Hold Fast to What is Good
“Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.
Abstain from every form of evil.”
1 Thessalonians 5:20-22
The Prologue
As believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, in a very real sense we live in two worlds. Having trusted in Jesus’ death on our behalf for the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of a new righteous record, and having been raised to new life with Jesus in his resurrection from the dead, we are citizens of heaven—yet we walk in a world still darkened by sin. Our destination is sure—Jesus has secured it on the cross. Even so, there are yet many dangers, toils and snares before us. But he has given everything we need to face them all: His Word, His Spirit, and a living faith.
We are each like a Knight called by the King on a quest, armed for everything that quest encounters. Along this quest we must have awareness, discernment, courage, and resolve. We are driven by the assurance that, at the end of our quest, the King himself awaits to receive us, having been faithful in guiding, protecting, and strengthening us along His Way.
The Reception
Sojourner’s heart rises with anticipation—both in excitement and fear—as his name is called. It is the voice of the King. Stepping forward, he instinctively kneels. “Sojourner, as my chosen and beloved, this is your quest: You are to travel the King’s Way to the King’s City. The path will take you through dark places and you will hear many voices calling you to go back. But you, Sojourner, take now my Word—despise nothing in it, for it instructs you on the Way. Lady Faith will take you by the hand—and the Lantern she lifts for you is the light of my Spirit. He will not only show you the path—he will assure you that even as you go, I, the King, am with you.”
As the echo of the King’s voice fades, Sojourner slowly stands. His eyes blink and before him stands Lady Faith, holding forth the Word. Looking along the path of the King’s Way as it leads toward the Dark Forest, Sojourner grips the Word and makes this oath: “I will not lean on my own understanding, but will humble myself to receive the Word. I will follow the King’s Way. Lady Faith will be my guide, and I will walk in the shining of the Lantern—the light of the Spirit.”
The Trial
Sojourner stops suddenly. He had seen the darkness of the Forest as he approached—but now, only steps within it he seems completely enclosed by it. Lady Faith speaks, lowly but with resolve. “Keep walking, Sojourner. Look ahead.” He tightens his grip on her hand, taking as deep a breath as his shaking heart allows—and steps forward.
He realizes that he is less afraid and more resolved with each step. Encouraged, he opens the Word and reads as he walks. Then…Are those voices? He looks around—he can barely make out figures beyond him, among the darkness. “That book will not help you here,” a whisper says. “You need the wisdom of the woods—you must rely upon your own wits and what you learn from the shadows.” Other voices escalate around him, all calling for his attention.
Lady Faith suddenly cuts through their hissing: “Test every spirit!” In the light of the Lantern Sojourner looks at the Word in his hand. “Hold to what is good! Abstain from every form of evil!” He discerns the deceit of the shadow-voices and resolves:
“When the forest grows dark and competing voices call out to lead me astray, by the King’s power I will not be moved. I will walk with Lady Faith’s guidance—testing every voice against the Word I have received, in the Light that never fails.”
The Resolve
Sunlight begins to flicker across Sojourner’s path—the Dark Forest’s shadows fade, and straight ahead Sojourner can see the King’s Way as it leads out of the Forest. The King’s promise has been sure; He Himself is with Sojourner, and he realizes that Lady Faith leads him to walk more purposefully and resolutely.
Sojourner’s quest is not over—he is now wise enough to discern that even in the wide and open land through which the King’s Way advances there are continued trials and voices—some even more subtle than in the Dark Forest.
But Sojourner has grown stronger as he holds to the good—to what is holy, just, beautiful, and true as the Word instructs him. Then, just at the edge of his sight—he sees something; it is—a castle. A castle agleam. The King’s Castle.
Sojourner resolves afresh: “I will walk with purpose toward the King’s Castle. Testing all things, I will hold fast to that which is good, which the Light of the Spirit illumines for me in the Word. I will hold to the Truth like a sword and walk in step with Lady Faith as my character is forged on this sure path of the King’s Way.”
The Arrival
In the distance Sojourner hears something—voices, singing…is it cheering? Now the sounds surround him. He cannot see but he is not in darkness; it is light that encompasses him; it is light that fills his eyes. His heartbeat quickens, his mind races—it is all so familiar, yet…new.
He hears himself asking out loud, “How long—how far—have I traveled?” He immediately recognizes the Voice that answers him. It is as mighty as ten thousand times thousand waters and as gentle as a whisper.
“All the days that have been ordained for you, from death to life, from darkness to light—from faith to faith.”
As at the Reception, when he first held the Word to his heart and gripped the hand of Lady Faith—Sojourner instinctively kneels. At once his eyes flutter and with sudden clarity he sees standing before him the One he immediately knows: The King.
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have fought the good fight.”
Sojourner’s eyes cannot move from the glory before him. His faithful knightly armor disappears, and as his hands rise in adoration, he feels Lady Faith’s hand slip away from his—yet he knows her retreat is not loss but gain. She has fulfilled her task—he no longer needs her guidance because now he knows—even as he has been known!
“Enter into the joy of your Master.”
The Epilogue
It is only by the life-giving grace of God in the Gospel that we see Jesus for who He really is and rest our trust in Him as Lord and Savior—and it is that same grace which also calls and empowers us forward to walk—to sojourn—along the way set out for us. God promises us that he will give us discernment as we test every idea, every trend, and every outside voice that calls upon the anvil of the Word. That which remains—the good—is what we take up and hold fast by faith, that strengthens us to turn away from what is false, and fixes our eyes on Jesus, who is Himself the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
We endure on this sojourn only because of the grace that goes before us, sustains us, and brings us at long last to God’s presence, even though he is always present with us. One glimpse of Jesus in all His glory will assure us that the trials, though hard, were worth the testing, worth the resolve, and worth holding to what the world around us does not slow down to even consider, much less value. And in that glory we will with no hesitation declare at once and forever that it was his doing, all his grace, from faith to faith.
