Following The Way (Path, Road, etc.)

A Study Of 2 Peter 1 And What It Means To Abide

For years I have found myself reading the scriptures in various places and various topics and thinking “God really seems to enjoy the process.” God doesn’t seem to ‘snap His fingers’ often, but prefers the process, the journey, the story. He doesn’t kill the enemy immediately, but instead writes a story (Gen 3). He reveals Himself in His word not primarily by stating who He is, but through the process of revelation, in story-form. One of the most repeated themes throughout the story of scripture — the exodus — is a journey of much anticipation, and even taking the promised land itself was supposed to be a long process (Ex 23:29–30). Jesus teaches His disciples the scriptures instead of uploading the data into their minds supernaturally (Luke 24:13–15,27). While there are likely many more examples, this general idea has fleshed itself out more in recent years.

The following highlights are from a much longer personal study of 2 Peter 1 and the gospel of Mark which was full of insight and potential practical application, but what I’ve highlighted here is only those notes most relevant to this idea of ‘process’ or ‘journey.’

More specifically, one of the things that the Lord gave to me as I studied this was an image of a road or a path. As I studied each word in the 2 Peter 1 list, I kept coming back to this idea of a road and assigning each word a specific place in the overall picture of walking down a path on a journey with the Lord, much like Pilgrim’s Progress perhaps. The personal significance of this picture may be lost on the reader apart from the larger study, but I include it here anyways as it remains a key foundation for further thought.

The Parts Of The Path — 2 Peter 1 Study

“…His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith…”

Faith

When I looked at Jesus’s life through the lens of 2 Peter 1, I saw that Faith was indeed the foundation; assurances of the promises of God concerning eternity — both the assurances of death for some and life for others. (See further study and explanation here)

Jesus’s life was exactly this. He was both Restful and Hardworking in light of this assurance of eternity.

I imagined at first that this could be viewed as a Fisherman on a boat, Faith being the water which keeps the boat afloat and in motion towards the shores of eternity. In this case, the list of traits that Peter gives us are like fish to catch along our journey, both for provision as we go and a glorious entrance upon reaching the shoreline. It is Peter’s dying wish and labor that we would catch and master each of these things, for they make us like Jesus and keep us from being ineffective in the knowledge of Him and His promises of eternity. As I looked at Jesus’s life through this lens, I saw that, like a fisherman, there is both Rest and Work involved. Assurance of our own salvation prompts Rest, because it is by grace, and we do not work for it. Assurance of death in eternity for some prompts Work, that they might know the Lord’s grace. Likewise each of the traits Peter gives us include both Rest and Work. As we turn back to the illustration of the Road (rather than fishing), I will note how both Rest and Work are incorporated in each trait. As far as Faith goes, we might simply say that Faith is the motive to begin walking along the path, and we add to it as we become more like Jesus as we walk in this faithful life of Rest and Work.

“…supplement your faith with virtue…”

Virtue

• This is, in its essence, enthusiasm (and effort/energy) for good thoughts and good works, pointed to and modeled after God’s moral excellence, ethical magnificence. Zeal for goodness under the reign of an infinitely good King.
• Virtue is the road itself; every step forward a good deed, something pleasing to the Lord, exciting to His Spirit within us.
• (See further study and explanation here)

Virtue: Work & Rest

• I Work towards all the good I can do; I max out my limit
• I eagerly Rest in my capacity to do good
• (In several places in my study I saw where goodness and peace were linked; those who are good and those who do good are peaceful)

“…and virtue with knowledge…”

Knowledge

• As you go and are eager in moral excellence, show that it comes from a knowledge of God’s love, a true knowledge of right living. Make every effort to keep informing your virtue with knowledge that you may know truly what is ‘good.’ And note from Prov 2:7 that God will supply you with more of this wisdom as you walk in virtue. It is an upward spiral. Indeed, goodness (agathos) comes from a knowledge of God (3 John 1:11)(Prov 2:20). He makes known to us the path (Ps. 16:11).
• (See further study and explanation here)

Knowledge: Work & Rest

• I Work hard to search for more of it, and to understand the depths of Jesus’ love which are unknowable
• I Rest in the knowledge I already have attained thus far, relishing in the good life full of virtue it has led me into

“…and knowledge with self-control…”

Self Control

• If virtue informed by knowledge is out ‘offense’ as we go out into the world as lights, then self control is our ‘defense,’ the curbs on both sides of the road which keep us from going into the ditches on either side (which will happen without the curbs). It is the wall around our city (Prov 25:28), without which we will be plundered and destroyed; note that if these is a hole in the wall then we have already been plundered, for what enemy would breach the wall without coming inside?
• (See further study and explanation here)

