Eusebeia

The Great Gain of Godliness (a.k.a "Religion our True Interest") - Thomas Watson

2009-03-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

I am wishing Teampyro's online store had a "Thomas Watson is my Homeboy" t-shirt, because I have found the writings of this man to be wonderful pieces of Christian exhortation and admonition. Some time ago I read Jerusalem's Glory, in which Watson concerns himself with the people of God and what they should be like and lessons we may take from the Scriptures to live true and pure as that people.

Currently, I am making my way through A Godly Man's Picture - essentially a portrait of what a saint should (or must) look like in character and life, in order to be called godly in a Biblical sense.

The latter has so far shown itself to be a commendable work in the study of godliness, which those who have delighted in exploring eusebeia would find beneficial.

But it is the one I have read in the middle, The Great Gain of Godliness, which I wish to discuss here.

We have explored the Scripture from which the title is derived earlier on here, however the title is a modern construction by the editors of the version that I read (published by Banner of Truth Trust). Watson's title was Religion our True Interest and the book is more an exposition of Malachi 3:16-18 than 1 Timothy 6:6.

For your consideration, Malachi 3:16-18 reads:

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

Mal 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Mal 3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

It is a concern for many committed Christians today that the fear of God is a topic, which considering its importance, has become much neglected in various circles. Sometimes it is beneficial to go back to something with a bit of "date" to put us back on the right footing. And Watson would certainly be a good option.

Great Gain of Godliness delves deep into this vital aspect of Christianity, observing the difference that the fear of God will make in a person's life and how it will affect their attitude towards other issues.

There is a chapter each on how the godly should speak of God (for the purpose of information, reproof and exhortation) and how they should similarly meditate on God's name and indeed God Himself (for reproof, exhortation and direction).

A great deal of the latter part of Great Gain of Godliness provides comfort for the godly by revealing the promises of the Scriptures. Watson reveals that the deeds of the righteous will be remembered by God and rewarded as surely as the deeds of the wicked will be remembered and judged. Furthermore, the saints are exhorted to look forward to the day when God makes His precious people the jewels spoken of in Mal 3:17. There is also the promise of distinction between godly and ungodly in the final age. It will be a wonderful thing for the saint and a terrible thing for the sinner to observe the great difference between those treasuring eusebeia and those who have no concern for the things of God.

Finally, Watson exhorts the godly to endure afflictions and the discipline of God, noting how God works goodness and kindness to His saints through these unpleasant but necessary occurences of life.

A thoroughly good discourse on godliness, worth digesting if you desire to live a life concerned with eusebeia and thanks to the new edition, readers need not be troubled by the age of the book when they contemplate reading it. Puritan authors may at times be a challenge for 21st century readers, but the benefit that can be gained from their study (especially in the area of godliness and reverence) outweighs any difficulties that may need to be overcome.

Persecution of the godly

2009-01-26T11:16:00.000-08:00

2Ti 3:10 But you have fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
2Ti 3:11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
2Ti 3:14 But continue you in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them;

Recently, I have done some study in the area of New Testament lists of qualities and sins. Therefore I note with interest that this Scripture (which I intended to look at some months ago) begins with an outlay of things in Paul's life which have provided an example to Timothy and no doubt to millions of believers since the epistle was penned.

Some brief notes on these:

1) Paul's doctrine - The teaching of the Apostle was always centered around the revelation he received of Christ Crucified, Resurrected and Ascended on High. We too should be not only acquainted but well familiar with Paul's doctrine of Christ and the expansion of this to cover all areas of the Christian's life. In relation to eusebeia we ought to study Paul's teaching on godliness and seek to cling to it and apply it in life.

2) Paul's manner of life - The Apostle's manner of life was on display for all to see, but a companion to his ministry such as Timothy was undoubtedly able to observe this more closely. We would do well to look at the manner of life maintained by Paul and the other apostles, as documented in the Book of Acts and alluded to numerously in the epistles. It is important to have an example of mature Christianity to look upto in the spiritual walk. We in these last times are caught betwixt a wonderful company of examples from the perfect Lord Jesus Christ to the apostles and through to those God has used throught the ages to this very age, and the terrible crowd of wicked sinners that fill the public eye of the world today. We must decisively follow one and not the other.

3) Paul's purpose -

1Co 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

This reveals to us something of Paul's purpose. He would not carry out a crucial function of Christian ministry such as the frequent baptising of new believers, because Christ had charged him with a very particular purpose of ministry: the preaching of the gospel. There does not seem to be any greater directive for Paul's life and ministry than to proclaim Christ in areas where He had not yet been known (Rom 15:20) and to confirm the faith of disciples and churches (Acts 14:22 & 15:41). Timothy's purposes had some distinctions from Paul's, just as ours will. However some of us will have a very similar purpose to the Apostle and in any case we most be single-minded and focused in the Lord.

4) Paul's faith - If Paul did not have the astonishing faith that he did, his preaching of the gospel would have lacked the personal conviction that the Apostle always displayed. Paul intends for his faith to encourage Timothy and other believers as they endure the hardships he goes on to describe. John's gospel account of Jesus Christ's miracles was designed for us to recognise and believe in who Jesus was. When we read of apostolic faith and how it was answered by God Almighty, we can also take courage and be strengthened in our belief.

5) Paul's longsuffering -
2Co 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
2Co 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
2Co 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
2Co 11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
2Co 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

These verses demonstrate Paul's longsuffering: his sufferings were long and many indeed. Yet through it all he endures. Once again this is given as an example for all followers of Christ to take note of in the living out of their own faith. These are the kind of persecution and tribulation we are told to expect in the verses that follow.

6) Paul's charity -

1Co 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
1Co 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
1Co 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

The Apostle could not write these words and then neglect the matter himself. He is speaking in Corinthians 6 by revelation, but also in some sense by experience. Paul knew the great love of the Lord and he strove to live this out by charity throughout his ministry. His care and concern for fellowbelievers is demonstrated in how he begins his epistles and the affectionate terms he employs in reference to those who labour with him in the ministry. Paul knew about charity firsthand and indicates to Timothy that his own charity was also well known.

(7) Paul's patience - We often think of patience and longsuffering as somewhat synonymous, but patience reminds us that even an apostle has to wait to see the fruits of his work and that all profitable things take some time to come to pass. His patience reinforces his longsuffering and faith in all that he undergoes and also the purpose discussed above.

(8) Paul's afflictions and persecutions - This is one of the main issues in this passage. Timothy "you have known fully my... persecutions, afflictions." Paul gives details to bring particular incidents to Timothy's attention. Paul and Barnabas were driven out of Antioch (Acts 13:50). In Iconium they were treated violently and the people attempted to stone them (Acts 14:5) and in Lystra Paul was stoned by the crowds and dragged out of the city (Acts 14:19). This all happened in Timothy's neighbourhood (Timothy seems to be from Lystra according to the narrative in Acts 16) and so these persecutions were to be especially familiar to him.

Drawing on this "close to home" retelling of his missionary history, Paul declares to Timothy and every man of God to follow after him:

"YEA AND ALL THAT WILL LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION."

This is the huge statement that we are to consider. Godliness means suffering persecution and if that persecution is related to Paul's then we shall suffer at the hands of the religious and irreligious alike. The question I ask myself as well as you is, "Where is the persecution"?

And if no persecution, am I truly living godly in Christ Jesus? I think this has to do with speaking the gospel and opposing error and unrighteousness. Ungodly people are looking for our approval. We can give them love without giving their wicked lifestyle approval. This can also be difficult in the church. If one is operating in love, they do not want to cause division or unnecessary offense. But if someone is motivated out of a love for the comfortableness of their own state, they do not want to cause a shake up or any offense whatsoever, such as might disturb their convenient arrangement.

But if we do pursue a complete righteous and pure eusebeia attitude and reverence towards God and proclaim the gospel, live a life worthy of it's calling and seek a pure church with pure worship, doctrine, fellowship and sacraments...it follows that we ought to experience persecution at some point.

We see that evil deceivers shall abound in the name of Christianity, on the fringes of it and outside of truth completely. We cannot play nice in this area. We must live godly and suffer persecution in the face of this spread of evil.

But we are assured that we are not to follow after falsehood or be carried away on every wind of doctrine, but to continue in the things which we have learned. When it says "knowing of whom you have learned", it must speak not only in an apostolic/teacher sense, but of Christ. If we hold onto Him, His example and teachings, we will not fall into ungodliness, but continue in the way of eusebeia.

Ananias

2008-12-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

Act 9:10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
Act 9:11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
Act 9:12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
Act 9:13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
Act 9:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
Act 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Act 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
Act 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Act 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Act 9:19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.

Act 22:11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
Act 22:12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
Act 22:13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
Act 22:14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
Act 22:15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Act 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Ananias is an interesting New Testament character. He emerges in the Acts of the Apostles for the first time in chapter 9 and then disappears from the Scriptural narrative, only to be mentioned again in the reference above by the Apostle Paul. Yet his role in the history of the church is undoubtedly incredible.

With our observance of Christmas having just passed, I cannot help seeing similarities between Ananias and Mary. Ananias is called devout according to the law by Paul (eusebes or 'godly' being the term rendered as devout, which is why we are looking at his character), while Mary is said to have found favour with God (actually at first I got this mixed up with Zacharias and Elizabeth, who were both said to be righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, which is more similar to the description Paul gives Ananias. But we will see a few similarities with Mary in any case). Both Ananias and Mary were initially startled or troubled by the communication God had with them. They both reasoned with the implications of the message when they had received it: Mary was a chaste virgin about to conceive without a natural chain of events and Ananias was puzzled as to why the Lord would send him to visit the fierce persecutor of the church, Saul of Tarsus.

