GODLINESS AS A LIFESTYLE - PART 2

 GODLINESS AS A LIFESTYLE - PART 2

HALLELUJAH!!! We started the week looking at living the life of Godliness; trying to understand what Righteousness entails. We were made to understand that Godliness is possible as a lifestyle. It is not an impossibility or something that is watched to happen from afar but is actually God's plan for man. We saw from the scriptures man was made in the image and likeness of God. This is the image of Righteousness. God gave man an instruction to walk in Holiness; and only then can His ways be pleasant before Him; only then can he be truly righteous. Understanding also from the scripture, we are made righteous by the Righteousness of Christ. 2Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him". If not by His death and resurrection, the Salvation power will not have been made known to man and UNGODLINESS would have been man's second nature. So, deep in this, we see the grace of Salvation. And today, we will be looking further at Biblical principles of Righteousness.

According to scripture, we understand that It is salvation that brings righteousness. From our short introduction above, it will be agreed upon that at the center of Righteousness comes salvation. Romans 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation". Ephesians 2:8-10 also makes us see this. Verse 8 "for by grace are ye saved through Faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God". We are first saved, then the good works are done; not the good works before salvation. 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".

Looking at this last scripture; it shows us that right from time, man was created to live a righteous life; to walk holy. Hence, when God told Abraham in Genesis 17:1 to "walk perfectly". It was in fact not a new law or ordinance but had before hand been ordained. God wants us to live right before Him but the devil wants the opposite. Hence, Jesus Christ had to die; and through this, was salvation made known to man (1John 4:19). There was a re-creation in Christ and the good works ordained beforehand revealed. This is why there is no true righteousness or genuine Righteousness without Christ. Righteousness or Godliness stems from first a genuine repentance. We see from scriptures in Ephesians 1:5,7 "Having predestinated us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, In whom we have redemptions through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace". At redemption comes the power to live above sin which is just Righteousness.

In addition, Righteousness stems from a heart filled with love for God. Two people cannot be said to be in love when consistently they hurt each other, whether it is in actions, words or whatever. For two people to be in love, there is some sort of confessions "I will not do anything to hurt you". This is the same way Righteousness is. You can only live a life of godliness if all the way you are a true lover of God. Your love for God will make you live righteously. Psalm 92:15 "our God is upright and there is no unrighteousness in him". It is when you love God that you will love his words and you will be able to follow all that He instructs. It therefore becomes easier to live the life that pleases Him. Jesus did, hence he was able to lay down all requirements for righteousness. When there is love, there is nothing it asks of you, you won't do. John 10:17-18 "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." Love makes it easy to follow through the commandments. This was why when Jesus was asked the greatest of the commandments; He mentioned LOVE. John 15:9-10 "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love". Those that keep the Father's commandments are those who are first genuinely in love with the Father and secondly they stay in love; they remain in that love.

We must also understand that Godliness is ordained to change us into the same image that Christ was. The understanding of this will help so much in knowing that when I walk in godliness; it just means I am living the life of Christ. 2Corinthians 3:18 "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". Here is what Godliness does to a man. It changes you. You begin to follow God's instructions carefully - Your love for His word, love for His house and even love for others around. Your mentality is being changed. Whom you were before this great unveiling is not whom you after. This is what Righteousness can do. One is transformed, translated according to 1Peter 2:9-10 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which has not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. There is a transfiguration - "old things are passed away and all things are become new" (the whole point of salvation - 2Corinthians 5:17).

Anoher thing note-worthy is that the concept of sin and Righteousness are not End-points. Many a times, we feel that when certain things are done, then sin comes in as a result. Holiness and sin are both practices (1John 3). And as practices, they are done daily. It is not until Christ comes the second time, then he will say you are a sinner or you are righteous. That very little thing you do everyday is counted as sin everyday. That which you do right everyday is counted as you living right everyday. This is just to tell us that Godliness is the life we live as children of God everyday and sin is the life, the children of the devil live day by day. And for each of them, there is a reward that awaits. The fact that the rewards of our sins or righteousness is not derived as immediate doesn't mean we are not sinning or we are not living a godly life.

TO BE CONTINUED...

THE MEN THAT LEAD

Building manhood...