Learning Jesus (7)

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4.20-24

Keep the goal in mind
Every follower of Jesus Christ is a disciple, and every disciple is, by definition, a learner. It is essential, in all our learning – whether by reading and study or in classes and conversations – that we keep the goal of wisdom in mind, of being transformed increasingly into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are growing in wisdom when we are growing in Jesus Christ – thinking with His mind (1 Cor. 2.16; 2 Cor. 10.3-5), speaking with His gracious words (Ps. 45.2; Col. 4.6), walking in His Spirit (Gal. 5.16-23), and teaching others about Him and His Kingdom (Acts 1.1-8).

Learning is not just an intellectual activity. It is that, of course, but it is much more than that. For the disciple of Jesus Christ, the goal of all learning should be to learn Christ, as Paul put it. And if we are learning Jesus Christ, we are becoming new creatures in every aspect of our lives – mind, heart, conscience, words, and deeds – and we are improving our ability to fulfill those discipleship roles – seeker, servant, shepherd, sower, and steward – for which Jesus has sent us into the world.

What does this involve? That is, what should we expect, and for what should we be searching and striving as we map our course along the way toward wisdom via a program of lifelong learning? Paul offers us some concise guidelines and landmarks for our journey.

Leave it behind
First, we cannot become like Jesus and grow in the wisdom of God if we insist on holding on to the baggage of folly and sin that we have carried all our lives thus far. We have to put off our old selves, all those merely frivolous or clearly sinful activities and practices that we loved so well before we got serious about following Jesus.

Whatever in our lives is not preparing or enabling us to live for the glory of God needs to go. We must strip these things off like old clothes and leave them behind, resolving never to take them up again.

This is a daily responsibility which involves us waiting on the Spirit of God to search our lives, and following as He leads us, to repent of sin and silliness so that we can take up the journey to wisdom with greater effect (Ps. 139.23, 24). There will be no room to grow in wisdom if we don’t repudiate the wasted thoughts, affections, and activities of the past. This is the starting point if we want to learn Christ.

Focus on transformation
But we also need to have a clear and compelling vision of what the life of wisdom looks like. That way we’ll be able to identify areas in our own lives where change is needed.

For this we need to consider the Lord Jesus Christ, for in Him we may discover all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2.1-3). This means studying and contemplating Jesus not just in the Gospels, but as He appears everywhere in His Word. All Scripture is about Jesus (Jn. 5.39). Therefore, in all our reading of the Word of God, we need to reflect deeply on what each passage can teach us about the Lord Jesus. That way our picture of Him – His priorities, values, holiness, and ways – will become increasingly clear.

Then, with that growing picture of Christ in mind, we can let the Scriptures and our other reading show us areas where we need to change and improve, or where some action on our part may allow us to express the reality of Christ living in us.

Considering Jesus means understanding what the Scriptures teach about Him. But it also means desiring Jesus, having Jesus and His agenda as the fixed priority of our souls, and taking the daily next steps that will see us overcoming the old life of selfishness and sin with the new life in the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will need to step out in faith in new areas of obedience, trusting the Lord to meet us in His power and to enable us to put off the old ways and be clothed with Jesus and His wisdom.

Obviously, all this must be bathed in prayer, constant prayer, waiting on the Lord to show us more of Jesus and to guide us in the ways He would manifest Himself in us.

Wisdom is the goal of a lifetime of learning, and Jesus is the embodiment of the wisdom God intends us to know. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must ever strive to learn Jesus through all our learning – as trying, tiring, and tedious as it can sometimes be. No matter how difficult this challenge, the reward of knowing Jesus and seeing His life increasingly manifest in us is worth the struggle of the “burdensome task” of learning.

For reflection
1.  What does it mean to learn Jesus Christ? How can we tell when we’re learning Him?

2.  What role do faith and obedience play in learning Jesus? Can you give an example from your own experience?

3.  What’s one thing you can do more consistently in order to learn Jesus and follow Him more consistently?

Next steps – Preparation: What is your plan for an improved course of lifelong learning of our Lord Jesus Christ?

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Learning Jesus, is Part 3 of a 5-part series on Following Jesus.Each week’s study is available in a free PDF which you can download by clicking here.

Christians learn best when their learning is framed within a Christian worldview. Our free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, is available any time, and at no charge. Click here to learn more about this helpful and challenging introduction to Christian worldview, presented in 12 diagrams by T. M. Moore.

Take up the challenge of your Personal Mission Field – and do so with a friend. Watch the video on our Mission Partners Outreach for more information about how you can begin to follow Jesus in your Personal Mission Field (click here).

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.