But the striking feature of Ananias that many have observed in Mary, is the resignation of one's self to do the Lord's will when it has been clearly expressed. Many commentators have gone into great detail concerning the multitude of terrifying possibilities that would have confronted Mary, with her response being "
be it unto me according to thy word." (Lk 1:38). But consider for a moment Ananias, who fully expresses his reasoning to the Lord in the words, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name."
It is simple, Saul was a really bad guy if you were a Christian and he had been fully authorised to arrest anyone that named the name of Jesus Christ.

But the Lord gave His reply, telling Ananias that Saul was to be His chosen vessel and revealing some of the man's ministry activities that were to occur in the future.

There is no "yeah...but" from Ananias. He has 1) Heard the Lord 2) Been somewhat troubled 3) Reasoned within himself and with God 4) Again heard from God and now 5) Goes to do the will of the Lord.

This sequence is very similar to that with which we are more familiar in the Christmas narrative and the reason we can get something out of the comparison between Ananias and Mary is their primary roles and functions in the Story of God. As most of my readers will know, Mary is not some perfect semi-goddess figure that plays a crucial role in our salvation - as the Catholic perversion teaches - but her primary role in world history and in God's will was to be His vessel to carry the Son in her womb and birth Him into the world. Her importance is completely relative to the significance of the ministry and person of Jesus Christ. Similarly, Ananias is not depicted in the New Testament as a super apostle, prophet 0r evangelist, but instead the importance of his role in God's plan is related to the significance of the ministry of Paul the Apostle and the part he played in Paul's "birth."*

So we can see that Ananias is a wonderful example to us of godliness, in that although he did not find the Lord's directives to him completely reasonable by his own initial reckoning, he nevertheless waited on the Lord and as a servant of his Master, responded appropriately to Christ's command. This is birthed out of the man's cultivated attitude of reverence towards God and willingness to follow Him in any situation. In Ananias we do not find a perfect man, but like Simeon and Cornelius we see a godly devotion within his heart that pleases God and makes the disciple a suitable for the Master's use.

There is also an interesting progression with our three godly examples. Simeon is a godly Jew at the time of Jesus' dedication, to whom God reveals His Messiah. Cornelius is a reverent Gentile after the time of Pentecost to whom God reveals His Saviour and His Holy Spirit. And Ananias is a devout Christian disciple also in the post-Pentecost era, who God used in an amazing way to restore sight to Saul of Tarsus and see the beginning of God's workings in the life of a man who would become known as Paul. I think this progression shows that eusebeia has been important to God from ancient times through to now. It seems to please the Lord greatly to interact with those who have a genuinely devout attitude towards Him and His worship.

Is it any wonder why we are exhorted to add to patience godliness as we build up our Christian character?

*I love the fact that Ananias is only refered to as a disciple, without distinction of particular gifts or ministries, as it refutes the Mormon doctrine that only an apostle can lay hands on someone to receive the Holy Spirit. We see in Acts 9:17 that Ananias says he is laying hands on Saul that he might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Since there is no other record in Scripture of Paul receiving the Holy Spirit, it is safe to conclude that this is precisely where it occurred and God used the hands of an ordinary disciple to do it. Thus, Ananias' position in church history is defined by his being a devout disciple used by God in the development of one of the greatest apostles.

Christmas Message

2008-12-25T03:56:00.000-08:00

Peace and goodwill to all readers and visitors as we celebrate the great miracle that is the Incarnation of God the Son and Eternal Word as a Man.

May the revelation of what God has accomplished through this momentous occurrence be a rich blessing to you all.

I hope to have the final few posts up shortly, but until then God bless!

Christ Crucified

2008-11-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

Stephen Charnock (b. 1628 - d. 1680)

Have been blessed in revelations and insights of the Crucifixion and Atonement by a Puritan writer named Stephen Charnock in the past few weeks, while reading his book Christ Crucified.

Charnock approaches the topic from so many angles, looking chiefly at Christ as a sacrifice and how this was sufficient for the erasure of all the sins of the receiving believer.

The book looks deeply at the fulfilment of various Scriptural types in Christ's sacrifice and the implications of the atonement being carried out by someone of the Most High Divine Nature, as it was by our Lord Jesus Christ.

The popular question of "could" Christ have sinned during His earthly walk, is addressed plainly and directly by Charnock; his conclusion being that God indeed cannot sin. I found this aspect of the book interesting, since many seem to go down the path of holding the possibility of Christ committing sin as something that demonstrates how wonderful His righteous life was ie; His righteousness is so much more amazing because He could have sinned but didn't.

But Charnock's perspective makes so much more sense. Jesus was truly and absolutely God - truly and absolutely Man yes - but completely divine in every way. Therefore, to say that we have a God capable of sinning: well I think you understand the implications...As a result we see that Christ's perfect righteousness and godliness was merely the expression of His nature: the hypostatic union of a perfect Divine Nature with an unblemished, undefiled and wholly consecrated Man's nature. While it may be somehow appealing to promote the idea that Jesus could have sinned but didn't, it is far more comforting to the Christian's soul to know that we belong to a God who can do anything that He sees fit, but never does anything wrong because such a thing would never be in accordance with His will.

It is wonderful to be able to read an author writing on such a central belief of the Christian faith, within a generation or two of the publication of the King James Bible. Both aged language and the centrality of Christ's vicarious death are not appealing to the flesh. But if the Christian's spirit is to be fed, the protestings of the flesh must be put to death and the timeless truths of the faith meditated upon.

Cornelius

2008-11-11T00:51:00.000-08:00

Well after nearly six months since I last posted, here we are again.

I have decided to complete the series I began with Simeon and after looking at Cornelius and Ananias and possibly some other uses of the terms for 'godly' and 'devout', the blog will be put on ice indefinitely. When starting this site, I did not anticipate running a personal one, but a team one. Since this has not proved possible due to unforeseen developments and the various commitments of myself and others, I have made the decision to leave the blog as an archive of articles and to continue serving its other intended purpose as a hub for numerous Christian sites I have found interesting or beneficial.

But more on that later and on to Cornelius.

Act 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

Act 10:2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

Act 10:3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

Act 10:4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

Immediately we note that Cornelius was a centurion, a man of authority in the Roman Empire. But he was not an oppressor of the Jews, but one who honoured the God of Israel. What we see accompanying the quality of being devout in the description of Cornelius is the example he set that we ought to take note of in our considerations. 1) He feared God with all his house. This centurion of the Italian band feared God, which Proverbs calls "the beginning of knowledge" (1:7). He was neither a Jew nor an idolater, but a Gentile who honoured God and - as we see by following the passage - was honoured by God. Also worthy of note is that all the members of the centurion's house were also aligned with his right attitude towards God. We see this as an aspect of godly headship in the home through other Scriptures such as: Joshua 24:15, 1 Timothy 3:4 & 12 and also in the households of certain new converts being baptized along with the named member: Acts 16:15, 16:31-34.

2) He gave much alms to the people. Charity expressed in generousity and donation-style giving is a very basic religious exercise and indeed many professing irreligiousity also practice some form of giving to the poor. Regardless of this, Christians cannot afford to neglect this issue, since it is clearly a good thing to be practiced and our Lord taught on how to give alms (Matt 6:1-4) and made further mention of giving them in the Gospels (Lk 11:41 & 12:33). Cornelius was not slack concerning generousity, but he involved himself in it to the extent that it could be remarked about him by Spirit-inspired Scripture that he gave much in his alms.

3) He prayed to God always. Again, the inclusion of always emphasises that the man in question committed himself to regular, consistent prayer. He did not pray to Roman idols or pagan spirits of another land, but to the One True God. He also, it seems, prayed in the manner of the Jews, since an angel appeared to him during his prayer at the ninth hour, which was the Jewish hour of prayer (see Acts 3:1). It is also evident from Cornelius' own account, that he was practicing fasting in conjunction with prayer (Acts 10:30).

God remembered his prayers and alms and arranged for him to hear the gospel by the Apostle Peter. It is obvious that this incident can principally be understood as an example of God's plan to fill Gentiles with the Holy Spirit, but since we are looking at the example of godliness here, I will little else of that matter, since it is the main focus of discussions on the passage.

Cornelius was also described as a just or righteous man in verse 22 of this chapter, as well as it being noted that he was of good report among all the nation of the Jews. Many of the Jews no doubt were willing to accept this man as a righteous Gentile and may have had great personal regard for him on account of his conduct and almsgiving. Nevertheless, he still would not have been wholly accepted by the Jews in a religious and social sense, as Peter's response suggests in verse 28, "Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation..."

Not so in the Kingdom that God was establishing through the gospel. When the Holy Spirit came upon those in Cornelius' house who heard and believed, it revealed what God's decree was on the issue. As Peter concluded, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" (10:47).

Being baptized meant being accepted into the Christian community and thus, the gospel and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was not exclusively for Jews, but for all who believed and were quickened by the gospel.

Cornelius' devotion did not make him a Christian, but as we can see, the centurion in Caesarea was already desiring to worship God in the right manner and with the right attitude. We can hardly expect him to have prayed less, become less righteous and forsaken almsgiving when he received the Holy Spirit, but rather to have gone on in the empowerment of God to do even greater things that were pleasing to the Lord.

Our lesson is simple. We are saved through no merit of our own, only receiving the precious gift through faith and repentance. However godliness is a quality to be sought after for our Christian life after coming under Christ's authority and the example of Cornelius is one we would do well to consider when pursuing it.

Simeon of Jerusalem

2008-05-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name [was] Simeon; and the same man [was] just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

I would like to take a look at the men of the New Testament described as being devout, as examples of godliness from the Holy Scriptures.

