4 Teachings Of Jesus That His Followers (Almost) Never Take Seriously

It’s no secret that those of us who claim to follow Jesus Christ consistently fall short of living up to the way of life of our Rabbi. Being a disciple of Jesus is a lifelong journey towards conforming ourselves to the image and way of life that Jesus taught. However, so often, followers of Jesus chose to blatantly ignore some of the clearest instruction of our Rabbi and obscure it with vague theology so that we can get off the hook. Other times, followers of Jesus are taught something explicitly contradictory to the plain words of Jesus and then spend their lives obeying the instruction they received instead of the commands of Jesus.

However we end up at the place of disobedience, all of us who claim to be followers of Jesus struggle to obey the commands of our Lord. One of the most transformative periods in my faith was when I took time to re-read the Gospels of the New Testament and get reacquainted with Jesus’ himself, in his own words. As I studied the words of Jesus, I discovered that so much of what he asks of us as his disciples is incredibly clear and yet so much of it was new to me. I had never heard it in church or Sunday school or actually heard someone teach the exact opposite of the words of Christ. It was during that season of my life where I took inventory of how I lived and what I believed and aligned to the person and teachings of Christ that my faith was radically transformed for the better.

Below I have compiled a short list of 4 clear teachings of Jesus that most of us who exist within Evangelicalism have either never heard, refuse to acknowledge, or believe the exact opposite of. It’s my hope that by rereading these teachings of Christ, you will be inspired, like I have been, to return to the Gospels and begin to reshape your faith and life around the way and teachings of our Master, Jesus. Get ready and buckle up, because most of what Jesus says is pretty bold and potent. It’ll shake up your faith!

1. Jesus, not the Bible, is God’s living and active Word that brings life.

“You don’t have His word living in you, because you don’t believe the One He sent. You study the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life.”- John 5:39-40 HCSB

The Christian life is one that is fundamentally rooted in the reality that Jesus Christ is living and active. He interacts with us on a day to day basis and desires that we cultivate an intimate relationship with him. The more we commune with the Spirit of Christ, the more life and truth we are exposed to and are able to comprehend. However, for many Evangelicals, we rely more on the Bible than we do on the living and active Spirit of God within us. We fear that following the Spirit could lead to confusion and subjectivity and so we root our faith in the Bible. The problem is that a faith that is rooted in the Scripture alone is not sustainable. It will dry up and wither on the vine. While the Bible is an important and authoritative guide for Christian faith and practice, it isn’t the foundation or center of our faith- Jesus is. And if we truly believe that he is alive, we should also have faith that communing with him will produce spiritual life within us. He is the living Word that we can ask anything to and expect, in faith, to receive and answer. Sometimes he will speak through Scripture. Other times he will speak through our friends and family. Other times he will find unique and special ways to reveal himself to us. But in order to maintain a vibrant and living faith, we must not make the Bible our substitute for communion with the living Word of God. Studying Scripture is valuable, but nowhere near as valuable as cultivating a day to day relationship with the God incarnate.

2. The only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is through DOING the will of God.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 ESV

“An expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”“What is written in the law?” He asked him. “How do you read it?”He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.“You’ve answered correctly,” He told him. “Do this and you will live.”- Luke 10: 25-28 HCSB

“We are saved by faith alone, apart from works!” This is a very popular Protestant catch phrase. The doctrine of sola fide (faith alone) was developed by the Reformers in response to the Roman Catholic Churches corrupted teachings that emerged in the 16th Century teaching that one could gain favor with God and shave off years in Hell and Purgatory by giving money to the church or doing acts of penance. The intention of the doctrine of faith alone was very good- to correct the error that our salvation could be earned or that God’s grace could be manipulated. But like most doctrines that are formulated in response to another group’s doctrine, it often goes too far. One of the clearest teachings throughout all four Gospel accounts is that the way to enter the Kingdom of God is through living in obedience to the Law of Christ. Time and time again, Jesus makes very clear statements that condemn those who think that they will be saved because they believe the right things or do the right religious rituals. Jesus responds to people who believe they are religious and deserve heaven by saying that their outward religiosity is detestable to God and the only thing God desires is that they would exercise their faith by obeying the command of God- to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. (Micah 6:8) Jesus says if anyone claims to be right with God but doesn’t serve the poor, needy, oppressed, marginalized, sick, diseased, and sinful, then they do not have a relationship with God. No matter what they proclaim with their lips. No matter how religious they may appear. Jesus says those who don’t obey will have no part in his Kingdom. He makes very clear that the way to “inherit eternal life” is through loving God and loving our neighbor. Isn’t it astonishing, then, how many Christians today have been taught that salvation comes through right believing instead of right practice- a message that is fundamentally contrary to the words of Jesus. (And even more to his little brother James who says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” James 2:24 ESV)

