[Biblemat] A) THE COMMAND OF GODLINESS

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Thursday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is an article from my files:

THE COMMAND OF GODLINESS

     Christians are to be godly and zealous for good works (Ti.
2:12-14).  In order to be what we should be, god has instruct-
ed us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust.  The old man of
sin will have to be put off in order for us to arrive at being a
people zealous of good works.

     But what does it require?  Denying ungodliness and world-
ly lusts mean that we plow the garden  in order to eradicate
the root of the evil.  And in the place, we plant the good seed
of rightous and godly living.  We will never live as we should
or be zealous of good works until ungodliness is rooted out.

     How do we recognize the noxious  weed of ungodliness?
It is essential that we know what we are pulling up.  Many have the mistaken 
idea that ungodly means "un-godlike."  No,
ungodliness is impious, irreverence or a complete disrespect
toward God.  It is a rebellious disposition and an evil vice that
produces all kind of evil.  It must be rooted up and destroyed.

     Peter describes an apostasy where he mentions damnable
heresies, false doctrine, and those who denied the Lord Jesus Who bought them 
(2 Pet. 2:1,2).  Understand this: it is
not denying that Jesus lives, nor is it denying that He is the
Christ and Messiah of the Old Testament.  It is not even deny-
ing that He is the Son of God.  What they denied was that He
was Lord.  The denied His rule.  They denied His right to tell
them what to do.  And the of this bitter root is a pernicious
way, a lascivious manner of life that describes all kinds of
ugly practices of immorality.

     Apostasy grows out of this bitter root.  Lot saw the bitter
result in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in which there was no respect for 
law or the lawgiver.  Peter said these un-
godly people despise governments, i.e., dominion or rule.  They don't like 
government rule because they don't like God's
rue.  They despise those who would seek to infringe on their
own willful way and they speak evil of authority.  They rail,
criticize, and belittle those in high places.  Peter says that they even 
speak evil of things they do not even understand.

     It will always be so.  There will always be those who don't
like to be told what to do and such an attitude grows into 
speaking evil of everyone who holds an honorable place of
authority.  Further, Peter says they cannot cease from sin (2
Pet. 2:13,14).  As long as an ungodly and rebellious heart is
within them, they will not be able to quit sinning because they
despise the idea of being governed.

     The people of this apostasy promise liberty (2 Pet. 2:19).
They want to be free.  It is their catchword.  But freedom to 
them means freedom from being told anything, but in truth,
it actually enslaves them in sin.  They have escaped the corr-
uption of the world (2 Pet. 2:20) only to return to it again.  They are like 
the washed sow that returns to wallow in her
mire or the dog that returns to lick up its own vomit.

     Jewish Christians were warned against hardening their
heart (Heb. 3:12,13).  When Israel was in such a situation God
was angry with them (Heb. 3:10).  It is a strong word meaning
that He was disgusted.  Why?  It was because of the inconsis-
tency of their heart.  Their problem wa an evil heart of unbel-
ief.  When the spies returned from their mission into Canaan,
the majority gave an evil report.  Though the land was good
and God said He would give it to them, they complained.  They frustrated God 
by denying His power and promise to
give them the land.  Caleb pleaded with them to enter the land
and not to rebel against God (Num. 14:8) but they would not
listen because they had a rebellious disposition.

     Caleb was different.  Caleb had a different spirit.  And what spirit was 
that?  He had a spirit of obedience and that
moved him to follow God fully.

     We need to root out ungodliness and adopt the Caleb spirit.  After all, 
there is a lot more at stake for us than just
the land of Canaan.   ------- Rickie Jenkins in Biblical Insights,
Vol. 6, No. 9, Sept. 2006.
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