There is Simeon (eulabehs), Cornelius (eusebes) and Ananias (eusebes) as well as groups of men who were described in such a way. We will begin by looking at Simeon...

From the Scripture above we see that "devout" was part of a package that made up Simeon's character. He was firstly just (dikaiaos), the same word elsewhere for righteousness, meaning that Simeon was judged to be in accordance with the law of God. We know that only Jesus kept the law perfectly, but some Jews, such as Paul were able to claim a strict adherence to the law that gave them a form of righteousness. As Christians we know that our righteousness comes from Jesus Christ by God's grace through the faith we place in Him and this element of justness and righteousness is also revealed in the rest of Simeon's character.

In being devout, Simeon had a specific reverence and fear of God that determined the reality of his life. This kind of devotion and reverence (eulabehs) is connected closely with the attitude factor of eusebeia. It is also inseparable from his righteousness, as Simeon's deeds are measured closely by his consciousness of the holiness and awesome majesty of the God he served and he lived his life accordingly.

Two other things about Simeon are revealed in this verse.
1) He was waiting for the consolation of Israel.
Israel, God's chosen nation was in distress, under Roman rule and yearning for something else. The religious programs of the Pharisees and Sadducees attempted to demonstrate the justness and devout posture of life described above, while the Zealots were keen to throw off the shackles of Imperial rule with an armed revolution. But there was a hope that God would free Israel from its predicaments and that promise in proper theology was centered around the figure of the Messiah. Simeon lived in expectation that God was to do something wonderful in Israel in the midst of the situation of the day and he had a messianic expectancy for his lifetime as we see later.

2) the Holy Ghost was upon him.
This is crucial in the journey between covenants, as the Holy Ghost had been present in many great instances throughout the Old Testament, but was coming in a new and marvelous way in the age brought in by the Messiah. But the presence of the Holy Ghost in Simeon's life demonstrates God's favour and election in his life, as seen in the Old Testament prophets and others.

Luke 2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Like the prophets, Simeon had a specific revelation from the Spirit of something that was to come. The Anointed One of God was to come during the life of this devout man. It is amazing to see that with his just and devout character, expectation of the fulfillment of God's promise and the presence of the Holy Ghost in his life, God chose to involve this man in the early days of the greatest life upon the earth - the life that was cut off for the eternal salvation of fallen mankind.

Luke 2:27-28 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

Here at the same time, we see a simultaneous obedience between Mary and Joseph carrying out their duty for the Holy Child they had been entrusted with and Simeon following the lead of the Holy Spirit in obedience and expectation with relation to the promise of God in the Scriptures and the personal revelation God had entrusted to him by the Spirit. Simeon is given the immense honour of taking up the Saviour of the world in his mortal hands and his response is to give glory to God, blessing his Lord - a sign of his attitude of holy reverance before God.

Luke 2:29-30 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

The earnest expectation of Simeon's just and devout life before God was now fulfilled in the coming of Christ. Likewise as Christians we have seen God's salvation in Christ and should find great fulfillment in this. But in another sense we are like Simeon, in that we await with earnest expectation the coming of Christ in glory and many older Christians long to see this awesome event before their time on earth expires. How wonderful that day shall be to see God's salvation with our own eyes and depart with Him from the corrupt age we now live in!

Luke 2:31-32 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Here the nature of Christ is described by Simeon as the realisation of God's promise. He is the ensign of God to all people (Is. 11) and a light to the Gentiles for God's salvation all over the earth and the one who restores the preserved of Israel (Is. 49:6). Jesus Christ is unmistakenly recognised as the Messiah Simeon had been waiting for.

Luke 2:34-35 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this [child] is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

Our last account of Simeon is his blessing to others and his glorification of Christ. He further identifies Jesus as Messiah in this revelatory message to Mary.

Simeon gives us an example of what it means to be devout as a part of being godly. We can see how his character was built upon that which bought pleasure to God and that he was chosen both to have the Spirit upon his life and to bless his expected Messiah as part of God's plan.

We must rightly conclude with this final description of Christ, being amazed that He transformed the world with His coming, becoming the demise (fall) of those who rejected Him as Messiah and remained in their sins and the resurrection (rising up) of those who placed their faith in Him.
He will surely be spoken against (and certainly is today, perhaps more than ever before) and bring out into the open the things which men imagine to be secret in their hearts. If Simeon's example does not provoke us to godliness and reverential fear, then this account of our Lord and Saviour surely should!

John MacArthur - Hard to Believe

2008-04-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

Well after a very prolonged gap in posting, I would I would welcome everyone back with a look at a thoughtful and confronting book by one of the most prolific (and doctrinally sound) authors on Christian reading lists, John MacArthur.

(I've told myself I have to stop buying MacArthur books, as this one brought my collection tally to three books, which is more than any other author I can recall off the top of my head).

MacArthur writes in the face of increasing haziness over the "evangelical" (now a term of uncertain usage itself) church about the most basic of issues, from salvation to sanctification. All of these aspects of Christian life centre around the gospel - God's clear communication to the fallen (hu)man on receiving His grace through Jesus Christ instead of His everlasting wrath, which is each person's due reward.

It is precisely the clearness of this message given to us gradually in the Old Testament prophets and explicitly after the Resurrection of Christ through the proclamation of His teachings, which has been eroded by spiritual deception in recent times. This is the very thing I believe MacArthur is getting at in composing this book.

He demonstrates that just as God paid a great price to give us salvation and the gospel, through the sacrifice of His beloved and only begotten Son, so too is there a cost paid by everyone who accepts the Great Message. Indeed, as MacArthur puts it the "high cost" is offset by the "infinite value" of the result.

I bought this book because I was very confronted - as I have been on different occasions - by the "strait gate and narrow way" of Matthew's gospel and the need for us as disciples to be producing fruit if we are truly abiding in the Spirit and the True Vine of God.

If you are having struggles in some areas of your faith, are concerned with the modern methods of "disciple-making" in churches or have put your faith in a gospel that requires nothing of you but road-trip in cruise-control, you need to go back to Scripture and even look through the ages to see what the truth is in the matter.

I think MacArthur has done a good job in pointing us in this direction.

Motivated by godly fear

2008-02-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

Mat 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Mat 10:27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Last night I was watching Way of the Master on television and Ray Comfort presented the viewer with a challenge I had heard before, but since forgotten about.

He said that if someone offered you $1000 for each person you shared the gospel with, could you overcome your "fear of man" more easily? Most people answered yes. If you are honest with yourself, you would probably have to conclude the same thing. Comfort's conclusion was that people could overcome fear of man for love of money, but not out of their love for God and love for their neighbour.

This got me thinking about the verse above...We are failing to be motvated by our love for God, but also showing a lack of belief through our lack of fear.

You see, if we were truly conscious of that which we theologically assent to, our fear of a terrible and holy God who is wrathful towards unrighteousness should always cancel out the fear of a mortal, limited and relatively impotent man facing us.

It is the same with hell. If we had any real concept of hell, or moreover the lake of fire, it would motivate us into action far more often than is presently so.

I believe this is the symptom of a naturalistic mindset. We see the man in front of us and are intimidated, we forget how mighty God is because we have our eyes fixed upon the natural.

Likewise with hell. Human circumstance and natural consequence block out consideration of supernatural judgement. It ought to be the other way around!!!

The concept of holy and godly fear is frequently neglected and logically so from the perspective of darkness, for it creates a horrible kind of condition where one takes being at peace with God for granted and as a result takes no appropriate action.

One of my favourite worship songs contains the verse
"O Lord, please light the fire
that once burned bright and clear
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns with holy fear"

We need the fear of the Lord to be a major point of focus for our life and actions. It isn't popular, easy or comfortable, but it is most necessary.

Man has the power to take your life, God has the power over your eternal existance. We need a reality check.

Disciplines of a Godly Man

2008-02-14T00:52:00.001-08:00

Have been reading Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes in the past couple of weeks for a bit of food for thought and to see what challenges it offers for personal godliness.

The launchpad of the book is the Scripture in 1 Timothy that exhorts us to

"exercise thyself unto godliness". Hughes challenges men to break a "holy

sweat" in the area of godliness in their lives.

He systematically takes the reader through personal areas such as relationships (friendships, marriage etc;) devotion, prayer and purity.

have found it so far (am approx halfway through) to be a blessing, seeing as how I have been thinking a lot about godliness in working here at Eusebeia and also thinking a great deal about manhood in a Christian context.

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Today, I feel we lack adequate training in godliness in many churches and adequate training in manhood in society and the home. It is somehow refreshing to find an attempt at composing a handbook that deals with these deficiencies.
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One of the aims of this site is to combat the ignorance of godliness and highlight it's importance in Christian life & one of my hopes for dealing with young people in the future is to help them grow up properly and not according to the times and systems of the world.

I do recommend taking a look at this book if you find this site to be helpful in your Christian walk and particularly if you are a man, young or old, striving to be better focused in your relationship with God and with your friends, family and bretheren in the church.

Ungodly Fables vs. Edification

2008-02-01T01:36:00.000-08:00

1Timothy 1:3-6

As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: [so do].

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned:

From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
Remember in the initial series we looked at 1 Timothy 4:7? "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness."

It seems like fables are at enmity with a godly life, based on these two Scriptures. I think it is fairly evident why. Placing a high value on truth is essential to maintain a godly outlook on life.

Fables are not based upon truth. They are either false/made-up or unverifiable in nature and thus conducive to doubt. The greek word is mythos - a myth or story.

The passage caught my attention because it included endless genealogies as something contrary to edification. I have been working on an extensive new discovery in my family tree over the past couple of days, so you can understand why. But considering another Scripture dealing with this issue of fables, I think we can gain a better understanding of what is meant here.