Many modern day Evangelical preachers spend a lot of time talking about the kinds of people that God is opposed to and who he condemns. They spend time talking about how to transition from a position of condemnation before God to a position of Grace through believing the right things about Jesus. They often talk about those who disagree or live contrary to their understanding of what is “righteous” as those who are under condemnation from God. But what’s funny is that as one examines the teachings and life of Jesus, we find him not only befriending, loving, and affirming some of his societies most despised and vile people, but chastising the religious leaders who condemned them for their sin. Whether it is Jesus’ conversation with Rabbi Niccodemus in John 3 where Christ explains that it is his mission to redeem the world and not to condemn it or the instance where a woman is caught in the act of adultery and is taken outside to be stoned by the religious officials (as the law required) and Jesus steps in to stop the condemnation and proclaim freedom and forgiveness to the broken woman, it is clear that Jesus is not in the condemning business. Instead, it seems Christ is in the business of restoring humanity to the most broken and wicked of people. It seems that his passion is to see the weak, sick, and broken become strong, healthy, and whole in his Kingdom. It seems that he spends very little time (almost none) telling sinners why they’re wrong or speaking words of condemnation over them, but rather practically loving and extending grace to the most screwed up of individuals. Maybe we Evangelicals, who are known for our condemnation of entire people groups with whom we disagree, could learn something from Jesus on this point.

4. You’re supposed to sacrifice yourself and speak words of blessings for those you disagree with the most.

It seems like every week there is a new major controversy taking place within the Church. Most of the time, the situation revolves around one group of Christians disagreeing with another and then taking to the internet to write slanderous posts about the other. If it’s not infighting, then it is Christians engaging in culture wars, working to defeat those whom we disagree with politically and socially by painting them as soul-less monsters. But that response is absolutely contrary to the way of Jesus. Jesus calls his followers to love the people they disagree with most and to speak blessings over them when all we really want to do is curse them out. No matter what the situation is or what kind of enemy we have, Christians are called to bless the people who hurt us the most. This includes in theological battles, political disagreements, national wars, and personal conflicts. Christians are called to a radical position of nonviolence and forgiveness, grace, and even blessing of our enemies. There is no way around it. And when Christians chose to ignore these clear teachings, our hypocrisy is glaringly obvious to the watching world. Want some proof? Take a couple minutes to watch this clip of the famous Agnostic Comedian, Bill Maher, talk about Christian’s refusal to obey the teaching of Jesus. (Contains explicit language)

That video may be hard to stomach but Bill Maher is 100% correct. “If you ignore every single thing Jesus commanded you to do, you’re not a Christian.”

The point of this post is to encourage those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus to reexamine how we are living our lives and practicing our faith. It is so easy to get so caught up in the flow that we fail to recognize just how far away from shore we have been carried. The words of Jesus are pretty darn clear, but oftentimes in our zealousness for our faith, we often get pulled away from the basics and eventually end up living in a way that we believe is honoring to God, but is actually contradictory to everything he has taught us.