Self Control: Work & Rest

• I Work as an athlete, self-controlled in all things
• I Rest in the all-satisfying nature of God

“…and self-control with steadfastness…”

Steadfastness

• No less eager in virtue, no less zealous in our pursuit of knowledge, but embracing both of the resting aspects of those things as well as the work, moving forward but moving forward in patience, and especially patience in those inevitable moments where it seems our earthly circumstance has thwarted our pursuit of either virtue or knowledge, for we still have faith (assurance of eternity) and know that the trial might very well deepen our knowledge and give us opportunity of virtue such that nothing of our own initiative can. Steadfastness seems to be firmly rooted in, and inseparable with, the foundation of faith — that is, trust in Jesus’ promises which assure us of eternity. Indeed, steadfastness is about perspective. Hope. Being like Jesus and walking confidently towards death because of the joy set before us (Heb 12:1–2).
• Once we have begun walking on the road (virtue) in faith, we look to see where the road is heading and where our journey will eventually end, and which road is the right road (knowledge), yet this is not enough; once we become more able to distinguish the right road from the wrong, the pathway from its ditches, we must erect barriers and safeguards to keep us on the road and safe from detours (self control). Then we are more equipped to press onward when the road is inevitably (by design) rough and it would seem we should turn off into some seemingly better way (steadfastness). (Ps. 37, 73)
• (See further study and explanation here)

Steadfastness: Work & Rest

• I Work towards death so that others may live
• I Rest in patient confidence in God’s sovereignty through trials

“…and steadfastness with godliness…”

Godliness

• While all things have both active practical applications and proper heart motivations, we might understand steadfastness and godliness to be contrasted respectively. Whereas steadfastness is more of a ‘provedness through trials while patiently trusting in God’s character,’ godliness encompasses all of life (not just trials) and is perhaps more heart-oriented. It is ‘reverent worshipful fear which brings forth careful and conservative living, as well as deep contentment in God.’ It comes out of steadfastness as well as further enabling steadfastness. So we supply our steadfastness with it.
• This is built on the foundation of faith; as we have firm hope in the two eternal outcomes, we walk in both reverent fear and reverent gratitude knowing with certainty the one we deserve and knowing with certainty the one we will gain, longing all the while to live a life worthy of that grand gift. Seeing in advance the One we will gain in the epilogue, wanting to fill our chapters with a life with that trajectory, one that honors Him.
• So Godliness on the road of virtue is the posture of my head, my continual gaze upward toward the Father, whom I take direction from, bow before, and march toward.
• (It is part of this reverent fear of God that we would stay near to Him. To continue to seek knowledge in how to walk. To not wander from His side. (Ps. 32:8–9, self control)).
• (See further study and explanation here)

Godliness: Work & Rest

• I Work reverently and humbly to walk in a manner worthy of God
• I Rest in the wonder and awe of the grace of the gospel

“…and godliness with brotherly affection…”

Brotherly Affection

• This is that elementary love between brothers which God teaches us on Day 1. It goes beyond a deep sacrificial friendship because we share a mutual Father, a same beginning. It is authentic, sympathetic, and tender. It is humble, wanting to outdo the other party in showing honor, and it is purposely ignorant of risks and dangers involved in loving well. It goes far beyond those who are similar to us, because the basis of it is not geography or likeness, but adoption.
• How foolish of me thus far to consider that the road of virtue has been an individual pursuit, like the Book of Eli or Pilgrim’s Progress, for even those have companions. And note that brotherly affection is not just the simple fact of those traveling with us, but the deep joy we have therein, the deep bond we share, the single-minded pursuit and unity of mind with which we all together walk in virtue, knowledge, self control, steadfastness, godliness. Obviously we supply brotherly affection to those things for accountability, encouragement, exhortation, sharpness of vision, camaraderie. And it makes sense that we would supply it most of all to godliness, for what are the rest of these things or the meaning of the journey without a mind towards God? Is not pride the root of all sin and our most dangerous tendency towards works and against grace? So perhaps our greatest need of fellowship is in our pursuit of godliness.
• (See further study and explanation here)

Brotherly Affection: Work & Rest

• I Work hard to love well and resolve all conflict [so that I can maintain/pursue the radically deep unity that Jesus desires for us — John 17]
• I Rest in the fact that my siblings and I are sinful [so that I can approach conflict with humility, intentionally ignorant of the risks inherent in loving well]

“…and brotherly affection with love.”