Titus 1:14
Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

The Jews have a few fables that are outside of the authority of Scripture. These would have been a source of confusion to Jewish and Gentile believers alike as they grew in the faith in the early Christian church. Genealogies have an important place in the Scripture. We find them in Genesis and Exodus at the beginning of the Bible, as well as Chronicles in the middle and Matthew & Luke in the New Testament. However creating elaborate genealogies to justify positions and theories could have led to trouble. I'm not part of the camp who won't read Chronicles because of the genealogical lists not being "relevant" to my personal life. But I can see how endless references to genealogy by a learned person can overwhelm a person and cause confusion or doubt rather than edify someone in their faith.

One thing I find of concern as of late is certain traditions and histories, which may be fables, being used to "fill in the gaps" of Scripture. This is dangerous, given the deliciousness of the temptation to gain a more "complete" point of view, so to speak. But accepting the Scripture as the whole story is one of the first tests of faith we face.

There are many such fables out there: the urantia book fascinated me as a young teenager with its accounts of the early life of Jesus, not to mention the super-astral origins of God's creative work. Of course it is pure fiction, akin to Scientology and the beliefs portrayed in the video circulating about mormonism.

But I have also seen genealogies detailing the descent of Queen Elizabeth II from King Solomon. While I believe it is possible that the Queen is descended from the Israelite Royal House (as she is from many of the ancient royal houses in the wider European area), I can't place much faith in that genealogy. Of course we also then have the Merovingian bloodlines that have emerged as the foundation for numerous occultic conspiracies.

All of these things do indeed distract people from the truth. The bottom line here is that fables and genealogies breed questions, while godly edification builds the faith of a brother or sister.

We can all play a part in fellowship with one another by using Scripture and our God-given gifts to encourage others in their walk to grow in faith and discernment.

One more thing about edification before I conclude. I was impacted by the following Scripture this week.

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

This is a crucial Scripture for today. It is our duty as Christians to provoke each other into love and doing good. We can't afford not to come together as the church of Christ and we must do so more as the day approaches. Brothers and sisters, I see the day coming - fast. So now is not the time to get caught up with the fables and stories of this age, but to build one another and encourage each other to look forward to the age that is to come.

Let me entertain you

2008-01-28T03:42:00.000-08:00

Culture contrary to godliness #5

You don't have to look far through the links on our sidebar to see that a great deal of "churches" have shifted in focus from eternal life to entertainment.

Dealing regularly with young Christians and non-Christian youth in my work, it is terribly difficult both to resist the popular usage of entertainment in ministry and also to find a legitimate place for recreation in fellowship that does not degenerate into hype-driven entertainment.

It is frightening that floodgates have been opened for this phenomenon to spill over violently into the wider church out of our youth ministries.

What is the problem with entertainment? It is, after all, a very normal and essential part of today's popular culture. Herein lies the beginning of the problem. What is important to the world should be far less important to children of God.

The main issue is that entertainment focuses on occupying our attention and stimulating positive emotions. In some ways it is totally opposite to worship, where we are completely focused on God with our mind and affections in devotion.

So, entertainment could be said to be permissable on occasion at best as a form of recreation, however it should not be the driving force of our lives and CERTAINLY NOT the central aspect of a church meeting.

I feel that often in my own life there is a drive to seek out entertainment for some kind of fulfillment. But if this takes over my life or yours, we need to make a change.

Another way entertainment detracts from godliness, is the forms of entertainment we indulge in. Secular comedians are almost always crude or at least insinuative and often take the liberty of slandering our holy faith. Secular movies are full of blasphemy, bloodthirstiness and worldly philosophies. Popular music is more and more sexually explicit in nature, with the catchy beats hooking people in to be subjected to whatever message the artist wishes to promote. Partying and revelry leads to drunkenness and worse situations and if believers involve themselves, they will get taken along for the ride.

But we all know someone who professes Christ and indulges in one or more of the above activities and most of us would not have to point the finger away from ourselves.

I think the early church found its satisfaction in communion and fellowship with their God and one another. When we meet our base desires for pleasure in forms of entertainment at church events, are we not substituting a deeper communion for a cheap thrill and quick fix for the flesh?

2 Timothy 3:4 tells us that in the last days men will be lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. When entertainment replaces God as the center of a church community, we have surely seen this Scripture fulfilled before us.

Let us therefore strive for a new dedication to piety and devotion instead of chasing after every new fad and craze that sprouts up in the fallen world.

Here, there & back again

2008-01-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

Well it's been two weeks since my last post. They've been quite eventful times, I had some house sitting to do and then went on a trip through a small portion (large by my own measure) of the state of Queensland. Visiting new places, ancestral lands and racing the floods back down was quite exciting.

I was busied today with many phone calls & trying to catch up with things now that I am finally home. One surprise waiting for me when I got up this morning was a visit from a pair of watchtower society tract distributors (hereafter JWs).

At my home, we almost never get visited by mormons or christadelphians despite their presence in the area, however the JWs will occasionally hazard a visit. I had not had visitors of this nature for many months and as usual was caught offguard by their appearance.

After raising a few questions in response to their pitch, I inevitably approached the issue of Christ's divinity. The important thing here is to remember that no matter how well you know the Word, always have a Bible at hand. I knew their corruption of John 1, knew their Bible retained Thomas calling Jesus "My Lord and my God!" in John 20:28 and a few other tricks, but had I had an open Bible I would have seen how atrocious their translation of 1 Colossians 1:15-6 was.

By changing "firstborn over all creation" to "firstborn of creation" & claiming all other things were created by Christ instead of all things, the New World Translation cements itself as a blasphemous and heretic corruption of the Holy Scriptures, designed to promote the ancient heresy revived by the watchtower society.

Is all this an issue for a site about eusebeia to be concerned with. Most definitely.
Eusebeia is all about correct and rightful reverence towards God, so we should all be precise about how much honour we afford to Jesus Christ. If Jesus was some super-spirit as they claim and we give Him adoration and glory, then He poses a threat to the worship of the True God. But if He is indeed that True God and we fail to give Him the reverence He deserves, we have failed in godliness.

Just as the nature of Christ is pivotal to all areas of the Christian faith, we see that in the case of eusebeia, no one can claim godliness without receiving it from Christ. Jesus gave us the perfect example to follow in giving honour to His Heavenly Father and ours. But we are mistaken if we fall into this deceitful trap of thinking that this reverence of the Father by the Son, somehow makes the Son less divine.

Philippians 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Matthew 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Conversations

2008-01-11T01:59:00.000-08:00

Culture contrary to Godliness #4

II Peter 3:11 [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness,

Ephesians 5:2-4 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

Matthew 12:33-37 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by [his] fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Godliness, as mentioned in the post below, has everything to do with our attitude towards God and the life he calls us to lead (the link between godliness and holiness if you like).

I have noticed and indeed been guilty myself due to unwarranted passivity, a tendency for those called saints in the faith of Christ, often take delight in conversing about things that have nothing to do with our common salvation, Christian life or other issues.

Once again this is an issue that will be very easy for me to come across as legalistic, so let me say that I've no problem with Christians talking about general topics: weather, sport, politics, social issues etc; But if these things make up the sum and total of a fellowship's conversation, shouldn't it be of some concern?

To address the above Scriptures, I'm well aware, as someone may be led to point out, that the word conversation in the NT concerns broader conduct and interactions with others than mere talk, but naturally our narrow definition of conversation is contained within this broader one.

Holy conversation and godliness are essential to personal and corporate spiritual health as well as public testimony. So if the way we are conducting ourselves in both definitions of conversation is no different to that of the world, what message is sent to other Christians and non-believers alike. This is not all a holier-than-thou rant, but a call to consideration of what holiness and godliness mean in practical terms.

Looking at the Ephesians passage, this area of speech has often concerned me when in Christian company. When I deal with unsaved high-school students I expect sexually explicit speech of some sort, as well as racist, obscene and profane language at different times, but if this same speech emerges in Christian fellowship I wonder how many people have read Ephesians 5.

The reason I focus on these things: filthiness, foolish talking & jesting, is because they are culturally entrenched. I get accused often of telling lame jokes (as do almost all fathers and pastors I know!), but I take this lightly, because compared to the filth I spat out for humour in my teenage years, I know a lame pun is gentle and harmless even if it may be at the expense of being found quite as humourous.

I wonder if Christians insulting one another in a joking manner is included in this, as sometimes people do take this jesting to heart. Whether coming from a peer or a person in authority, personal jesting can be very destructive as a person may feel either unaccepted or perhaps merely not taken seriously by others. I must warn myself in writing this as much as anyone else. As I said, I am looking for things that are culturally entrenched. Things we partake in without thinking about, when we evidently should upon examination.

Finally, the warning against idle words is always sobering when preached effectively. We have all said utterly foolish things that are not productive and know that we could not possibly justify having said them. The scary thing is, this message is soon forgotten after it is heard by most people. In the context of the passage and in relation to the previous two, Christians should be bringing good things to bear through their mouths, while we would expect foul things to come from foul hearts.

Let that be a warning to us all.

I propose that the remedy to this is for us to bring the issue before our fellowship groups, however casual or organised, and remind one another when a conversation begins down this path. In this way, we might become more aware of our foolish speech and strive to avoid it and bring forth good things such as thanksgiving, encouragement and instruction from our mouths.

Eusebeia 2008

2008-01-04T04:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to another year friends,

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all those who've visited the site and taken the time to read some of the articles and posts. I hope it has been a blessing to you all.

Also, I wanted to clarify some terms to make the future of Eusebeian Way and the Eusebeia blog easier to move forward in 2008.