In this post, I have offered just four examples. There and hundreds of teachings contained in the 4 Gospels of the New Testament, teachings that, if we obeyed, would absolutely flip our lives and world upside-down for the glory of God and the good of all people. What the Church as a whole and Evangelicals in particular desperately need in this age is a return to the plain teachings of Jesus. We need to be willing to set aside out theological debates and meanderings for a season and focus on simply reading, conforming, and obeying the will of Christ, both as revealed in Scripture and as we are led by his Spirit. The world is desperately longing to encounter Jesus through us and for far too long we have been giving them a cheap knock off that we have exported under his name. But it’s clear to everyone that what is passing for Christianity today is almost totally divorced from the teachings of Jesus Christ.

My prayer is that we would all turn our faces towards our risen Savior and seek to selflessly follow his commands. I am convinced that the Jesus’ way is the only way that will heal our broken world. I am convinced that the whole earth is groaning as it waits for men and women to take of their crosses and follow in the way of redemption. I am convinced that when those of us who call ourselves “Christian” re-orient ourselves in Jesus, the power of God will flow through us in an unprecedented and miraculous way that will bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Oh how I long for that day.

‎“Those who aren’t following Jesus aren’t his followers. It’s that simple. Followers follow, and those who don’t follow aren’t followers. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it.”
― Scot McKnight

You won’t find much because your eyes and ears are shut.

My church is corrupt? And what about you? Easy to point fingers when you are your own Pope isn’t it? It’s so nice to meet someone who is perfect, it further tells me of your own conceit. I suppose you could say the same about Christ, since he had a Judas in his midst. If you remember from scripture there are always going to be corrupt men in every age until the end of time, when Christ will separate the sheep from the goats. Same as the Old Testament, does the name Saul ring a bell? Even King David had a few scandals along the way but the Israelites were still the people of God. Are you telling me there are no corrupt protestant ministers? Again, it’s easy to sit back and point fingers when your “church” is your living room couch.

You are most certainly a Bible interpreter. The most obstinate, proud kind. You even mention such in the last paragraph, “count on God for the understanding.” So, every man interprets scripture for himself to whatever “feelings” he has.

This article is written by a protestant who essentially is saying the same thing.

All those whose eyes have truly “seen the King”, and truly know the Lord well will answer the same.

In knowing Him they have seen something of the blackness of their own hearts, and know that they are capable - in themselves and apart from Him - of committing any sin - and they do not see themselves as better than, more righteous than, anyone else.

The self-righteous believe that they are at least better than those great evil ones of history - or current known evil people. The truly self-righteous have the attitude described by Jesus in Luke 18:9, “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:”, their inner thoughts of self found in the next two verses.

Are there varying degrees of evil? Of course. Probably not exactly like Dante saw them.

But Jesus “raised the bar” in the Beatitudes when He showed that a man lusting after a woman not his wife is guilty in God’s eyes as having committed adultery; the one who hates his brother is guilty as the one who commits murder, and so on.

The real bar of righteousness is not the Law (Ten Commandments - “good, righteous, and holy” - but only a “shadow” only of the character and nature of God), nor even the Beatitudes (an even fuller revelation of God, and His nature found in His kingdom).

The bar is Jesus Christ Himself, fully God, fully man, the full and complete revelation of who God is. Col. 1:15 - 20.

Against Him as “the bar”, we all must, like John, fall on our faces as dead men.

And He, in His infinite grace and love, will, like with John, lay His right hand on us and say, “Do not be afraid.....”

>> “The verse does not say to divide truth from lawlessness or untruth...It says to divide truth from truth...What may be truth in one place may not be the truth in another..” <<

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This is complete nonsense!

The subject of Paul’s letter was solely to prepare Timothy to deal with those that present a false gospel. There is no other subject at hand that would suggest that any truths need be divided.

Finally, there are no truths in God’s word that are to be divided. God’s word is one word. What is for man in Genesis is for man throughout the entire Bible.

There is not one verse in the entire Bible that says that portions of the word are to be put asunder.

YHVH is one Lord, “he changeth not” (Psalms 15:4)

All are under the law in the same respect, and will remain so til Heaven and Earth pass. This is the indisputable testimony of Yeshua in Matthew 5.

The redemption is the same for all.

The only things that need to be “rightly divided” are the words of God, and the words of falsehood.

