Godliness

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12

When God saves a lost sinner, that person has a whole new life. They are “translated” or transferred from the power of darkness which had them spiritually blinded to Jesus, His light, and His power. Colossians 1:13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” The word “kingdom” here is not heaven itself but rather “the sovereignty, royal power, dominion of God or Christ” Vines goes on to say, “denoting the territory or people over whom a king rules”. The transfer here is like unto Enoch who was taken from the earth and moved to where God moved him without death. While Enoch was transferred body, soul, and spirit, it is our spirit being quickened by God and us given a new nature allowing us to walk in a new nature by being born again, anew by God. It is our new ability to see those things of God, and our ability to walk to please God because now light has come and we are now responsible to walk in that light or in godliness. All things become new in our new birth; old things of that darkness are passed away. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” He is new because God has translated him in His light that enables him to see, and that carries the responsibility to walk anew. 2 Corinthians 5:15 “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” You are not your own, but you have been bought by the death, burial, resurrection, and blood of Jesus, or you have been redeemed. Jesus now owns you and you belong to Him, to live, walk, and have your whole being of life living for Him, walking godly in this world. Our new goal in life is to walk in our new life not pleasing ourselves, family, or worldliness, but God. “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” Colossians 1:10 While none of us are ever going to accomplish a full and perfect walk, it is our goal as being God’s children. We have no excuse not to fully walk in full godliness in this world. When we are judged by Jesus Christ, our judgment will not be for our sins, because Jesus has paid them in full. Our judgment will be for our walk of godliness, our understanding and walk in the scriptures. If we are walking correctly by the scriptures, we will not be walking in wordlessness as those who cannot see. They (the lost) have no responsibility to walk in godliness because they are dead to godliness. God said of the believer, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 16:13 You cannot serve God and Satan, you cannot live in the new light and old darkness, because they do not mix and one will cause you to hate the other. There is no compromise, one (the world) is darkness and the other (light) is godliness, and (darkness) hates the light of righteousness. Don’t mistake worldly moral goodness with godliness, they are as different and light and darkness. Moral values on this earth are not godliness, while moral values can be linked to godliness the moral values of this world differs from godliness. Today good moral values in this world are to accept abortion as a good moral valve, homosexuality as good, among other things that are ungodly. None of these are acceptable as godliness no matter what the world believes. As Christians we must separate the two, because accepting worldly goodness is to deny godliness. This is what God means when He said, “…Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” One will cause you to deny and even hate the other. Jesus went on to say if you “…will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” If we walk in godliness, we will suffer persecution for our spiritual walk. Because we will not agree with worldly morals but walk in godliness. We are not to hate those that oppresses us for being Christians, but we are not to give into their sinfulness, understanding that God opposes their sinfulness, and our agreeing with them appears that God aproves. The Lord reminds us, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16, 25 Living in the Spirit is living in the Truth of the scriptures, and if we do our walk in this world will be in the Spirit.  

The Inclusion and Exclusion of God.

Jeremiah 1:4 - 5 “Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (5) Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

