ENDURING TO THE END #5
by Keith Hunt
PETER NOW TELLS US TO ADD TO PERSEVERANCE— GODLINESS!
THE CANADIAN DICTIONARY ONLY GIVES THE WORDS “GODLIKE” AND “GODLY.”
GODLIKE = 1. RESEMBLING GOD…. 2. BEFITTING OR APPROPRIATE TO GOD….
GODLY = RELIGIOUS, PIOUS, DEVOUT…. GODLINESS.
I PUT IT THIS WAY:
GOD-LI-NESS = GOD-IN-US!
AND INDEED THAT IS WHAT GODLINESS IS: GOD - IN -US!
AS PETER HAS ALREADY TOLD US IN THIS SECTION, “WHEREBY ARE GIVEN UNTO US EXCEEDING GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES: THAT BY THESE YOU MIGHT BE PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE….” [VERSE 4].
WE CONFESS OUR SINS; WE REPENT OF SIN; WE ACCEPT JESUS AS OUR PERSONAL SAVIOR; WE ARE BAPTIZED; WE EXHIBIT FAITH. WE ARE PROMISED THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT [ACTS 2: 38 AND MANY OTHER VERSES ALL EXPOUNDED IN MY STUDIES “SAVED BY GRACE” “REPENTANCE” “SAVING FAITH”].
THEN IT IS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT GOD THE FATHER AND CHRIST JESUS COME TO LIVE IN US [JOHN 14: 23].
WE HAVE JESUS IN US, WE LIVE BY THE FAITH OF CHRIST [GAL. 2:20].
TO BE GOLDY WE NOT ONLY MUST YEILD TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD, BUT WE DO THAT BY KNOWING THE MIND OF GOD AND CHRIST.
PAUL WAS INSPIRED TO TELLS US, “LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS” [PHIL. 2: 5].
WE ARE TO “UNDERSTANDING THE WILL OF THE LORD” [EPH. 5:17].
“BRETHREN, BE NOT CHILDREN IN UNDERSTANDING; BUT IN UNDERSTANDING BE MEN.” [1 COR. 14: 20].
WE ARE TO BE MATURE, GROWN-UP IN UNDERSTANDING GOD. AS PAUL SAID, HE WAS ONCE A CHILD, HE SPOKE AS A CHILD, UNDERSTOOD AS A CHILD, THOUGHT AS A CHILD; BUT “WHEN I BECAME A MAN, I PUT AWAY CHILDISH THINGS.” [1 COR. 13: 11].
WE ARE TO BECOME MATURE SPIRITUALLY; WE MOVE ALONG FROM BEING BABES IN CHRIST TO MATURE ADULTS IN CHRIST.
BUT SOME DO NOT DO SO— SAD TO SAY. PAUL HAD TO ADDRESS SUCH— HEBREWS 5: 11-14.
“OF WHOM WE HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY, AND HARD TO BE UTTERED, SEEING YOU ARE DULL OF HEARING. FOR WHEN FOR A TIME YOU OUGHT TO BE TEACHERS, YOU HAVE NEED THAT ONE TEACH YOU AGAIN WHICH BE THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE ORACLES OF GOD; AND ARE BECOME SUCH AS HAVE NEED OF MILK, AND NOT STRONG MEAT. FOR EVERYONE THAT USES MILK IS UNSKILLED IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; FOR HE IS A BABE. BUT STRONG MEAT BELONGS TO THEM THAT ARE OF FULL AGE [MATURE], EVEN THOSE WHO BY REASON OF USE HAVE THEIR SENSES EXERCISED TO DISCERN BOTH GOOD AND EVIL.”
HOW CAN YOU LEARN MATURE RIGHTEOUSNESS? FIRST, WHAT IS RIGHTEOUSNESS? THE BIBLE INTERPRETATION IS PSALM 119: 172. WICKEDNESS IS PSALM 119: 53.
THE BIBLE INTERPRETS ITSELF.
YOU BECOME GOLDY BY FIRST LEARNING WHAT GOD SAYS IS GODLINESS, AS OPPOSED TO WICKEDNESS AND SIN.
YOU BECOME SPIRITUALLY MATURE BY LEARNING AND THEN ACTING ON GODLINESS!
SO ONCE MORE WE ARE BACK TO JESUS TELLING US TO NOT JUST LIVE BY PHYSICAL BREAD, BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD [MAT. 4: 4].
