Lessons on Discipleship from an Unlikely Source

Can we ‘walk with Jesus’ and still go to hell? Yes! 

That's harsh so let me explain: Judas Iscariot was a disciple of Jesus Christ. As a disciple, this man walked miles alongside Jesus, each and every day. He spent hours with Jesus, every day for three years.  He sat at the table and ate meals with Jesus.  He listened to Bible teachings, directly from the mouth of Jesus Christ.  Judas is a testament to the fact that we can ‘walk with Jesus’ and still be unsaved.  We can be ‘Christian’ by label, partake of Christian activities, hold impressive positions and titles (Judas was the treasurer of Jesus’s earthly ministry), hear solid Bible teaching and still be unchanged on the inside and be heading towards an eternity in hell, separated from God. 

The tragic life of Judas has insights to offer us in correct discipleship with Jesus Christ. Here are three lessons we can put into practice in our walk with Christ:

·         Repent of sin, however small. John12:6 "[Judas] was a thief and having charge of the moneybag, he used to help himself to what was put into it". Throughout the gospels, Judas is described as the one who betrayed Jesus. But there is one other description of Judas, that only John makes in his gospel: he was a thief.  He used to "take" (NKJV) the money given to the ministry. The imperfect tense used in the original text conveys that he regularly stole money.  Judas betrayal of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver was not a momentary lapse in judgment. Judas had a small sin habit, that left unchecked, became habitual sin or regular practice of sin.  When bad seeds of sin grow unchecked in our lives, it can bear bitter fruit that leads to destruction and death (James 1:14-15).  Ask the Holy Spirit daily to make us aware of sin, however small or big.  When made aware and convicted of our sin, let us regularly confess and resolve to not repeat it.

·         Mediate on the Word of God. Most of us have grown up in church and have heard Bible teachings our whole life. We know a lot of Bible facts!  But Judas reminds us that just knowing the Bible is insufficient. As true disciples, we must meditate on the Word of God and permit the Word to do a transformative work in our hearts and minds. God meets us in His Word. When we mediate on God’s word, we have fellowship with God in and through His Word. God tells Joshua the secret to success: meditate on [the Word of God] day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8, NIV). This is the secret to living a successful Christian life: “ Blessed is the man [whose] delight is the law of the Lord, and in His law, he mediates day and night” (Psalms 1:2). The word ‘mediate’ in Hebrew implies reflective pondering. It is not a superficial reading of the text, but we must internalize Scripture, allowing the Word of God to transform our hearts and minds.  The Word of God  “shows us truth, exposes our rebellion, corrects our mistakes, trains us to live God’s way” (II Timothy 3:16-17, MSG). Let us have a routine of regularly reading and meditating on God’s Word. As we read Scripture, ask the Holy Spirit to “show us truth, expose our rebellion, correct our mistakes and train us to live God’s way”.

·         Be accountable to one another.  Judas was well-regarded by the other 11 disciples. How do I know this? Because his betrayal of Jesus was a shock to the rest of the disciples.   Judas was surrounded by a godly group of men and yet remained unsaved, unchanged and hell bound. Why? Because the close group of disciples did not really know Judas.  His friends were unaware of his personal struggle with sin. Though he was part of a good ‘church’, he did not have accountability with anyone. Through Judas’s tragic life, we are reminded that it is important to have a close community of Christ-centered friends that we can be accountable to, to help sharpen and strengthen our faith.    God encourages us to be in fellowship with other Christians.  In Hebrews 10: 24-25, we are urged to come together and encourage one another “to stir up love and good works”. We grow in spiritual maturity when we are in fellowship with individuals who will admonish and correct our ungodly attitudes and actions. Proverbs says “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussions] (Proverbs 27:17, AMP).  Do we have someone in our life who is aware of our personal struggles? Do we have someone who will call out sin in our lives? If not, I would encourage you to identify a Christian friend or elder that you trust. Allow a trustworthy mentor into your personal struggles, build practical boundaries together to prevent strongholds in your life, and uphold each other in prayer.   

Judas’s life is a warning that superficial Christianity will lead down a path to death and eternal separation from God. As true disciples of Christ, we learn a few important lessons from his life: 1. Do not be casual with sin. Sin is a slippery slope that leads to more sin. Repent of small sin. 2. Meet regularly with God in His Word. Mediate on the Word of God and allow the Word of God to transform our hearts and minds. 3. Finally, let us ‘be iron’ to each other. Let us, in love, hold each other accountable to God’s standard of holiness and righteousness.