Love

• If brotherly affection is loving our brother because God loves that brother, Love is loving the world because God loves us.
• If godliness is general piety and reverence in all things, and if virtue is eager excellence in all moral good, love aims more specifically toward eager active service and sacrifice for people, no less eager, and no less focused on God and motivated by Him, but specific to people the pinnacle of creation.
• If steadfastness moves toward this sacrificial life dutifully, and with sanctification and eternity in mind (all of which is to be commended), Love moves toward it with a heart for others, counting them more significant than self, and seeking their best, with them in mind.
• On the road of virtue, all things of course have a proper heart orientation, however where virtue, steadfastness, and self control might be more dutiful, and therefore more practical in our allegory of the road, love will be more similar to godliness in that it fills and enhances all else. Indeed, all of these things without it are nothing (1 Cor 13:2). As godliness is a heart orientation toward God, so love is a heart orientation toward others (and therefore constant because our God is relational and His world full of people) because of God. It enhances all else because it sets us free (in selflessness) and gives joy therefore because we now have genuine enjoyment in our interactions with others (which are again, constant in this life). Any service of virtue now truly comes out of deep desire without thought to self (if it didn’t already, informed by knowledge of Jesus’ love). Any barrier of self control is now erected zealously with God and others in mind because I love them and want to be of greatest service to them, moving toward sacrifice and death (steadfastness) that my whole self might be spent in their service because I love them (God and others). This enhances brotherly affection because it is mutual, a shared feeling that prompt us together in mission side by side and thereby deepening our bond. And without a doubt this increases and enhances (and feeds off of) godliness, for when we begin to love, we see and experience more of God who is Himself love. Serving in joy and freedom is addicting and we want more, seeking more of God and more reverently setting our eyes, hearts, and affections on Him that we might follow His lead and gain more of His direction.
• (See further study and explanation here)

Love: Work & Rest

• I Work therefore because I get to devote my efforts to loving others (and caring for their eternity)
• I Rest in the freedom I have to not love myself (and to lookout for my own eternity)

The Nature Of The Path

With this picture of ’the path of virtue’ in mind, reading through Ps. 119 is powerful. The whole psalm is worth reading through this lens. In so many places where David uses various terminology for the same idea of a road (way, path, etc.), we might actually imagine a physical road paved with and engraved with the words of Torah, God’s good commandments to ‘walk on’ or ‘walk in’ and not to wander from.

(v.1–8, 9–10,14–15, 19, 21, 26–27, 29–32, 33–37, 44–45, 59, 105, etc.)

He has experienced that this road is not constricting, but wide and liberating

(v.64, 89–91, 94–96, 161–168, etc.),

and whereas all other roads are death, this one is life

(Ps. 119:67–72, 76–78, 85–88, 92–93, 101–104, 110, 118, 128, 129–144, 155–156, 176, etc.).

Following this way, this path, is a choice. David chooses this way, the way of God’s rules (Ps. 119:30, 173).

Ps. 37 (like Ps. 73) is a powerful contrast between lives lived according to the way of God and the way of wickedness. David encourages us as readers to commit our way to the Lord, but to also keep His way, promising that our ’steps’ will be established when we delight in His way.

Included in my study of 2 Peter above, part of ‘knowledge’ is remembering that Jesus Himself is the road. It’s not merely an inanimate structure of good deeds and commandments to follow, it’s following the Person who has perfectly walked this path Himself already. David in Ps 101 seems to personify this ‘path’ of righteousness as He talks with the Lord about his desire to walk in this path (v.2b-4) and surround himself with others who walk in this path (v.6–7). As he talks with the Lord (v.1) and ponders this ‘way that is blameless,’ he immediately pleads for the Lord Messiah’s coming (v.2a).

“I will ponder the way that is blameless.
Oh when will you come to me?”

It seems that David understands that the Lord IS the ‘way that is blameless.’

Of course we know that Jesus is the Way (John 14:6). He’s the perfectly good life, He’s the model path to walk in. He upholds the law and fulfills it (Mt. 5:17–20). He has gone before me on the path but also walks with me on it.

Yet, “He opened His mouth and taught them…the way is hard that leads to life…” (Mt. 5:2…7:14)

We need God’s grace even to simply desire this way (“faith” in the study above), yet when God does this — enlarges our hearts (or ’sets our hearts free’) — we can “run” in the way of His commandments (Ps. 119:32).

Guidance On The Path

Much like in the garden where there were infinite ‘yesses’ and only one ’no,’ this way of Jesus is broad, free, and joyful. There are a plethora of options in life and ministry which are amoral and given to us to either choose or deny. There are of course principles for how to choose these things; indeed if we follow in the way of Jesus and have His same mind, we are humble and give our lives sacrificially unto death (Phil 2). Paul lays down some very significant rights/freedoms for the sake of others (1 Cor) and indeed our freedom in the gospel seems to be given for the sake of others, that we might choose to use our freedoms in sacrificial service (Gal 5–6); after all, Virtue is the road itself.

