John 8:31, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.’”
To be a disciple (a student) of Christ it is essential that you hold to His teachings. To claim to know Jesus and not do what He teaches makes you a liar according to John. 1 John 2:4, “Whoever says, ‘I know him, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.’”
In the above passage Jesus is speaking to Jews that had come to believe in Him as the Messiah. However, Jesus went on to teach them that their “belief” must be followed by their “obedience.” In other words, Jesus not only wanted “believers,” He wanted “disciples.” James, the half brother of Jesus, declared, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead,” James 2:17. Paul also clearly taught that we are saved by faith and not by works, however, he also taught that after we are saved we are called to do good works. Ephesians 2:8-10, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Therefore, Jesus is calling all believers to be followers of His teachings. He commands everyone to not only “believe” what He teaches, but to “do” what He teaches. The idea of “holding” onto Jesus’ teachings gives the impression that we must never let go of what He says.
Think about holding on to Jesus’ teachings like you would hold on to a life preserver in the middle of the ocean. At anytime you could let go, but because you value your life you hold on to it with all your strength. As born again believers Jesus expects us to hold on to His teachings by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Make a decision today to hold to Jesus’ teachings and never let go!
Reflection
Action
- Learn Jesus’ teachings by reading the Bible.
- Hold onto Jesus’ teachings.
- Never let God of Jesus’ teachings!
