actions that move us through each day throughout our lives.
In this first session, we are going to lay out some basic truths that we will build on all throughout this phase of study. So, let’s jump right in to it.
What Does It Mean to “Walk in The Truth”?
2 John 1:4
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. {ESV}
3 John 1:3-4
For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. {ESV}
Simply put, “walking in the truth” is living life in such a way that we realize (make it real in our thoughts, emotions and desires) and express who we are in Christ in all that we are and do. We are loved by Father God with a love that is beyond our comprehension; we should be people who are characterized by that same amazing love. We have been forgiven by God in Christ—this calls us to be people who forgive. We have received God’s mercy and grace in Christ—we should be people who are characterized by mercy and grace. The blessings that God has given us in Christ are all blessings that shape who we are and what we do.
All of the blessings that we are going to discuss in this study are what some refer to as “birthright blessings.” All of these blessings came to us the very minute, the very second that we became aware of God’s work in our life and in hope placed our final and ultimate confidence and trust (faith) in Him.
Read the following verses very carefully:
Colossians 3:1-3
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. {ESV}
This passage could be the “theme” of this whole workbook. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God who is in Heaven. We should turn our minds in that direction. This study is designed to help you do that.
There will be times when you are depressed, frustrated, and beat down by the circumstances of your earthly journey. When those times come, that is when you should turn your mind to all the things that God has given you in Christ – all the things that we will explore in this study. Rediscovering “every spiritual blessing in Christ” that you have either ignored or overlooked or forgotten will remind you that you now possess all you need to live in peace, joy, and freedommake and make each day worthy of your destination.
Living with this VISION of who we truly are in Christ will transform our lives. As we keep our hope fixed on Jesus, we are purified by God’s power and grace as we make our journey toward our conclusion in Him. As we think on Him and as we grow in His grace and Knowledge (2 Peter 3:18) we will become more and more like Him in the way we live our lives. We are making a choice to turn from our old way of life to follow the Way of New Life that is found in Christ. That is what it means to walk in The Truth.
Take a minute to think about what we have discussed today.
Do you have a basic understanding of what it means to “walk in the Truth”?
Write out an explanation in your own words.
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