Right or Left?

But still the road is wide, with nearly infinite possibilities for ministry and holy aspiration, with sometimes little/no explicit guidance in the scriptures regarding our very specific life circumstances. So this presents an ‘issue’ of sorts. As clear as the overall path may be, what do I do about x, y, z in my own life? Does the Lord guide us in each and every step or give us freedom to choose our own steps within the wider path, or a bit of both?

Perhaps it goes back to the idea of ‘process.’ Why did Jesus teach the disciples instead of some supernatural intellectual brain upload, assuming it would be just as effective if not more so? Surely because He enjoys the process. In the process is relationship. There’s back-and-forth, there’s trust, there’s discovery and camaraderie, there’s friendship. Jesus rarely lit the path of the disciples with a floodlight, illuminating everything in the way, but rather only what they could handle — only the next step. Like His Father, He often used a lamp to illuminate only the next step or two (Ps. 119:105, John 16:12).

We can all relate to this process I think. It seems this is what He does. So we know that Jesus guides us, often at a slower pace than we might want, and yet how do we know His ‘lamp’ at our feet? In what ways does He guide us and reveal direction? Essentially our same question still remains: As clear as the overall path may be, what do I do about x, y, z in my own life? Does the Lord guide us in each and every step or give us freedom to choose our own steps within the wider path, or a bit of both?

I developed a relationship with an old Hindu man in India while I was there, and I spent a couple hours sitting with him before I left. He asked about my plan for marriage and settling down somewhere eventually. I told him I’d been praying about some of these big life-direction type questions lately and seeking Yeshuji’s (Jesus’) guidance. He good-naturedly laughed at me, explaining that God doesn’t talk to us directly. He seemed to say that God may speak to us through circumstances or signs, but his main emphasis was that God primarily speaks to us through our gurus — those senior to us (our “seniors”) who give us advice as we walk through life. Of course I can wholeheartedly agree with the importance of these people, and couldn’t help but affirm the majority of what he was saying. I have needed so many people to hold my hand and help me grow in life and Jesus, to walk with me along the path, and I have never questioned that many of these voices were the Lord’s voice to me in many cases. Yet is this wise man’s view of God still not largely incomplete? I pondered the fact that Jesus is alive, that He relationally communes with us, even individually with His Spirit in us, that He still comes to people in dreams and visions, and speaks with an audible voice. Isn’t this a key piece of what sets Him apart from Mohammed or the Buddha? What’s more, isn’t that also the reason we can trust our own gurus, because they have the Sadguru’s (True Guru’s) living and active Spirit within them as they guide us? Otherwise we are all just broken humans — the blind leading the blind.

His Spirit always leads us according to the Scriptures, so then the Scriptures at the very least are like a check and balance for us (humanly speaking). They keep us on the path (2 Tim 3:16–17).

2 Tim 3:16–17

If something is explicitly commanded in the Scriptures, we don’t need to labor over these types of questions as we walk through life — they are simply ‘yes’ or ’no’ depending on the Scriptures. Yet life also has a lot of grey area, and the Scriptures equip us with principles and stories to navigate these things, Jesus’ Spirit helping us discern and discover these things along the way. Even still there are perhaps the most difficult questions in life: choosing between two very good and godly options. How are we to discern these things when our foundational Scripture knowledge doesn’t walk us through the unique nuances of our situation and our gurus can’t entirely relate or otherwise won’t tell us what to do? Of course, the Spirit of God may illuminate some verse or chapter which brings us to our knees and answers our question. This feels ‘safe’ because we know we can trust the Word. But in a similar way, can not the living Jesus make someone know in a moment through a purely spiritual inclination (a still voice, a loud voice, a dream, etc.) that they ought to do this or that? It will always be in line with His scriptures, but it may not be the same as the words supernaturally jumping off the page. It may be as simple as “you need to speak with that lonely-looking person,” or as challenging as, “you should change course in your career.” These intimate modes of the Spirit’s communication ought to be tested and checked by our ‘gurus’ (biblical counsel) and the Word, but at the end of the day His voice in these ways may be the ’tie breaker’ in a decision between two good [Scriptural] things. Is the ability to discern His voice, however it may come, and trusting one another’s ability to hear Him, not elementary to walking with Jesus in His way, just like He saw what the Father was doing and so did it Himself?

So then how do we see what the Father is doing? How do we discern His voice and His guidance moment to moment? And as our hearts grow to be more like His, desiring His will and the things which please Him more and more, which elements of our desires and inclinations can we trust, if any, as part of His guidance? If we squash all the desires of our hearts in the name of sacrifice, would we ever be at risk of quenching the Spirit?

