~
The Christian’s Understanding of & Relationship to Godliness ~
Its
Lack In The World
~ “Help,
Lord, for the godly man ceases! For
the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they
speak. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have
said, ‘With our tongue we will
prevail; our lips are our own;
who is lord over us?’ ‘For the oppression of the
poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I
will arise,’ says the Lord;
‘I will set him in the safety for which he
yearns.’ The words of the Lord are
pure words, like silver tried in a
furnace of earth, purified
seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever. The wicked prowl on every side,
when vileness is exalted among the sons of men” (Psalm
12:1-8).
Its
Need Among In The World
~ “But
know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers,
without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy
3:1-5).
Its
Pattern And Source Is In Christ
~ “All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God
may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2
Timothy 3:16-17). “As He also says in another place: ‘You are a priest forever according
to the order of Melchizedek’; who, in
the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with
vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was
heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience
by the things which He suffered. And
having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who
obey Him” (Hebrews 5:6-9).
Its
Pursuit By Christians
~ “But
reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise
yourself toward godliness. For
bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness
is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of
that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness”
(1 Timothy 6:11).
Its
Power For Christians
~ “Grace
and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as
His divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who
called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2
Peter 1:2-4). “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that
the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”
(Timothy 3:16-17).
Its
Treatment By The World
~ “But
you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith,
longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to
me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra — what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all
who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2
Timothy 3:10-12).
Its
Importance In View Of Eternity
~ “Therefore,
beloved, looking forward to these things,
be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and
consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved
brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also
in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things
hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own
destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:14-16).
~
Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT
LIFE NOW blog.
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