There are four words/concepts crucial to Christian life and the intentions of this blog that have some overlap in meaning and application and thus can sometimes lead to confusion.
I want to look at the meanings and implications of godliness (eusebeia), holiness (agiasmos), righteousness (dikaiosyne) & purity (agneia).

Godliness and it's meaning have been explored through various posts in the early days of this site. To summarise, it pertains mainly to our attitude towards God and our neighbour and whether we worship God in a way that is pleasing to Him and with sufficient reverence to His Majesty. Eusebeia comes from the greek words Eu (good/well) and sebomai (worship/reverence) and is also close in meaning to the English word piety in a positive, rather than cynical sense.

Holiness, often used synonymously with sanctification, is commonly simplified as the quality of being "set apart" for the service of God. It also conveys an idea of separateness, in that God's purity, excellency, majesty and other perfect attributes ensure His status and nature are quite distinct and separate from the created world. So too are we called to be holy even as the LORD is holy, and from the peculiar customs of the Israelite nation that separated them from the pagan nations, to the Way in which Christians walk and live, this distinction between God's people and the world is made evident.

Righteousness is doing that which is right in the sight of God and living according to His will.
Every Christian knows that they have failed to achieve this moral quality and lifestyle and in fact are naturally inclined to do the things that God despises, due to our sinful nature and imaginations. True righteousness has been manifested in Jesus Christ alone and the only way to attain that right moral and legal standing before God is through the justification of Christ.

Purity is specifically keeping ourselves clean from moral and spiritual filth. There are many things that would seek to taint our morals, our motives & our doctrines, but purity is emphasised in order to keep us white and clean before our God.

So as you can see, while there is definitely overlap, we have a need for more than just one blanket term to describe proper Christian living and culture.

I try and string them all together by saying we should aim for godly attitudes, holy lifestyles, righteous deeds and pure hearts.

I hope this is helpful for seeing how these concepts of the Christian life stand together and apart.

Time Changer

2007-12-31T02:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not really one given much to "Christian television", but mysteriously the family pay tv provider has suddenly given access to the Australian Christian Channel and so on occasion I have been sampling its programming, albeit cautiously.

Tonight I accidently turned it on instead of the ABC News and witnessed a simple yet in some ways remarkable film titled, Time Changer.

A seminary professor from the 1890s travels forward in time to get a shocking taste of America in the 1990s.

I know the underlying message of this film was partly of the same heart as ministries like Old Truth, a wake-up call to Christians that going with the flow and the "spirit of the age" is not acceptable to one striving to live a godly life.

The main character Russell Carlisle was so out of place in the degenerate society he found himself in, as we should be if we are truly of the Lord's fold.

Sometimes we become so immersed in the culture we were born into and raised amongst that we fail to see the blackness in some of the things entrenched therein. However, Christ's message that no man can see the Kingdom of Heaven unless he be born again (Jn 3:3) speaks exactly to this issue.

The Spirit of God that gives us new life is not the spirit of the world that led us further into death from the time of our natural birth. The Lord came from above and not below and His ways are truly higher than our ways.

I just hope we can become enemies, not of the people in the world, but of the spirits in the world and once again gain discernment over the issues we face and often neglect in a deteriorating society.

"Holy"days

2007-12-21T06:34:00.000-08:00

Culture Contrary to Godliness #3

"So would it be fair to say that we shouldn't have Christmas trees because they're basically asherah poles?" a Christian friend recently asked me.

I think the jury is out on that one, along with the status of hot cross buns that feature in our next "religious" season.

So while I don't desire to delve into the possible origins of such things at this time, it does beg the question of what the godly attitude should be towards the observance of Christmas and other festivals celebrated by the world and church alike.

Let me begin by saying that I believe that we should definitely celebrate the birth of Christ, or as I was reminded recently by another blog, the very incarnation of God into human form. We need ample opportunity to tell the Biblical narrative surrounding the virgin birth to our children and others, while reaffirming the truth of the doctrines of the Incarnation (God becoming Man), the Divinity of Christ (Jesus being God), the virgin birth of Lord Jesus & the world's need for the Messiah, in an era that is more hostile than ever towards these truths.

The issue with Christmas and other "holy" days is simply the extent to which the world's dictates are heeded by Christian believers. For instance, we celebrate Christmas by exchanging gifts, singing carols and spending time with family...and so does everyone else. At the Passover season that commemorates the crucifixion, death & resurrection of Christ, we may similarly be drawn into mythic tales of rabbits, chocolate gifts and even using the definitely pagan name for the season that the world does. Outside of certain parts of Europe, the Ascencion goes uncelebrated in the nations of the world and the nation of the church, while Pentecost may receive a passing mention in certain denominational circles without any fanfare at all.

This post is not designed to rebuke people for not celebrated the Ascencion of Christ and the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, since you and I are free to observe as few or as many days as holy to the Lord as we wish to an extent. The question is, given that we mostly celebrate the same things the world does in often similar ways, are we rendering service to our God or to them?

If we feast or fast to observe the birth of the Saviour and the Incarnation of God, we need not be bound by the demands of acquiring copious gifts out of obligation rather than joy (see how much many in the world resent Christmas because they have to chase "hard to get" presents), decorative traditions or even the date declared sacred by men: Dec 25. We are free to observe these things if it is with the right attitude towards God and to be at peace with our family, but we ought not to be chained to them.

But whether you celebrate Christmas, the Resurrection or any other "holy" day, make sure the eusebeian attitude is working and don't ignorantly follow the worlds traditions or be conformed to its patterns.

Relationship Culture

2007-12-07T00:38:00.000-08:00

Culture contrary to godliness #2

Although I've only heard two of his sermons, the preaching of Paul Washer has had quite an impact on my thinking, conscience and outlook with regard to godliness and true Christianity.

His message series on "Recreational dating" available at http://www.puritanfellowship.com/ was another eye opener to complement his sermon on Matthew 7 that I had heard some time ago.

It has come to my attention that the (post)modern church has very set ideals about marriage and relationships and rarely makes significant alternatives to the world's attitudes, part of congregational culture, apart from preaching against fornication and divorce (warnings that are not heeded as often as they should be).

And so we come to the challenging passage of 1 Corinthians 7.
Verses 1-2 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: [It is] good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

The thing is, it's apparent that generally Christian communities treat marriage as something that will come to almost everyone in due time. But is it? Are people who remain unmarried their entire lives being punished for faithlessness? I wouldn't think so as a general rule.

Paul tells us that it is good for a man not to touch a woman. I think we all know what he means by touch: more or less no physical intimacy. But then due to the age-old plague of fornication in society, we are told that every man might have his wife and every woman might have her own husband to prevent sexual sin.

So then, taking this out of context, one man says "I will not marry for the apostolic decree is that it is good for me not to touch a woman" and his opponent replies "I shall marry because I am instructed to to avoid the sin of fornication".

But then Paul says, "But I speak this by permission, [and] not of commandment" (v. 6).

In this I see great freedom, in that we are given permission to freely marry, but encouraged in the following verses to remain chaste if being so when we received the call to Christ.

The culture that is contrary to godliness lies in the expectations surrounding marriage and other relationships. In essence the church's approach seems too much like the world's in a few ways. While quite a few Christians do marry earlier than the average (which is somewhat connected to the abstinence of the practicing Christian compared with the unchastity of the heathen couple in a relationship ie; Christians have a reason to marry earlier than non-Christians that try to take all the benefits without the responsibilities) the general attitude towards the age issue is largely the same. For instance in Australia, a couple younger than twenty (perhaps even mid-twenties) seeking to marry would usually be frowned upon by secular and Christian communities alike.

Nevertheless, the idea of marriage being the norm by which people are measured against is still there. Perhaps one reason for this is because many congregations are eager for faithful men to serve the church in leadership roles and a "bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife" (1 Tim 3:2) and "One that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)" (3:4-5).

This makes perfect sense to me: a man settles down with his wife, has children and takes up a position of responsibility in his home congregation. Such men do indeed serve valuably in the church, as do their wives and so it is reasonable to encourage those with a pastoral call and commitment to marry and form a family.

But then I think, what about Jesus? We who take the gospel seriously have become adept at refuting the idea of our Lord marrying a woman while He walked the earth, but do we ever stop to think about why He didn't? Perhaps one reason is because the mission He was committed to did not allow room for a marital commitment. We know the Son of man had nowhere to rest His head, which is a stark difference to the picture of that described above. I suspect the reasons Jesus did not marry are complex and many, but if it would not benefit a man or woman in their Christian vocation to take on a spouse, I think we have our Lord's example as a defence against the "done thing".*

The later verses of 1 Corinthians 7 urge the unmarried to carefully consider remaining so for the benefit of being free from worldly cares that come with being involved with a wife or husband (and although not specifically mentioned, I think also children to an extent).

This is why this is a eusebeia issue. In choosing whether or not to marry, the young man or woman's attitude towards God and worshipping Him is on display. The first Corinthian epistle tells us that remaining unmarried has benefits in serving God and while their may be a desire to marry in our hearts, we must all give serious consideration to this passage when making a marital decision. This is not to say that a commitment to godliness prohibits marriage, but rather that one's motives come under greater examination if the commitment is there. Furthermore this can give us more assurance that a potential spouse is from God when we apply some tests to determine how it will affect our lifestyle, ministry & relationship with God.

*I do not want people to gain some misunderstanding that a man who lives in a suburban home with a wife and three children while serving as a pastor or minister is at odds with a single man or woman in a makeshift tent on the mission field. I have deleted the term 'householder' from this post, as I suspect it may have come to me via unsound influence. I will endeavour to review the perspective presented here, particularly in the red section of the post, to ensure that the message is not construed in such a way that could be harmful or easily confusing to my readers. As a result, please exercise particular discernment when reading this post and indeed all posts at Eusebeia, as I am more than able to make an error or misrepresent something important - Hanani Hindsfeet.