I endeavored to answer these questions in a brief study through the following passages:

Trusting The Heart

Proverbs 3:

Chapters 1–3 seem very much tied to both personal holiness and also life direction. The way of the wise versus the way of fools — a father proactively pleading with his son to choose the former. The key to this wise way is the fear of God, our trust in Him and His rules (1:7, 3:5+), but it’s not contrasted with other good and godly options, it’s contrasted with evil, being wise in your own eyes, and trusting your own understanding. Trusting self leads to evil and harm, whereas trusting God leads to life. Honoring Him with every dollar received, every decision made (3:9, 6). It doesn’t seem so much to be a commentary on man’s heart and it’s untrustworthiness, but rather an appeal to the Lord’s way through life, the way of shalom, which is so different from the world and human intuition. If I could rephrase, it seems to say, “Seek the Lord my son; give everything second thought and seek the Lord’s way.” I think of Jeremiah 9:23–24, as well as other proverbs that contrast this with the ‘way of man’ (14:12, 21:2, etc.)

Jeremiah 17 (and context):

The people’s sin was that they had 1. forsaken God for other gods (17:13, 2:13 — forsaken the fountain of living water for a broken cistern), 2. not kept His law (not stayed on the ‘way’), 3. every person individually followed his own stubborn, evil will, and refused to listen to God. 17:5–6 says “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” He’s like the arara bush (alone in a desolate place, dead on the inside, providing nothing but disappointment to the desert wanderer) (episode 3). The contrast is the man who trusts in the Lord — he’s like the Psalm 1 man, like the tree by the water, who doesn’t fear and isn’t anxious (17:7–8). It’s in this context then that we have the infamous verse 9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” I decided to study two words: ‘deceitful’ (aqob) and ‘heart’ (leb).

“Heart” is translated as such in most english translations, though the NET interestingly translates this as “the human mind.” The Hebrew word (leb) encompasses the inner man, mind, will, heart, and understanding. It’s a form of lebab which still is largely translated ’heart’ but is used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will, and even the intellect; it is used for the center of anything.

Deceitful is the english word used in most translations; the only other word I found here was ‘devious’ (JPS). It is deceitful, sly, and insidious, but it is also used in the context of a steep, hilly, or ‘uneven’ path (Is. 40:4, cf Ps. 143:10, Hos 6:8). It’s root verb (aqab) is to supplant, circumvent, assail insidiously, overreach, or hold back another (Jer 9:4, Job 37:4); in its definition is the idea of ’taking by the heel’ (heel = aqeb) which is obviously seen in the story of Jacob “betraying” (2x) Esau (Gen 27:36, Hos 12:3).

So in summary it would seem that indeed there are two paths to choose from; the self-directed way and the God-directed way. Our heart, our inner being, inner voice, the center of us, our desires, our feelings, our understanding, our will, is impossible to understand. Not only that but it will betray us. It appears trustworthy but it’s not; it designs and devises our ruin. It is an uneven path.

Arara Bush/Tree:

https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/28

session 3 of http://oneinjesus.info/2008/10/ray-vander-laans-follow-the-rabbi-lectures/ OR http://www.mgmorrow.com/audio/sermons/RayVanderLaan/index_RVL_ArchaeologicalLectures.html

http://www.egrc.net/articles/director/articles_director_0801.html

1 Corinthians 1:18–2:16

This passage also contrasts the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God, paralleling nicely with the exhortations of Proverbs 3. God has made foolish the wisdom of the world, and the world can’t know Him through wisdom. God uses foolish things to shame the wise so that no one can boast. Jesus IS the wisdom of God. Paul didn’t want our faith to rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God, who gives us a different and hidden wisdom through His Spirit. His Spirit knows His mind, His thoughts, and gives us understanding of the things He freely gives us. These things will seem foolish to the world, because they are spiritually discerned, not naturally, but supernaturally. The spiritual person has the mind of Jesus and so judges all things but is not judged by anyone except Jesus. This all results in a humble confidence in life [and decision-making] that may not make sense to the logic of men; we have the mind of our Father in us. This is what we impart to the disciples we make (2:13). So this is again the contrast with the way of man in Jer 17, the natural mind.

If I’m trying to discern my own heart and mind, I’m asking the wrong question. This is about the mind and will of God. His heart, His mind, His desires. His Spirit gives me the ability to discern such things, not to simply rifle through all my own desires. That is a different path, that’s the path of man, of self.