People not just lost people, but some Christians hate the term “election”, and the reason they do is because it is exclusive. People, even a lot of Christians just cannot imagine that God could be exclusive, but rather He must be inclusive. God has throughout the entire bible been exclusive, God was exclusive in the flood in choosing Noah and his family to be the only human survivors. God was exclusive in electing Israel to be His chosen Nation, why did He only choose a small nation to be His. Then there is the twins, Jacob and Esau, God loved Jacob and hating Esau God’s choice. If God could have loved one, then God could have loved the other, but He chose just to love Jacob and to hate Esau. Was it wrong for God to choose Esau to exclude from His love, that question was asked and answer in the scriptures. Romans 9:13 - 14 “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.” For Christians to deny the election of God, is to deny God the right to do as He chooses with His own creation. God explained to Moses that it was His right as the Creator to do as He pleases with His own creation. Exodus 33:19 “And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.” God spoke to the Prophet Jeremiah and told him that in eternity past He had elected Jeremiah to be a “prophet unto the nations.”. God also told him that his life before being formed in the womb, He knew him and ordained him a prophet and God had already “sanctified thee” all before Jeremiah was even born, this is called the election of God. God even told him that his prophesying would be the work of God. Jeremiah 1:6 - 7 “Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” Even after people read all the scriptures, even the New Testament they still deny the election of God because it is exclusive. This is a barrier that only God can break, you cannot teach anyone anything that refuses to learn it. Learning the bible is the work of the same one who taught Jeremiah, God. Just as people do not have the power to change themselves, we also do not have that power. But God is also exclusive in His teaching, He give one person one understanding and another person another understanding. God said, 1 Corinthians 12:4 “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” God explained further in verse 5 “And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.” God by His own choosing built us all different in this life, all elected to have and execute differently. We are all built like the snowflakes, we are all made different to look and sound different. But in the end, we all end up at the identical place with the identical accomplishments as God elected just as He did with this young Prophet named Jeremiah. God has not only elected us, sanctified us, and called us, He has also ordained our work on this earth that He chose for each of us to do. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” God did not send us all here in hope we would accomplish His work, we are Gods chosen vessels to fulfill His elected will. Psalms 100:3 “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” God is exclusive, God has always been exclusive, He chose, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, David, and countless others. People do not choose God, God choses us. Listen closely to Jesus in John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” God is exclusive and if you never realize this, you will never understand the bible in Truth.

I Am the Lord…I will not give my glory to another!!!

“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” Isaiah 42:8

I am Yahweh, the Self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, He is Lord to His people, but one day over every human being who has ever lived. God said in Romans 14:11 “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” This will occur during the final judgement of humanity, at the Great White Throne. Every soul that died lost, that refused to truly recognize Him as Lord, and as Saviour, will bow and recognize Him as just that. What makes us know when Saul of Tarsus was truly saved, when he recognized Jesus as Lord and His supremacy over him. “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do…” Acts 9:6 Paul as we know him recognized Jesus as “supreme in authority”. Every saved soul recognizes Jesus as Lord, as Saviour, and everything we need is in Jesus. God said, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:11 The greatest thing about salvation, it is the same for everyone no matter who you are, where you were born, nor what color you are, Jesus is Lord and He saves every lost sinner that comes to Him for salvation. Because He is Lord, He is Saviour, you absolutely need nothing but Jesus to save your soul. This is what makes Jesus God, He is the same self-existent God that created everything, and is Lord over everything. Jesus is the "Christ that is all things and in all things.” In salvation you need nothing but Jesus Christ.

“my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” The glory, honor, or praise that is due to Me. Because of His Supremacy over all things, nothing shapes Him, nothing turns Him, nothing challenges Him, and nothing helps Him. God has an ordained will, He has predestinated, He has all power, and all glory is due Him and He will share it with none else. “Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. (22)  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:21 – 22 This is why God refuses to share glory with another, everything is His. “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” Isaiah 43:11 God shares no glory because He is everything, and nothing is anything without Him, nothing exists without Him, there is no salvation for people without Him. He shares no glory for His work. Salvation is God’s work, from start to finish. He is our God and Saviour and there is none else! God said about Jesus, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 The word “Saviour” means - a deliverer – Salvation is the glory of Jesus Christ and not man, He does not share it. However, for thousands of years man has rejected God, they have rejected God’s glory due Him in the Old Testament days by the worship of false god’s. They rejected His glory due Him in freeing them from captivity and Pharaoh. People reject Him today and will worship anything but the True God. The question must be asked, is Jesus Saviour of mankind or not? If yes than we must believe with all our hearts that He is, and reject everything else, even ourselves. People have been trying to save themselves unsuccessfully since time began. Satan tries to steal God’s glory and lost people try to steal God’s glory. People cannot accept Jesus as Saviour or as our True Deliverer since He was born. He was crucified because He proclaimed His true identity as the Messiah, and the True Saviour. If God saves sinners, if Jesus is the True Deliverer, then do they need our assistance? If they did then wouldn’t they need to share Their glory with us, making us equal partners in salvation? Wouldn’t that make God a liar when He said, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8 - 10 or when He said, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Romans 8:29 – 30 How could God say this if He shares His work of salvation with us, how could God promise predestination, calling, justifying, and glorifying, if any of salvation is a work on our part? Aren’t people that call themselves Christians, churches, and believers, lying to themselves and calling God a liar, and stealing God’s due glory for salvation?  

