Time Changer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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...

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!