The only difference “post cross” is that reliable witnesses saw our promised redemption fulfilled, and the covenant renewed in that shed blood, and the Holy Spirit given to us.

That constitutes the fulfillment of one half of Yehova’s program for his elect. The remaining half is shown to us in detail in his everlasting Torah. Those that deny that are workers of lawlessness, The “Mystery of Iniquity” that Paul spoke of. A system of false teachers and churches commanded by Satan to pull Yehova’s elect away from hie Torah.

Yeshua spoke nothing different after his resurrection than he spoke before.

Your manipulation of the word in support of falsehood is what is shocking.

>> “His teaching is that He came to redeem us from the law” <<

No! had he taught that, he would have been in violation of Torah, and the prophets, and thus his blood incapable of redeeming us. He would have been a worker of iniquity.

All, from Adam to the end are “under” Torah. That is the total of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

No one is “under” grace!

Grace is not something that one can be under, it is a gift for those that love him and “Believe” in him as the Hebrew tradition understood belief.

This is who:

Romans 2:

[14] For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
[15] Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Who do you suppose writes those laws on their hearts?

Your manipulation of the word is certainly not a gift from God.

I note that you didn’t touch the fact that the dividing wall of hostility has been torn down through the Lord’s work on the cross. The one new man did not exist in times past, sir. It does now. That is huge.

I recognize the Hebrew Roots/Torah Observant lingo in your posts quite well, as a relative of mine is off into that movement at the moment. I seem to recall you don’t care much for Paul? Neither do they. I’ve found their reading of his letters to be altogether bizarre and against any honest interpretation. They’ll wrest and wrangle to get justification by works in there somehow!

Jesus chose a zealous Jew to preach Him among the Gentiles. There is no mistaking his antipathy to justification by works. If The Lord did choose him you should listen to what He says through him.

Be careful, as well, in charging others with “lawlessness”. I don’t promote or excuse sin here. I am very severe with myself, though I do sin. He is freeing me more and more. No one can get there through the Law, as good as it is, because of our “problem”.

Thanks to Jesus Christ, PROBLEM SOLVED. Believe!

>> “No where does it say those are God's laws written on their hearts” <<

Now you are way out over the edge!

1John 2:

[3] And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
[4] He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
[6] He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
[7] Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning.
The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

The old commandment,Torah, that man was commanded to keep from the beginning. That is still the commandment.

The connivances that so-called believers create to avoid what we are commanded to do never cease to amaze me.

Who would write commandments on our hearts?

>> “I seem to recall you don’t care much for Paul?” <<

You search far and wide for support of your contra-scriptural false commandments!

Where would you get the idea that I do not care for Paul?

Paul, James, John and Peter all demand the same: that we keep Yeshua’s commandments.

What does a wall of hostility have to do with your desire to put the word of God asunder? You are looking for a wall that doesn't exist to give excuse to work iniquity.

Matthew 5:

17] Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
[18] For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
[19] Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

>> "I recognize the Hebrew Roots/Torah Observant lingo in your posts quite well" <<

Wonderful! - But do you recognize it in All of Yeshua's and John's words? - Or is your recognition selective?

Do you also recognize that there is absolutely no relationship between your "justification by works" and the obedient keeping of Yeshua's commandments? - Or is your recognition again selective?

Paul's and James' declarations that only doers of the law will be justified is not a declaration that their justification is the direct result of their keeping of the commandments, but of the simple fact that Yeshua writes his commandments on the hearts of all who are his own. Keep on wishing to be free of the commandments, and Yehova will send all the strong delusion that you need!

Do you really know what sin is?

1John 3:

[4] Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
[5] And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
[6] Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

So if you promote abandonment of Torah, how then do you not promote sin? The two are one!
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>> “After what days? After the days of the tribulation when the nation of Israel will accept Christ as their Messiah” <<

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Dispensational hogwash!

Read the Revelation carefully.

Israel is who gets resurrected in the first resurrection.

Only those who are a part of “Israel” will find Yehova’s rest.

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