“I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images” What exactly is a “graven image”, it is defined as -an idol: - carved (graven) image” It is an image of something you have no proof that it is a genuine image, or anything worshiped. Images of Jesus Christ are all fake, crosses are false idols, or anything outside of the worship of the True God fits in this thought. All praise is due God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, no glory belongs to anything else, if anything besides Them are worshiped it is false worship, even your works for salvation. Romans 1:25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Do not be a false worshipper of God.   

Are You Near to God?

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22

We can be assured that as Christians God is always near to us. God promised us He would never leave us, nor would He ever forsake us. “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5. But the question is, “are we close to God”, for us to be truly close to God we must walk with God and in Christ. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 However, we must realize also walking in light is refusing to walk in darkness, because there is no walking near God if we are walking in darkness. “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” 1 John 1:6 walking in darkness is walking outside of the scriptures. Jesus Christ always pleased God because He always walked in the Will of God never walking in his own will. “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” John 6:38 Jesus knew that the only way to please God the Father is to do His Will, no matter what. Paul wrote in Romans 15:3 “For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.” In Hebrews we learn of two things we need to draw close to God, and to walk in fellowship with Him, “…with a true heart in full assurance of faith…” These two terms “a true heart” and “in full assurance of faith…” defines what is meant by walking in the light. If we are not in the light of His word, then we are walking in darkness. The problem so many have is they do not understand what God means by walking in the light. A true heart means, as defined by Vincent’s Word Study says, “the phrase means more than in sincerity. Sincerity is included, but with it all that enters into a right attitude toward God.” Understanding that God is our Father, and He has rules and laws that are non-negotiable by our thoughts, beliefs, understandings, or how we were brought-up. God’s word does not have to fit your way of thinking, but our way of thinking must fit into God’s word. This is exactly what Jesus said as the Son of man, I came to do His will and not my own. Then the Lord’s second commandment is “in full assurance of faith…” this means, - entire confidence in God – faith is believing God, not just believing in Him, but believing His written word without hesitation or denying seeing it because you somehow disagree with it and have made yourself blind to it. James wrote these words, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” James 1:6 The word “wavering” means - to separate thoroughly, that is, to withdraw from, or (by implication) oppose; figuratively to discriminate – at God or His word. There are no excuses as to not believing and walking in the truth. Even if our own heart causes us to fail in our faithfulness to God’s word it is not an excuse. So, while a lot of people separate themselves from the Truth of God’s Word, they call themselves walking in bold fellowship with God. However, they are not walking in the light of God’s word. For example, is not attending church satisfactory to God? “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…” Heb 10:25 It is not obeying the scriptures if God has saved your soul and you have not been baptized and are a member of one of the Lord’s church’s. There is no excuse! Do you bring unity to the church, do you edify (build-up) other church members or tear them down. “For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” Romans 14:18 A Christian never talks bad of another Christian; this is division not unity. It doesn’t matter what you think! Do you fear God, I mean do you Reverence God? Do you truly care if you are breaking His commandments? Are you looking at what your life is, and if it truly blesses God. Do not “just assume” you are pleasing God and walking in fellowship. Look at your life in the mirror of God’s word, listen to the scriptures, and do as God preaches. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 Ask yourself this question, AM I PLEASEING GOD, REALLY PLEASING GOD? And if not then correct what you are doing wrong and you will have a very sweet fellowship with God the Father and Jesus His Beloved Son, as a Son. “For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” Psalms 56:13