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SLB-044 2-4-07

SLB-044 2-4-07. The 12 Steps of the Spiritual Life Godliness. Rest and Sanctification. Sanctification is an on-going process Those who are in Christ are "being sanctified" - He 2:11 (NKJV) It begins at conversion, and continues as we grow in the faith

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SLB-044 2-4-07

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  1. SLB-0442-4-07 The 12 Steps of the Spiritual Life Godliness

  2. Rest and Sanctification • Sanctification is an on-going process • Those who are in Christ are "being sanctified" - He 2:11 (NKJV) • It begins at conversion, and continues as we grow in the faith • As Paul prayed for the Thessalonians: "may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely" - 1 Th 5:23

  3. Rest and Sanctification • Christians are to pursue sanctification • As Paul commanded the Corinthians - 2 Cor 7:1 1 Having, then, these promises, beloved, may we cleanse ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God;

  4. Rest and Sanctification • Because God is holy, so we are to be holy - 1 Pe 1:15-16 • This pertains to our relationship with God, our responsibility to live Set-apart, (Resting) lives. • Remember, Sanctification is ALL about Rest; God sanctifies us, we do not produce our own sanctification

  5. Rest and Sanctification • SANCTIFICATION IS THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT... • "sanctified by the Holy Spirit" - Ro 15:16 "sanctified...by the Spirit of our God" - 1 Co 6:11 • "sanctification by the Spirit" - 2 Th 2:13 • "the sanctifying work of the Spirit" - 1 Pe 1:2 (NASV)

  6. Rest and Sanctification • The Holy Spirit naturally is 1/2 of our on-going sanctification... • Because He was instrumental in our spiritual regeneration when we become Christians - cf. Titus 3:5-6 • Our bodies serve as the temple of the Holy Spirit - 1 Cor 6:19-20 • The Spirit is the instrumental agent by which God strengthens the inner man - Eph 3:16

  7. Rest and Sanctification • The Spirit is the instrumental agent by which God strengthens the inner man - • Eph 3:16 that He may give to you, according to the riches of His glory, with might to be strengthened through His Spirit, in regard to the inner man,

  8. Rest and Sanctification • Sanctification is also said to be tied in with the Word of God: • a. "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." - Jn 17:17 • b. "that He might sanctify...by the word" - Ep 5:26

  9. Rest and Sanctification • One who sets their mind on things the Spirit has revealed through the Word is setting their mind on "the things of the Spirit" • When we set our minds on "the things of the Spirit" (the Word of God), we are then able to "live according to the Spirit" - cf. Ro 8:5

  10. Rest and Sanctification • Ro 8:4-5 that the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 5For those who are according to the flesh, the things of the flesh do mind; and those according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit;

  11. Rest and Sanctification • Resting, ceasing from our own good works; • Loving God through Reciprocation; • Reverencing the Word as the lamp unto our feet; • Residing in the Word and the Father; • Drawing on our Genetic Reservoir of Righteousness; • Renovating our minds for transformation through of the Word and The Spirit; • Rehearsing the Mind of Christ; • Recognition of the circumstances around us; • we will then produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives = Revelation;Rest and Sanctification

  12. Resting by Faith • "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Co 7:1) • For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 Jn 5:4-5)

  13. Resting by Faith • "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" - Ro 10:17 • "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" - 2 Pe 3:18

  14. Godliness • Rom 5:4 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness…

  15. Resting by Faith • Only God can justify the ungodly. And all of Romans 1:17 through Romans 3:18 has demonstrated that we are just that, we are ungodly.

  16. Godliness • The word UNGODLY is the antithesis of GODLY . . . but what does that mean? • The common New Testament Greek word for godliness is EUSEBIA • It is not found in the Gospels and begins to appear only in the later epistles • But because it was a religious word it had a rich usage in classical Greek:

  17. Godliness • Simply, the word was used as man made his approach to an idol. • He was to have an attitude of godliness, which would include fear and reverence. • This attitude, however, was replaced, as the idol was approached, with an attitude of harmony. • And as stated in classical Greek, admiration.

  18. Godliness • In the same way, the believer reaches for harmony with God through three stages: • a. Fear: Dominant concept in O.T. • b. Respect: Dominant concept in Gospels • c. Love: Dominant concept in the Epistles

  19. Godliness • The emphasis in EUSEBIA is to move into a relationship of harmony. • This is based on knowledge and is friendship: • II Peter 1:3, "Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."

  20. Godliness • I Jn 4:16 And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

  21. Godliness • LIFE is the relationship with our earthly existence, while GODLINESS is the relationship with our Spiritual existence. • Some German theologians have written extensively on this word: • One said that it was the good and careful cherishing of God that goes beyond fear.

  22. Godliness • Luther: The recognition of dependence upon God that leads to the confession of human dependence. • In II Peter 1 we would see virtue as the recognized need for dependence and godliness as the action of this dependence. • Luther also stated: Godliness is to be at harmony with God.

  23. Godliness • The only non-cultic use we have is classical Greek is found in Lubker's Sopia Christis, Theologia vol 2, p 54 and is the idea of EUSEBIA, man to man in which the idea of equitable bearing one to another is brought out. • We grow to have an equitable bearing with Christ, a friendship.

  24. Godliness • At the end of the earthly ministry of Christ, the Lord changed the relationship he had with those who believed in him: • John 15:15, "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."

  25. Godliness • A friend knows about his friend, knows what his friend is doing. • A friend of Christ is a man or woman who has applied Bible truth. • Therefore, the approach to God and friendship with Christ is summed up in the approach of Godliness, coming to a relationship of harmony and friendship with Christ.