IT IS A 1, 2, 3—— YOU COME TO KNOW GOD EXISTS; YOU COME TO KNOW HE HAS AN INSPIRED WORD; YOU COME TO READ IT; YOU COME TO DO IT, PRACTICE IT, LIVE BY IT. AS YOU LET THE MIND OF GOD INTO YOUR MIND, AS YOU YEILD TO THE WILL AND THE WAY OF THE LORD—— YOU BECOME GODLY—— GODLINESS IS PART OF YOUR LIFE AS BREATHING THE AIR IS YOUR PHYSICAL LIFE.
TO BE GODLY YOU STUDY TO SHOW YOURSELF APPROVED OF GOD, A WORKMAN THAT NEEDS NOT BE ASHAMED; RIGHTLY DIVIDING, THE WORD OF TRUTH [2 TIMOTHY 2:15].
THE WORD OF GOD IS LIKE A JIG-SAW PUZZLE, THIS GOES WITH THAT AND THAT GOES WITH THIS. YOU DO AS JESUS SAID, SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES; YOU SEARCH FOR ALL VERSES ON ANY TOPIC THE BIBLE CONTAINS. YOU DO NOT HAVE TUNNEL VISION. YOU READ ALL THE BIBLE FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION. YOU FIND ALL VERSES ON ANY BIBLE TOPIC.
GOD DID RAISE UP PEOPLE LIKE MR. “STRONG” WHO COMPILED THE FAMOUS “STRONG’S CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE” [KJV VERSION]. EVERY WORD IN THE KJV CAN BE FOUND; EVERY PLACE IT IS USED IS GIVEN YOU IN STRONG’S CONCORDANCE. A GREAT TOOL FOR BIBLE STUDY.
THE ONLY WAY TO BECOME LIKE GOD IN THOUGHT, WORD, AND ACTION, IS TO READ AND STUDY GOD’S WORD!
JESUS PROMISED THAT WHEN THE SPIRIT CAME AFTER HIS ASCENSION TO HEAVEN, THAT SPIRIT WOULD GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH [JOHN 16: 13].
NOW VERY VERY FEW, PROBABLY NONE, ARE GIVEN ALL OF GOD’S TRUTHS AT ONE TIME; IT WOULD BE OVERWHELMING; IT WOULD ALSO NULLIFY THE VERSE PETER GAVE, TO GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR 2 PETER 3: 18.
BUT WE SET OUR MIND TO LEARN, TO STUDY, TO GROW IN KNOWLEDGE AS GOD GIVES IT TO US.
OH I THINK OF MY LIFE IN THE LORD.
I WAS GIVEN A BIBLE AT AGE 7, WHEN I WAS SENT BY MY PARENTS TO A CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL. I LEARNT THAT THERE IS A GOD AND HE MADE EVERYTHING WE SEE. I LEARNT MORE ABOUT THIS GOD AS WE READ THROUGH GENESIS, AND THEN EXODUS, AND STORIES IN JOSHUA, 1 AND 2 SAMUEL, THEN 1 AND 2 KINGS. I LEARNT MORE AS WE STUDIED SOME OF THE PSALMS, EVEN HAVING TO MEMORIZE SOME OF THEM [I.E. PSALM 1, 15, 23, 24].
I ATTENDED A SUNDAY SCHOOL AT AGE 7 AND LEARNT ABOUT JESUS.
I HAD A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER AND MY SAVIOR BY THE TIME I WAS 13.
I READ THE WORDS OF CHRIST IN MY “RED LETTER” EDITION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, [AN ADULT GAVE ME], ALL THROUGH MY TEENAGE YEARS.
I KNEW MANY TRUTHS OF GOD, BUT CERTAINLY NOT ALL OF THEM BY ANY MEANS. GOD GAVE ME THE TRUTHS I NEEDED TO HAVE AS A CHILD AND TEENAGER.
I WAS GIVEN MORE TRUTHS AFTER I CAME TO CANADA AT AGE 18, AND CONTINUED READING AND STUDYING GOD’S WORD, AND BEING CHALLENGED BY THE CHRISTIANITY ALL AROUND ME—— CHALLENGED TO SEARCH FOR MORE TRUTHS OF THE LORD.
OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS OF MY LIFE, I’VE BEEN GIVEN MORE TRUTHS OF GOD’S WORD.
WE MUST NEVER GIVE UP BEING TAUGHT, CORRECTED, AND GROWING IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE.
WE SET OUR MIND TO LOVE THE FATHER AND CHRIST JESUS; WE STUDY, WE READ, WE’RE WILLING TO BE CORRECTED, WE LOVE THE TRUTH; WE HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS. WE GROW, WE MATURE SPIRITUALLY.
IN SO DOING ALL OF THIS, AND CERTAINLY IN LIVING THE TRUTHS AS REVEALED TO US, WE BECOME GODLY— WE LIVE GODLINESS!
ALL OF THE ABOVE IS GODLINESS!
……….
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