Persecution of the godly

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.

Christmas Message

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!

Motivated by godly fear

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.

Ungodly Fables vs. Edification

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.

Here, there & back again

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.

Eusebeia 2008

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.

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...

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.

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...

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!