1 Thessalonians 5:19

“Do not quench the Spirit.” This quite simply is to suppress, stifle, or more accurately to ‘extinguish’ the ‘fire’ of Divine influence. It would seem in reading commentaries on this is not related to one specific action, but rather many. If I could boil it down to one thing perhaps it would be that quenching the Spirit is to ignore or resist the things the Spirit of the Lord does in our lives. The Spirit wants to move us on a path to ever-increasing holiness, to bring us into intimacy with God, to show us Jesus and make Jesus desirous to us, and to guide us into God’s will by revealing what obedience is and then strengthening us and moving us to obedience. Therefore, there are a number of ways that we can make ourselves opposed to His process and so grieve Him (Eph 4:30).

Doubt, indifference, rejection of Jesus, distraction of others, drawing attention to ourselves, not tending the ‘flame’ of the Spirit, being overwhelmed by something else, neglecting to stir up our spirits and all that is in us to comply with the motions of the Spirit, indulging in carnal lusts and affections, having our mind only on earthly things, ignoring His sanctifying work, failing to study the Word and show ourselves approved unto God, mishandling the Scripture, not receiving the Word with humility, not applying the Word, not searching the Word diligently, not desiring the Word, not letting the Word dwell in us richly, not accepting difficulties that would bring us closer to Him, by being bitter/angry at God, neglecting prayer, not enjoying communion, not being worshipful, not casting anxieties on Him, operating in our fleshly power, not trusting God’s love or God’s supply, spiritual pride, selfishness, disobedience, self-will, stubbornness, not recognizing weakness and need, apathy, indifference, neglecting to ask God for His leading or insensitivity to it.

Perhaps closer to this conversation of the Lord’s guidance in our lives, we are given the ability to quench or suppress this guidance by both logic and emotion. By logic, we can quench His guidance by preferring human therapy/counseling over Him, or replacing His power with human ingenuity, intuition, entrepreneurship, or pragmatism. By emotion, we can quench His guidance by substituting it with ecstatic or mystical experiences, emotions, feelings, gimmickry, or self-authenticating experience. Thus, we might argue that at points the Lord’s guidance in our lives may conflict with our logic, or likewise at other times (and maybe in the same instances) may conflict with our emotions. So again we see that the Spirit of God shows us the Way. Our flesh does not, our logic does not, our counselors do not, our emotion does not. He may use these things but it is imperative that we learn to ‘listen’ to Him, precisely because He may use all of these things in different ways, at different times, and in varied levels of clarity or emphasis. We cannot build these things into our own formulaic puzzles and thus walk the path in some sort of weird guidance conglomerate of Logic, Emotion, the base principles and explicit commands of Scripture, and the voices of Others, or else we are no longer abiding in Jesus and walking in dependency and relationship with Him. Knowing and discerning the more subjective ways He may compel us is indeed more difficult and very much preceded by prerequisite intimacy with Him who is the Way, lest we follow our own hearts and minds astray.

We need His grace to do this. We cannot do it alone (Prov 14:12, Jer 10:23), nor even with help from those godly gurus who help us draw out and apply the purposes and plans of our own hearts (Prov 20:5). The Lord is the one who truly knows our hearts (Prov 21:2) and who can guide us in the Way (Is. 30:20–21, Ps 32:8–9) on level ground (Ps. 143:10) which our own hearts/minds cannot do (Jer 17:9, Is. 40:4). Ps. 119:105.

We might say that the scriptures outline the overall path and God supplies us with the strength and character and camaraderie to walk on this Way, but there are portions of the path which are more treacherous, more burdensome, more vertical, and we are in need of knowing where to place each step, how quickly to walk, or what techniques may be used to scale an obstacle. In this way we and our fellow travelers are in need of conversation with the One who placed the obstacle there and knows the way forward.

So then, if we boil it all down to something simple, we essentially find this added direction by abiding. Fellowship with God. Being familiar enough with Jesus in the New Testament, His Spirit in us, and being conversational enough with Him at present that we know what He would do in any given situation and how He is leading us in these ’small things,’ even if it’s often counter-intuitive to our flesh.

Abiding

I did some teaching for a small group in late 2019 about ‘being led by the Spirit,’ after I had studied through 2 Peter 1, and therefore took a closer look at Jesus’ life as it related to schedules, plans, interruptions, and the Father’s guidance.

