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By Gerald Cowan Jesus is the
only Trail-Blazer, the one true Way. Others – patriarchs and prophets, up to
and including John the baptist – only prepared the way for him, but when he
came he was and remains The Way, the final and only way to God. John 14:6 Apostles are
Path-Finders and Guides on the one true path, the narrow and restricted path
which is, since Pentecost, the New Way in the church of the Lord Jesus. There
is another kind of path- finder too: the one who searches, studies, compares,
and makes personal choices and commitments to the truth he finds in the word
of God (2 Timothy 2:15). Probably from
the beginning the church has been burdened with Tag-Alongs –
curiosity-seekers, casual and occasional visitors, convenience-minded but
never fully committed. They are the “I will go with you if you are going, but
I’m not going on my own” group. There’s another group, even less likely to
become effectively involved and committed to the church, the drag-alongs. Drag-Alongs
are just what the term implies. They won’t get in the path or stay in it
except under duress; they must be forced into compliance. These include
mostly children of Christian parents, but they only come until they can break
free from parental authority. Spouses of members also fit in this group. They
come only in order to have some kind of peace with the mate – most often
these are husbands trying to “make nice” with a wife they don’t really want
to lose or alienate. Christian parents and spouses usually hope that if they
can keep the drag-alongs coming they may actually become knowledgeable and
interested and grow into committed members too. Sojourners
are persons who stay in one place temporarily, moving about from place to
place, with no fixed long-term residence or commitment. Sojourner is not a
bad word. There is a sense in which all Christians are sojourners (1 Peter
1:17). Work and other constraints often keep people on the move in current
society. Faithful Christians will attend and be involved with the church
wherever they are at any time. But the other kind of sojourners can be a
burden to the church. They are church-hoppers, staying only as long as their
desires and likes are met, but quick to move on when they aren’t. They are sometimes like sheep, nibbling
their way along, changing direction according to the greenness of the grass
in one place or another. Pilgrims –
every religion has them. Some of them want to make an occasional visit to
some significant place or to the “homeland.”
For example, some want to visit “the Holy Land” (that is a serious
misnomer, because there is no land truly holy to God now as the land of
Israel once was). But there are places and relics of historical interest and
meaning because of some biblical person or event. Such places are not relevant
to the Biblical religion now except as historical or traditional (more often
than not commercial) curiosities. But the proper meaning of Christian
pilgrims is this: our true homeland is heaven, to which we have never been
and cannot go until we pass through death of the body, resurrection and
judgment and eventual reassignment as residents of God’s eternal heaven. That
is our homeland (Phil. 3:20-21), the home of the soul to which we are going
if we keep faith with God through The Way, Jesus Christ (John 14:1-6). Path-Walkers
is another self-explanatory term. If we walk with the Lord in the light of
His word He keeps us clean (1 John 1:7-9). Of course, there is more to it
than just continuing to “be a Christian” and attend “services” of the church.
Faithfulness in personal worship, service, and stewardship (1 Cor. 4:2),
growth in knowledge and grace (2 Peter 3:18), staying within the bounds that
mark the path – all of this and more is expected of one who walks in the
pathway of righteousness and duty. Path-walkers are not skin-deep Christians,
not even bone-deep. Their relationship with God through Christ is
spirit-deep, all the way into the soul. |
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