  26. Godliness • The Greek word eusebeia is used in the New Testament to express the idea of inner piety, or godliness. • In TITUS 1:1, the Apostle Paul states that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the criterion of the faith of the chosen people of God who have a full and applied knowledge of the truth which is the standard for godliness.

  27. Godliness • The word eusebeia has an interesting history. • It was first used by the Greek poet, Homer, in about 1000 BC. From Homer the word came into use in the classical Greek of Athens (Attic Greek) where it referred to personal piety in the fulfillment of human relationships. • It was also used to describe a person who was faithful in fulfilling his duties to whatever Greek gods dominated the city in which he lived.

  28. Godliness • The Attic Greek word always referred to the outward expression of piety, such as the giving of gifts to the god, participation in sacrifices and worship, or making a show of religion in public. • As the word eusebeia began to be used in the koine Greek, it came to mean "inner piety", or spirituality, a duty which the believer owes to God in the inner man.

  29. Godliness • The principle of godliness found in the Titus context is that of the control or filling of the Holy Spirit which produces the qualities of conformity to Christ. • In 2 Pet. 1:6-7 the apostle Peter describes the proper spiritual combination of qualities that makes for a mature, fruit-bearing Christian (2 Pet. 1:5-11). • Among these is the quality of godliness.

  30. Godliness • Vine defines this word as, "piety, which, characterized by a God-ward attitude, does that which is well pleasing to Him." • Thayer says, "Reverence, respect, in the Bible everywhere piety towards God, godliness." • Arndt and Gingrich says it refers to, "the duty which man owes to God piety, godliness, religion."

  31. Godliness • Thus, there are two parts to godliness. • First, there is the "God-ward attitude" of "reverence and respect." • Second, there also is the "doing of what is pleasing" to God, as the "duty" that we owe to Him.

  32. Godliness • In his commentary on Second Peter, Clinton Hamilton recognizes these two aspects of godliness and writes of the Christian who "develops a deep respect and reverence for God so that one begins to exhibit in one's behavior constant piety toward God" (p. 40).

  33. Godliness • In 1 Tim. 4:8, this inner spirituality is to be preferred over physical "bodily exercises." • In verse 7 the "exercises" a godly person should engage in are those which develop further godliness. • In 1 Tim.6:11 godliness is set in contrast to following after the lusts of the flesh and the world - Godliness is a mind set on spiritual matters (Rom.8:5-6).

  34. Godliness • In his booklet on "The Christian Graces," James Tolle writes, "Indeed, the graces of virtue, knowledge, and self-control, as well as of patience, must be hallowed and inspired by godliness, so that the thought of God is brought into them all, so that they begin and end with God" (p. 52). • Godliness is required, then, for those who seek God and for those who seek to be more like the Divine Nature (2 Pet. 1:4).

  35. Godliness • Godliness also has its fruits. • There must be the "doing" of what pleases God. • We must be careful, though, not to mistake the actions of some as actions of godliness. • Morality alone is not godliness as it may not be produced by piety and reverence for God. • Displays of "spirituality" or "religion" may not have been released from the Reservoir of Righteousness by the Faith Valve of Godliness.

  36. Godliness • In the New Testament godliness is a product of following the truth. This is an important point! Godliness is always a result of obeying the truth. Vine comments on several verses on this line of thought and says, "In 1Tim. 6:3 `the doctrine which is according to godliness' signifies that which is consistent with `godliness,' in contrast to false teachings;

  37. Godliness • in Titus 1:1, `the truth which is according to godliness' is that which is productive of `godliness' in 1 Tim. 3:16, `the mystery of godliness' is `godliness' as embodied in, and communicated through, the truths of the faith concerning Christ..." Thus, one is godly and acts godly upon obedience of the truth, and where there is no obedience of the truth there can be no true godliness or spirituality!

  38. Godliness • A godly person worships God "in spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24). • Whenever one follows God's will on how to worship Him, then one is being godly. • Worship is our attempt to give something of ourselves to God. • It is the "fruit of our lips" (Heb. 13:15) and the presenting of our bodies as a "living sacrifice" (Rom. 12:1). • Worship is our inner piety expressing itself to God in praise through our physical bodies.

  39. Godliness • A godly person shows respect and reverence for God by studying and obeying His Word. • We are told that our response to God's word is directly related to our relationship with God. • For example, Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (Jn. 14:15). • To reciprocate God’s Love means we must reverence His Word! • Spiritual growth naturally results, as one becomes a product of the word (1 Tim. 4:13-15).

  40. Godliness • 1 Ti 4:12 let no one despise thy youth, but a pattern become thou of those believing in word, in behaviour, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity; 13till I come, give heed to the reading, to the exhortation, to the teaching; …15of these things be careful; in these things be, that thy advancement may be manifest in all things; 16take heed to thyself, and to the teaching; remain in them, for this thing doing, both thyself thou shalt save, and those hearing thee.

  41. Godliness • A godly person is one who acts properly, reacts properly, and leaves no doubt in anyone's mind that he/she is a child of God. • God is seen in this person from the inside out and from the outside in.

  42. Godliness • Titus 1:1-3 PAUL, A bond servant of God and an apostle (a special messenger) of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) to stimulate and promote the faith of God’s chosen ones and to lead them on to accurate discernment and recognition of and acquaintance with the Truth which belongs to and harmonizes with and tends to godliness,

  43. Godliness • 2 [Resting] in the hope (expectation) of eternal life, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive promised before the world or the ages of time began. • 3 And [now] in His own appointed time He has made manifest (made known) His Word and revealed it as His message through the preaching entrusted to me by command of God our Savior;

  44. Godliness • Notice two phrases which identify Paul's purpose: “to stimulate and promote the faith of God’s chosen ones”, and to “lead them on to accurate knowledge (discernment and recognition of and acquaintance with) the Truth” • His work was related to and for God's elect - that is, Christians.

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