Godly fear

2007-11-30T05:10:00.000-08:00

Over the past two nights I have been blessed enough to catch some chilling warnings on the Vision Radio network in the form of Rescued, an audio drama adapted from a John Bevere novel.

Rescued examines the vivid experience of hell and eternal judgement by a pastor during a near death experience. Without going into detail about the plot, the imagery, sound effects & first person narrative of hell, judgement and the lake of fire is a wake up call.

After hearing the first part last night I remarked to a friend that most Christians don't really believe in hell. What I mean is, we give mental assent to the Scriptural teachings on the afterlife, but because hell isn't a nice thing, we don't let it get very far into our theology.

As others with far more talent in communication than myself have expressed, an accurate realisation of hell magnifies both one's reverence for a Holy God who must execute divine judgement and a desperation to prevent one's self and others from meeting this terrible fate.

While the Word tells us to think upon the lovely things, we must at some point in time give serious thought to this unbearably dreadful destination and maintain an appropriate response in our lives. Indeed, what I'm saying is in order to have that eusebeia godliness and correct attitude towards God, we must also have the right attitude towards sin (ie; hatred) and hell (ie; horror).

If we merely condense it to a distant reality where severe heat is a daily occurence and strange fiends run around with pitchforks, godly fear will disappear out the window. Because a theology that points toward a God unable or unwilling to punish sin, eliminates reverence, cheapens grace and emasculates* efforts in evangelism.

You'll no doubt see many posts on godly fear as an aspect of eusebeia here in the future, because the people of Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe need frequent reminders of this part of Christianity that has been neglected in recent times.

To conclude with another insight provided by Bevere, the attribute ascribed to God the most strongly in the Scriptures is holiness ("Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty") and consequently reverence is one of the most important (perhaps the most important) aspect of our relationship with the King of Kings & Lord of Lords. We hear so much about God's love and His love is of great importance indeed, however I am growing in the opinion that God's great love is also a wondrous expression of His Glory (only a truly Magnificant Deity could love us in the manner that the LORD does). So whenever we rejoice in the greatest love the universe could ever know, we must never deprive the love-giver of the glory he deserves.

*I apologise if any readers find this adjective too strong (or perhaps confusing), however I think it comes close to explaining the state of evangelistic efforts minus the consequence of rejection.

Postscript

After writing this post I began surfing our links and found an amazing correlation at Christian Discernment Ministries' Herescope site:

"The Bible teaches that unbelievers will be condemned to an eternity in Hell (Revelation 20:14-15). If we really believed that, we would be spending much more time on our knees in prayer. And we would be pleading with people to make right with God with a sincerity and conviction that would convince many that we actually believed what we were saying."

So if that's not confirmation, I don't know what is...

A life pleasing to God - Christian research network

2007-11-27T04:10:00.000-08:00

Here is an article by Mike Ratliff at Christian Research Network, looking at a few issues pertaining to life and the correct way to go about it.

http://mikeratliff.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/a-life-pleasing-to-god/

The Material Dilemma

2007-11-25T22:14:00.000-08:00

Culture contrary to godliness #1

This will be part one of the series I mentioned in my post on Bill Muehlenberg's look at materialism in the church.

Casting our eyes back to to the sagely words of 1 Timothy 6, that tell us godliness is not a means of gain, but rather godliness with contentment is great gain, it is disturbing to note the trend of materialism amongst Christians today.

The real issue I am tackling here is that the church, in the West at least, has stopped short of drawing any line between Christian and pagan attitudes towards money, material gain and modern luxuries.

Since we are talking about Christian versus pagan attitudes it is worth calling to remembrance that worshipping God in a correct manner (as we define godliness in one sense) is largely dependant upon our attitude toward Him.

Simply speaking, should pastors be encouraging their congregants to "get ahead in life" or exhorting worldly material ambitions within those in their care?

It appears to me that the Bible does speak very clearly about God's desire for financial management in a range of situations. For instance, off the top of my head I know the Word forbade Israelites to lend money for interest (usury) and that it is probably not very godly to charge interest from fellow believers in light of other passages. We also see forgiveness of debt in the theme of the jubilee year and that Jesus told us, "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away" (Matthew 5:42 NKJV).

This last concept would, I would suggest, be discouraged by many churches today. I myself am guilty of being asked for a loan of some money and hesitating because I questioned the wisdom of doing so, but when the person offered to pay interest I quickly declared I could not lend for profit to a Christian! The issue here I think is that we often expect people to take advantage of our kindness in the future if we are generous in the present.

I suppose a bit more faith in God would go a long way in this area. And in regard to material wealth in general, a lot more faith is needed.

The aim of this series is more or less to look at where the culture of the church and the culture of the world need to take different paths for the sake of godliness. In the case of materialism there is a huge chasm that needs to be created rather than crossed.

Our goal should be to identify how our attitude towards money/possessions affects our relationship with God and how we can subject our lives to His Word in this area. We must learn how to be content with food and clothing and give thanks to God for making simple provision to us.

And what better time to resolve this material dilemma affecting Christian culture than Christmas?

Change in attitude

2007-11-23T05:18:00.000-08:00

We've noted before that Eusebeia has a great deal to do with one's attitude towards God and life.
So is the lack of godliness visible in today's Christian culture a sign that something has gone terribly wrong in our attitudes? I believe we are living in the last days, awaiting the return of the Lord in glory and if this is true, we need to look back at 2 Timothy 3 and examine what comes with the territory of having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

Most of these things are based in the attitude: selfishness, ungratefulness, hatred towards those who do right, pride, haughtiness. Are these things prevalent in congregations today? And yet, we are instructed to turn away from people that display these attitudes. Is it perhaps because such things are contagious? Certainly we are warned in Proverbs in various places about what keeping company with fools, violent people and harlots does to one's lifestyle and reputation. So why not be wary of professing believers that are full of these symptoms.
Furthermore, if your pastor/teacher oozes pride and self-obsession, you are more likely to take these attributes onboard than the points in their sermon in many cases.

Of course before one goes too far in pointing the finger we must look at ourselves long and hard. Are your attitudes fertilisers or poisons to godliness? Are you thankful, humble, a lover of God and of men or a conceited, murmuring lover of pleasure?

I know recently I've been put through the strainer of testing, but there is a lot more of that to come before I bear any appropriate semblance to Christ. Even though I still make mistakes and do or say the wrong things (been happening a bit in last few weeks), I find that more and more the war of sanctification is fought within with these ungodly attitudes that persist in their attempt to control the heart. But let us all strive for more spiritual fruit and less fleshly weeds.

Break in Transmission

2007-11-21T05:10:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me today that it has been two weeks since the last post.
I aim to resume posting tomorrow, God willing and commence a new series in the near future. My co-blogger should also be premiering shortly, as he has completed his studies for the year (and perhaps for good!).
It has been a hard couple of weeks and at times I have felt unable to post due to weight upon my heart, while otherwise it has mainly been a lack of opportunity to sit down and compose a quality post.

A big thank you to all our visitors, especially those making the journey from TeamPyro and Farmer's blog. We hope Eusebeian Way and the Eusebeia blog are useful to you in your Christian walk.

P.S. Check out our new links to Ray Comfort's blog for a good read and Rich's Alliance of Civilisations blog for those with an interest in Bible prophecy.

Thoughts on godliness from a bygone era

2007-11-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

Here is an excerpt from Willem Teellinck's book "The Path of True Godliness" provided by Jim Bublitz at Old Truth.
http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.810

Since the book title is perfectly compatible with the focus of Eusebeian Way and the topics covered in the Eusebeia blog, it is an irresistable article to link to as something to explore. Also fascinating is the date of writing - 1621. Note the distinctions between Teellinck's point of view and the current-day perspectives we hear concerning godliness, holiness & sanctification.

Also be sure to read Jim's comment beneath the article, there is some good insight there into the author and his life.

We always need to look to the Scriptures for guidance in life, but on questions of godliness it is beneficial to look at the gap between interpretations of certain Scriptures (or perhaps merely the application) from the past and today and ponder what is really driving the change...

More on before...

2007-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

With Monday's post fresh in my memory I was today making my way through John Bevere's A Heart Ablaze, conveniently borrowed from the co-founder of this blog.

In A Heart Ablaze Bevere quotes an early church leader named Cyprian, who said of worldy entanglements:
"The one peaceful and trustworthy tranquility, the one security that is solid, firm and never changing, is this: for a man to withdraw from the distractions of this world, anchor himself to the firm ground of salvation, and lift his eyes from earth to heaven...He who is actually greater than the world can crave nothing, can desire nothing, from this world (Cyprian's letter to Donatus, sec. 14) [Bevere, A Heart Ablaze p. 83].

Bevere also notes that "...many in the church live materialistic lives in the pursuit of pleasures and treasures of this world. We think nothing of lining up for the same movies, entertainments and amusements that the world pursues" (p. 83).

And..."the early church stressed the importance of a changed heart, which would produce a godly lifestyle" (p. 87).

I found it amazing that in this book I found a similar vein to what had been discussed both here and at culturewatch, while also providing that beautiful insight into what we are exploring here at eusebeia. The changed heart that produces a godly lifestyle is surely a treasure to be sought after from the LORD.

On the subject of entanglements, I thought I would share some trivia that casts some light on the issue. My great-grandfather was a constable in the state police force in the early 20th Century and had to answer a series of background questions when applying to join the force. Apart from being quizzed on whether one was a member of any secret societies or able to ride a horse, applicants were asked whether or not they had any illicit entanglements (with females). I think this is an excellent question to be asking in examining one's own life and dedication to the ways of godliness: do I have any illicit entanglements that prevent me from carrying out my duties as a servant of the LORD?