In 2020 I studied through Torah and ended up defining what it means to ‘abide’ as I put some of these puzzle pieces together. One thing I found was that Jesus and John weren’t teaching anything new when they equated love with obedience (John 14:15, 14:21, 15:10, 1 John). Any good Jewish boy would have recited the Shema (Deut 6) regularly (even today it is recited twice daily), in which the Hebrew word ‘love’ implies obedience. The whole of Deuteronomy 6 is about loving God and loving (and thus following) His good rules — the two things are not separate. To love God is to obey Him. Love compels us to obedience. So then the first (of three) elements of my definition of ‘abiding’ is WHOLEHEARTED LOVE. This is that Phil 3 kind of passion for Jesus and being like Him, that pure (James 3) and undivided (1 Cor 7) passion. The second element was CONSTANT DEPENDENCE. This is that John 15 vine illustration. We see where Jesus does only what He sees the Father doing (John 5, 8, 14, 16 (more specific references here)). It’s the idea of walking in the path that God has drawn out beforehand (Eph 2:10) and making prayerful plans, but having them seemingly ‘interrupted’ by the Father and embracing these with peace, joy, and patience understanding that God will sovereignly bring us new and unplanned things (Mark 5 / Luke 8 and so many other places in the gospels and Acts). Overlapping a bit with that is CONSTANT AWARENESS. We are constantly in prayer (and rejoicing) (and attentive to the Spirit) because we’re looking diligently for those ‘interruptions’ previously mentioned, in every moment (1 Thess 5:16–19, 20–21). “Father, what are you doing here, show me what you’re doing, and let me play my role in it.” Going back to John 14:21, we know that when we’re walking in obedience, we will see this question answered; we’ll see Jesus, we’ll see what He’s doing on the path so that we can join Him in it. Matthew 5:8 also says as much: “Blessed are the pure in heart (wholehearted love which causes one to seek God and look for what He’s doing), for they shall see God (awareness).”

Abiding then, as defined through my own study, is wholehearted love, constant dependence, and constant awareness. In a word, obsession.

As a side note, David exemplifies this in several very powerful examples where, because he is close to God and loves what God loves, he’s able to think like God thinks and do what God does in situations where no one else would have conceived of it, except that in hindsight they loved David for it (1 Sam 24:1–7, 1 Sam 21:1–6 / Mk 2:24–28), my favorite of which is the story of Keilah (1 Sam 23:1–5). Even in a time of fear and hiding, when he has just become responsible for many who decided to follow him through the wilderness, and arguably had “enough to worry about,” he loves what the Lord loves and wants to save even more, even if it might give up there position and force them out of this area that seemed to provide them with a good hiding spot for a time.

(I have many notes on David’s understanding of his role as ’sub-king/sub-shepherd’ under God — something Saul failed at — which I think fits this idea of ‘abiding’ well too. I digress.)

When I studied Jesus during my study of 2 Peter 1 and that imagery of a road, here’s what I saw as it might relate to this discussion (though this also captures my study of Jesus through this lens):