In relation to the subjects covered above, are you illicitly entangled with the things of the world?
For the Scripture says:
"Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15)
"No soldier on service entangles himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier." (2 Timothy 2:4)
Therefore we must be untangled from worldliness in all it's deceitful forms if we are to be free and on the path to perfection in godliness and purity.

Happenings of elsewhere...

2007-10-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

I noticed in my travels through the little blogroll-realm we've set-up here with Eusebeian Way, an article by Bill Muehlenberg at his Culture Watch site, covering a topic we recently discussed in our introductory series: http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2007/10/26/contentment-in-an-age-of-excess/.

In it, Bill quotes the Scripture on godliness and contentment in 1 Timothy 6:6-8, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

The article concludes with Mr. Muehlenberg suggesting that, "... at a fundamental level, any message or any gospel which keeps us fixated on our material wants can be said to be a false gospel." If you recall, when looking at this Scripture I mused that one could not help but think of the prosperity gospel when thinking of the temporal state of material possessions described in this portion of the Word.

I think that materialism and consumerism are true obstacles to godliness. How can one worship God in the correct way if one knee is already bowed to mammon? In the religions of the world, asceticism or the renouncing of goods and possessions is seen as a great sign of piety. While I do not think that this in itself constitutes godliness buy any means, I would be inclined to think that many times over material greed (covetousness says the commandment) has disqualified the living of a eusebeian life.

I'll probably look at this issue further in a future series titled "Culture contrary to godliness", along with other obstacles that are readily embraced even by whole churches, with dire consequences to personal and corporate godliness.

In any case it is great to see another witness in our loop speaking on this common subject.

Holy conversation & godliness

2007-10-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

2 Peter 3:10-13

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Well what a fantastic Scripture for the final post on the New Testament's use of eusebeia - one that indeed deals with finality itself. I love discussing the "end-times" so to speak, but I believe these verses speak for themselves.
The day of the Lord is coming in a sudden and dramatic manner and we ought to take note of this fact and prepare ourselves in those things which will not be swept away in this awesome event.
Those things being in this case "holy conversation" and godliness. Holy conversation actually refers to much more than speech, but is closer in meaning to a general application towards all communication and conduct. So in all our way of life and dealings with people and situation, we are to have a mind for holiness. This is very complimentary to our examination of eusebeia as a concept of living out the correct attitudes and actions towards God in reverence.
It is with this correct attitude and focus that we can look past the terrible destruction of the heavens and elements to the hope of new creation full of righteousness, where the godly life can be lived out in perfection.

We hope you've enjoyed exploring these foundational Scriptures that deal with our topic of godliness/eusebeia. As time progresses we aim to look both at the Scriptures in more detail and also tackle issues relating to godliness and (post)modern society. May we all go forward in strengthening our devotion in love and reverence...

The building blocks of Christian character

2007-10-22T00:35:00.000-07:00

We follow on from where we left off in the last post, recommencing in 2 Peter 1:5-9

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

So we are instructed to build up our Christian character with these building blocks. If it were a tower it would look something like this:

CHARITY

BROTHERLY-

KINDNESS

GODLINESS

PATIENCE

TEMPERANCE

KNOWLEDGE

VIRTUE

FAITH

Faith is one of the basic units of the Christian faith (see I played righ into that trap didn't I?).
Without faith it is impossible to please God, as we are told in Hebrews. "For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb 11:6).
From there we are exhorted to produce virtue. As I mentioned at the foot of my previous post, virtue (arete) is quite a fascinating concept in itself. Most of us would know that it has certain connotations of strength of character and moral or ethical quality. Basically, I believe this to be some good advice to work on our character and personal conduct in the stage of personal spiritual growth directly following our acceptance of the faith.
Following faith and virtue, we are to add knowledge (gnosis). Knowledge here is not to be thought of in terms of academic prestige, but a dedication to learning the things of God. In Greek, gnosis very often has religious connotations and can refer to mystic and mysterious knowledge. In the case of Christianity, the secret knowledge is the mystery of Christ and the spiritual truths that the Holy Spirit reveals through the Scriptures to the believer.

So once a person has faith in Christ, a testimony through their character and a knowledge of the things of God, they are to pursue temperance. Temperance is the long-lost ability to remain calm and deal with situations in a restrained and sensible way. It is also referred to in the Bible as self-control. This self-mastery is key to Christian maturity, as it prevents one from falling into situations that compromise the virtue that has already been mentioned.

Closely related to this is the next building block of patience (hypomone). Thayer's Lexicon describes it as "the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings." Temperance prevents a person from being moved to ungodliness by emotions and circumstances, while this hypomone patience keeps one's faith and virtue alive despite great adversity or long testing.

And so, to patience we add godliness - eusebeia. How does godliness fit in with the previous building blocks? Well we can see that the foundations have been laid through faith, virtue and knowledge and secured through temperance and patience. I believe that godliness also has something of a securing role, while also sharing in the crowning glory of brotherly kindness and charity. Godliness solidifies the Christian character, by seeking out the correct attitude and conduct towards God and also points towards the common theme of the next two building blocks: relationships.

Brotherly kindness (philadelphia), adds to godliness by showing piety towards God through thoughtful, caring and gentle dealings with one's Christian brethren. It is crucial in the individual's role in shaping and blessing the community of believers and providing a testimony to the outside world.

Finally, charity (agape) the ultimate form of love crowns the character of a mature Christian. It is the love that speaks volumes through action and devotion and the great gift that we yearn to offer to the LORD our God. With perfect love, all the other traits are also perfected and so a Christian should spend their whole life seeking to magnify agape-love through their daily actions.

Stay tuned for the final installment of the introductory series on godliness, coming soon!

All things that pertain to life and godliness

2007-10-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

2 Peter 1:2-3

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

The apostolic greetings are often the source of many easily overlooked, yet astonishing gems about what God has done in and for His people.

[On a sidenote here, we also need to be aware of the importance of prepositions eg; We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Look out for these and what they mean in the above passage]

Grace and peace is a common greeting amongst the early Christian writers, and perhaps one we should use more today. In this case Peter records this wish of grace and peace as being multiplied to the reader through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Knowing God grants abundant grace and increases peace - a beautiful point to gain appreciation of in our lives.

This wish of spiritual wellness is bid with a call to remembrance, May your grace and peace be multiplied even as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

This once again directs us to the source of life and all godliness: God Himself. It is as Peter said in the first verse I looked at several weeks ago "why do you look earnestly at us, as though by our own power or holiness (eusebeia) we had made this man to walk?"

Amazingly, we also receive all things to do with life and godliness through the knowledge of God - the One who called us to glory and virtue.

So when we know the One who called us, we receive all things related to life and godly living that allow us to fulfill the call to glory and virtue*. That's my understanding of it anyway.

*Virtue (arete) is an interesting word in itself and perhaps warrants further exploration in the future

P.S. I can't help myself but encourage you to look at verse 4 as well, since I will be starting my next post in verse 5. We are told that by these things (life, godliness, knowledge of God, glory & virtue) are given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that by these things we might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Becoming partakers of the divine nature! Escaping the corruption in world! While this verse was going to miss out by being in between my focal points, I must say, these things are surely the aim and ultimate goal of leading a godly life!

The truth which is after godliness

2007-10-17T05:04:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a good start to the week for the Eusebeian Way team.

Many thanks to the guys at Pyromaniacs and Phil Johnson in particular for the add to their ever growing blogroll. At the same time we have launched our humourous response to their "friend of sinners", with a complimentary "enemy of the world" logo. We feel the two go nicely together in explaining the position of a Christian.

We are nearing the conclusion of our foundational series looking at the Scriptures in the New Testament that deal with godliness. In this one we take a look at something interesting Paul said about eusebeia.

Titus 1:1
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

Paul calls himself a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, no doubt designations familiar to those who have read some of his other epistles.

But the follow-up is unique and peculiar...
Paul claims these things "according to the faith of God's elect". Today there is much variance in matters of faith (which is by no means a good thing as some would have you to believe). But here Paul seems to outline clearly that the elect have a specific and definitive faith, one which he rests his apostleship upon.

But then he adds that his servanthood to God and apostleship for Christ are also according to the "acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness". The word after is a contraction of the word kata which is the same word translated as "according to" in this passage. So Paul is a servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ according to the acknowledging of the truth which is according to godliness.

So I'm seeing here that God's elect are also those who acknowledge "the truth which is after godliness". This then, is another important thing to consider about godliness - it's special role in testifying to the truth. In the last passage we saw that there is a "form of godliness" that is devoid of truth, but the opposite is also true: true godliness offers a credible witness to the truth.

Jesus, as we know, lived an impeccable life of godliness and had things said of Him such as: "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." (Jn 3:2). His life and the presence of God upon His ministry were a testimony to that which He taught: the way to salvation and right standing with God.

May we also have godliness as a valid testimony to the truth we profess in our lives.

Having a form of godliness...

2007-10-12T00:45:00.000-07:00

This verse addresses the issue of false godliness and its friends in the last days. If you don't believe we're there yet, have a look at our friends at http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/...

2 Timothy 3:1-5
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Let's list 'em
1. self love (breaking 1st commandment)
2. covetousness (wanting things that belong to others & breaking 10th commandment)
3. boasting
4. pride
5. blasphemy (breaking 3rd commandment)
6. disobedience to parents (breaking 5th commandment)
7. unthankfulness
8. unholiness (kind of the opposite of what we're going for here)
9. no natural affection
10. truce-breaking
11. false accusing (breaking 9th commandment)
12. incontinence (no control over themselves)
13. fierceness
14. despising of what is good
15. betrayal
16. headiness (rashness/recklessness)
17. highmindedness (conceit, insolence, inflated with pride)
18. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (breaking 1st commandment)

Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

So we've nearly got 20 signs that scream at us "turn away from these people!!!"

But while most of these warning signs speak for themselves, it is the last one (of principle interest to us) which carries some mystery with it.

There are people out there that appear godly or exhibit some of the characteristics of eusebeia, while denying the power of it. With the rise of initiatives like Live Aid and Make poverty history, we see an atheist (Geldof) and a Christian cum pluralist (Bono)* leading a movement of people fulfilling the obligation of the just to feed the poor and tend to the needy, while denying the God that proclaims these virtues. Contrary to what some may believe, in doing these things outside service to God, the value of them is destroyed. As Isaiah penned for his Lord, "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (64:6).

Similarly we have cultic groups who make a better effort at standing against worldly corruption than certain churches. Others have greater evangelistic zeal and success. They have a resemblance of godliness based on their deeds and resistance to the world, yet they are enemies of the Christ that produces true godliness.

And of course there are those who exhibit the features listed above in secret or select company, yet have an air of constructed godliness or holiness about them in other situations. Watch out for them and turn away! See Spurgeon for more on the perils of this issue: http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols34-36/chs2088.pdf

But above all, let's make sure we don't get numbered among them...

*As a fan of u2 over the years, it saddens me to dscribe Bono in this manner, however I find it to be the unfortunate truth and need to highlight the fact that his "Muslim/Christian/Jew - all true" slogan is ultimately a confession to a severe lapse in true Christian faith

Godliness vs. Unwholsomeness Pt. 2

2007-10-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 6:8-11
"And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."

A pastor of mine has been known to quote the first of the above four verses saying "food and raiment therewith to be content" when addressing the Christian's relationship to life's necessities. This contentment that is to accompany godliness is an ability to accept the very basics of life and give thanks to God for them, an area where many of us living in an over-developed world are sorely lacking in our character.

We commonly hear that "money is the root of all evil", but of course this is a misquotation. What we must be on guard against however is how quickly one can go from having money to loving it. Money may be in itself just a tool or commodity, but the influence of the powers of darkness in the world quickly breed chrysophilia or the "love of gold".

How true is it today that many have been lured into coveting money and riches and "erred from the faith". We only have to look at the compromise between money-loving cultures and the churches in first world nations to observe this tragedy. Furthermore, the disaster of this path is highlighted by the many sorrows that pierce those who travel it.

Finally we are instructed to flee to the things of God, which eusebeia falls among as we see: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. [Compare with Galatians 5]
By seeking these things for our lives, we might be spared the calamity faced by those who seek more than they require and receive the character of Christ as we walk with our Lord.

Post hiatus: Godliness vs unwholesomeness Pt. 1

2007-10-05T23:28:00.000-07:00

Well after a bit of time not posting, I'd better get stuck into our next foundational Scriptures from 1 Timothy 6. There's quite a bit to pack into this one, but it'll be a lot healthier than some things people sink their teeth into.

1 Timothy 6:1-8
"Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and [his] doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise [them], because they are brethren; but rather do [them] service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit.
These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."

Mmm that's a lot of Word to digest.

You really can't break it down a whole lot, otherwise the context in which the godliness applies is somewhat lost.

First we have an issue of Christian slaves having the right attitude towards their masters as part of exercising godliness. It is interesting that the reason given for this is to deprive men of an excuse to blaspheme God and the truth...I believe this is one of the keys to understand why a Christian needs to live a godly life - so people can't use our actions to speak ill of God and Christianity.

Then there is the verse on treating Christian masters without despise, which is an interesting idea that I will have to explore in more depth in another post.

We also see some of the characteristics of people who reject wholesome words, the words of Christ and godly doctrines: pride, lack of knowledge, obsession with questions and debates over words, envy, strife, blasphemy, evil thinking, perverse, disputing, corrupt and without truth.

"Supposing that gain is godliness" I can't help but think of the prosperity gospel when I see this verse. An interesting note here that gain should not be counted for godliness, but that godliness is indeed great gain when coupled with contentment. It is funny how easily we can get things around the wrong way, including issues pertaining to godliness.

And to counter the pretensions of materialism, the Word of God instructs us to be content with what we have in life, specifically food and clothing, since as it is often put "you can't take anything with you". So it is interesting for us to see that we are required to develop a contentment for the very basics of life to complement the pursuit of godliness...

See you in Pt. 2

Godly exercise

2007-09-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hope you're enjoying these Scriptures on godliness, or if not I hope they are at least provoking a thought or two and stirring something inside...

This one is a double Scripture, as are some of the others that follow, which i think is good - a bit more meat out of the Word :).

1 Timothy 4:7 "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness."

Life is full of "old wives' tales" as I am more familiar to calling them. It is interesting that many little anecdotes, fairy tales and cliches are passed onto us in our youth with such little value in the Kingdom of God. One that springs immediately to mind is "if you eat sandwich crusts, your hair will go curly". Such a myth has no real value to us in our spiritual growth and much like the man in the man, easter bunny & tooth fairy, can in fact cause us to doubt things we were taught from a young age (including God if you had a Christian upbringing). These things are profane - not necessarily foul or vile - but common, worldy things that really don't belong in our speech or thinking. For this reason we are told to exercise ourselves to godliness, the purpose of which being shared with us in the following verse.

1 Timothy 4:8 "For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

I think it was Ray Comfort who said "Eat right, stay fit, die anyway". While this is obviously fatalistic, it is intended as a humorous critique of fitness-obsessed people with no regard for spiritual welfare & perhaps has the above verse in mind when doing so. There is profit in physical exercise, but in comparison to godliness it is most insignificant.
Then we see why godliness is so essential to Christian life - it is profitable to all things! In other words, anything worth having or aspiring to will be benefited by a godly life. That's a promise worth holding onto! Furthermore, eusebeia has promise or blessing of our present life and more for the eternal life we shall receive shortly.

All around, godliness pays far greater dividends as we glorify God rather than the body through exercise or human wisdom through old fables.

The Great mystery of godliness

2007-09-24T04:11:00.000-07:00

The Word of God often speaks of mysteries - those things which make absolutely no sense to those who lack the revelation of the Spirit.

As we try and grasp the meaning of godliness, it is surely worth our time to look at what the Scriptures call the mystery of godliness.

1 Timothy 3:16 says "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

First we see that among believers, there should not be any dispute as to the greatness of this mystery and then we are provided with the mystery itself.
Many things are with controversy in the church and we must examine carefully to see whether anyone detracts from the mystery of godliness, since if they cannot appreciate it, they must have no possession of it.

Here we have a list that God was a) manifest in the flesh, b) justified in the Spirit c) seen of angels d) preached unto the Gentiles e) believed on in the world & f) received up into glory.
To begin with, we must accept these things as true in order to realise a eusebeian correct attitude and response towards God. We know from 1 John that anything that does not confess that Jesus came in the flesh is of the antichrist (4:3) and so has no part in the mystery we speak of here. We also must be justified in the Spirit as He was and behold his glory as the angels did. It also marks the beginning of a new era with those outside the Jewish nation being able to move into a special relationship with God and man being restored in the created world through faith in Him.

Finally, He was received up into glory, ascended on high. If we again correlate with 1 John, we see in the opening verses of chapter three that "we are the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that has this hope in him, purifies himself, even as he is pure"(3:2-3). This is a huge clue to our pursuit of holiness and godliness - it is the glorified Godhead in Christ that transforms us into new beings.

Without this revelation of God, we would be merely sufferers of religious hardship, unable to attain the perfect standard of the LORD manifested in Christ.

Quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty

2007-09-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 2 starts with an interesting concept.
In Australia and no doubt many other nations around the world (including the US) there is a large concern over upcoming elections. Christians, while often not wanting to get involved in politics directly, desire assurance that a government will rule responsibly and with respect to the law of God.

While we ourselves cannot determine whether a government rules according to these values, the Scripture tells us "...supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." (2:1b-2) Therefore the relationship between government and godliness is that we should pray for a nation's leaders to ensure that society is suited to Christians being able to live a quiet and peaceable life and conduct themselves in a godly and honest way.

This gives us another clue about godliness, suggesting that the right attitudes and actions towards God and our neighbour are best cultivated in quietness and peace. In chaos and turmoil one is likely to think more of survival and self-preservation, so tranquility is a much better option for prayer and contemplation. However we should never grow complacent in times of peace, but rather continue to do our duty in praying for the leaders of society and all levels of authority beneath them.

Develop godliness and honesty while leading a quiet and peaceable life. "For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour." (2:3)

Pray away!

The Eusebeian Way

2007-09-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new zone of the "Christian blogosphere". Our aim at Eusebeia is to discuss issues pertaining to godliness and correct Christian conduct as suggested in our description, while also providing a networking hub for many other sites that are concerned with the gap between (post)modern-day and Biblical Christianity.

Remarkably the word godliness appears in the KJV Bible within only the pastoral epistles of Paul and second epistle of Peter. But the first time eusebeia appears in the New Testament it is translated "holiness" (Acts 3:12). When Peter and John saw a miracle in the man at the Gate Beautiful, Peter said "You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why do you look so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?"

From this verse we can get both a sense that we need God to be holy/godly at all and that our own virtue does not give us superhuman abilities. Even our Lord Jesus made a point of doing miracles in the name of the Father and speaking only what He heard from Heaven.

But godliness, while not the source of miracles, is nevertheless important in our relationship with God and our brothers/sisters/neighbours. Over the next few weeks to set up our foundations, I hope to look at the fourteen "godliness" verses and what insight and advice they give to living the Christian life.

Don't go away!