• Virtue
• Like in 1 Thess, I notice Paul’s heart again in Philemon that everyone make their own decisions before the Lord when it’s a matter of ‘right vs left’ not ‘right vs wrong.’ He shares his thoughts, but he does not impose demands and ultimately wants everyone to have a clear conscience before the Lord; The Lord is goodness, His will is good, and Paul wants us to choose this willingly not compulsively, which is what he tells Philemon similar to the Corinthians concerning financial giving. Jesus obviously is like this — living under no heart burden of human institution, but following Jewish law gladly on a heart level as God intended for it to be followed, and caring only for His Father’s approval. It was His Father’s will that He fulfill the law, so this He did gladly, but He did so because it pleased His Father, not because it placated men and established His earthly standing. He zealously performed good works and maxed out His capacity, and it was motivated by 1. love for God first and foremost, and 2. love for others within His love for the Father. It was not motivated by 3. the demands and accountability of human institution and society/culture, though those structures existed and were ever-present in the minds of Him and His disciples. He spent considerable time with those who were leading and following with the latter motive and within the religious structure (teaching in synagogues on the Sabbath, dining with Pharisees, etc), but the larger portion of His time was spent roaming the country with the boys in freedom, following what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19–23, 5:30, 5:36, 8:16, 8:19, 8:28–29, 8:42, 8:55, 12:49–50, 14:7, 14:9–11, 14:20, 14:23, 14:28, 14:31). The Pharisees, equipped with incredible knowledge of the Scriptures and mostly good intentions, would have led Jesus and the boys stray (humanly speaking); Nicodemus didn’t understand it, but the Spirit of God moves like the wind and so the Father led His Son in ways that can only be understood in hindsight (John 3).
• Knowledge
• Jesus had Knowledge of Virtue because He watched and did what the Father was doing (above). He corrected the group of 72 when they rejoiced in the Virtue itself rather than in their own relationship with the Father who granted them Life in eternity. It was elementary and mandatory that their virtuous work come from an overflow of relationship with the Father and that they would be satisfied in this relationship first, before any work or virtue takes place or is celebrated. It’s this relationship, this knowledge of who the Father is and what He loves, that prompts and motivates everything Jesus does and did, including His ultimate sacrifice.
• Self-Control
• This is more along the lines of sensual/sexual temptation than anything else, and we are to actively seek it and create safeguards, but at the end of the day, this is not man-made, this is fruit of the Spirit. We can create Covenant Eyes but it is merely a tool and if we are dependent upon the tool above true heart-transformation and supernatural empowerment, we are doomed to failure. Jesus’ bumpers and curbs seemed to be scripture (Mt 4), eternal perspective (Mt. 4, Lk 11:2 “your kingdom come”), and perhaps Brotherly Affection (relational accountability, life-on-life). It wasn’t human institution, public reputation, desire to please man, or fear of organizational reprimand (nor did He necessarily rely on strict physical boundaries, for there were many women around Him and at times He was alone with them). Though the world tried to put these things on Him and rebuke Him accordingly, He would not let them come between His conscience before His Father who guided Him towards a very clear mission and goal.
• Steadfastness
• Jesus walked patiently toward death and sacrifice because of the joy of eternity set before Him. He was intimately emotionally involved in the work He had to do and He seems to let it interrupt many of His own human needs and desires, though He is not anxious about these things; He trusts what He sees the Father doing and remains steadfast in His Father’s will even when it goes against His whole carnal being (in the garden). He chose death because that’s where the Father led Him, not for the sake of death itself. This again like all the rest is informed and motivated by His abiding in the Father.
• Godliness
• This by definition is reverent fear and worship towards God the Father; the posture of our heart toward Him in Virtue, staying near to Him in seeking Knowledge, entrusting ourselves to Him and surrendering to His will in Steadfastness. It is a mind and motivation for Him and His glory. This bond and motivation Jesus had in everything (Phil 2:13–14, 1 Peter 2, John 17:4, John 13:3–4, John references above, etc.), and He wanted His disciples to be in a place of dependence on their journey (Mk 6:8)
• Brotherly Affection
• Is our triune God not relational by nature? It follows then that the Son’s strategy was deep relationships. What’s more, the whole plan in creation (and the redemption of fallen creation) was/is deep relationship. Jesus often walked roads with His disciples (Mark 10:32, Luke 9:57+, Mk 6:8/Mt. 10:10/Lk 9:3, John 4:3–6, etc.) — perhaps the constant footpaths and roads were some of the few places where He could find quiet intimacy with these boys in between the crowds that met them at their various destinations. The Creator came to dwell with His creation, invited them into His triune fellowship (John 17) by indwelling His own Spirit within them and ultimately glorifying their bodies in order to dwell with Him physically as well. Family is not chosen (though we might argue an adopted child is), but friendship most certainly is by choice (John 15). These few boys were our Lord’s strategy and joy; He went deep with them, gave His life to them, and spent His resurrected time with them. He gave Himself to them unreservedly and continually invited them into triune fellowship, based on nothing other than His grace and choice; His love had nothing to do with their goodness or ability to appreciate His love or reciprocate it, and therefore ours shouldn’t either (Rom 15:7, and the OT theme of aliens orphans and widows — we love those societally ‘worthless’ individuals because God does).
• Love
• This motivates and enhances all, setting us free from self and giving us joy and zeal in service to the piece of creation made in God’s image — humanity — thus reflecting God’s love. God demonstrates this love for us (Rom 5:8), even His enemies (Rom 5:7), as He calls we who were enemies (Rom 5:10) friends (John 15:15). What command is more difficult than this (Luke 6:27)? Yet this is what He does, and it motivates and compels us (2 Cor 4-5); our love has everything to do with His love (1 John).

“…[make these qualities yours and increase in them]….” (2 Peter 1:8)

“…[don’t lack these qualities]…” (2 Peter 1:9)

“…practice these qualities…” (2 Peter 1:10)

“…I intend always to remind you of these qualities…” (2 Peter 1:12)

It is in these qualities that Peter tells us with his dying letter that we can escape the world’s corruption caused by sinful desire, and instead to walk a new path of effectiveness, fruitfulness, clarity, victory, and glorious inheritance.

Jesus perfectly exemplifies these qualities, and in following His way in these things Peter says we become partakers of His nature. Jesus told Philip that He is an exact representation of the Father (John 14:9), and sent Philip in the same way that His Father had sent Him (John 20:21). As talmidim, we are to become exact representations of our Rabbi, and to make other talmidim — to multiply our lives through authentic relationship with others, just as Jesus did (which is very different from addition), so that they can observe Jesus in us (1 Cor 11:1).

We read the gospels so often (in their proper context) and commune with Jesus so often (corporately and individually) that we know exactly what Jesus would do and say and feel in any given situation we come across. We see what He is doing around us and we join in according to the role He’s given us. We abide.

We remember that it is a process, and we enjoy the journey.

Poem: “The Way Is Hard”