Eight “Rules”
to Grow in Godliness - Tim Challies –
adapted from Thomas Watson
(Tom's disclaimer: don’t
be thrown off by the word “Rules”; think of practices or habits. Remember that
our habits are perfectly ordered to get us the character we NOW have. If we
think there is room for growth and change, then we’ll need new
Habits/Practices/Rules- Tom May)
INTRODUCTION
By the
end of first grade, every child has learned to grow a plant. They fill a cup
with soil and press a seed into it. They pour water over their cup, place it in
a sunny window, and wait. Sure enough, within days there are stirrings of life.
First, roots begin to emerge, then a sprout, then a stem. Finally, a plant
shoots up out of the soil and its tiny leaves unfurl. There is something
wonderful about this, something almost miraculous, as life springs up out of
death.
A seed
growing into a tree is an apt metaphor for the life of the Christian. The Bible
teaches that each person begins life in a state of spiritual death. David said
to God, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother
conceive me,” and Paul wrote, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in
which you once walked” (Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:1-2b). But at some point, a
seed of faith is planted within that heart, pressed into the soil by the
preaching of the gospel. Then, miraculously, life begins, and God gives growth.
The seed emerges as a fragile confidence in God’s works and ways that must be
carefully tended as it grows in strength and stature. As time passes, as the
believer is nourished by spiritual food, he puts down deep roots, he stretches
up far out of the soil, he bears leaves, blossoms, and then fruit. The inert
little seed grows into a thriving, towering tree, so that the “righteous
flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted
in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God” (Psalm
92:12-13).
The
life of a tree begins when water courses over a seed. In much the same way, the
Christian life begins the moment the gospel stirs a hardened heart. Then it
continues to the very moment God calls his loved one home. While those two
moments—our regeneration and glorification—may be separated by days or decades,
all that lies between is the slow, steady growth that makes up the life of the
believer. The Christian’s lifelong challenge is to “work out his own salvation
with fear and trembling,” to discover and apply the means of spiritual growth
so he can become ever-more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Philippians
2:12, Romans 8:29).
In this
new collection of articles, I plan to look at a series of rules or instructions
for growing in godliness. I have adapted them from a preacher who lived and
died centuries ago, an eminent theologian whose works were once praised by
Charles Spurgeon as “a happy union of sound doctrine, heart-searching
experience and practical wisdom.” His name is Thomas Watson, and among his
voluminous writings is a short work called The Godly Man’s Picture.
Near the end of that book, included almost as an afterthought, is a short
chapter in which Watson recommends some means to foster growth in godliness. He
lists eight rules, describing each in a brief paragraph of no more than three
or four sentences. His rules are helpful, his instructions excellent, but his
words archaic and too few. For that reason I have taken the foundation he laid
and have built upon it. I am confident, as was Watson, that these rules are key
to the spiritual growth and prosperity of God’s people. They are as follows:
- Trust
the Means of Grace
- Guard
Against Worldliness
- Think
Holy Thoughts
- Watch
for Temptation
- Ponder
the Brevity of Life
- Redeem
Your Time
- Fellowship
with Godly People
- Purpose
To Be Godly
These
are eight rules for growing in godliness, not eight secrets or eight riddles.
God makes plain to us the way to holiness, the path to conformity with his Son.
We teach every child to plant a seed, to rely on sun and water, to watch with
excitement and anticipation until the seed bursts out of the soil to grow into
a tall, strong plant. So we must teach every Christian to rely on the means through
which God nourishes and strengthens his people, causing them to grow up in
holiness and godliness. I hope you’ll join me as we examine them together.
RULE #1 TRUST
THE MEANS OF GRACE
The great goal of the Christian life is to be conformed
to the image of Jesus Christ. The Christian longs to be influenced by Christ to
such an extent that every thought is one Jesus would think, that every action
is one he would take. Such conformity depends upon a renewed mind, for it is
only once our minds are renewed that our desires and actions can follow (Romans
12:2). The Christian life, then, is one of taking off the “old self with its
practices” and putting on “the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in
the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:9-10).
So noble a goal can only be achieved with great effort
and lifelong commitment, for we are sinful people, only recently liberated from
our captivity to the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Christian life is not
a leisurely stroll but a purposeful journey. Jesus tells us we must “strive to
enter through the narrow door,” knowing that the Christian life permits no
complacency, that salvation must be “worked out,” not waited out (Luke 13:24;
Philippians 2:12). The Christian is not a passive spectator in sanctification
but an active participant.
We are looking at “8 Rules for Growing in Godliness,” a
series of instructions for becoming increasingly conformed to the image of
Jesus Christ. (Here’s the Introduction to the series.) The first rule for
growing in godliness is this: Trust the means of grace. Every Christian is
responsible to diligently search out and discover the disciplines through which
God grants increased godliness. Then he is to make a lifelong, whole-hearted
commitment to each of them.
How Do Christians Grow?
With spiritual growth comes increased knowledge of God,
trust in God, and conformity to God. The one who had little knowledge of God’s
works and ways comes to know them both deeply. The one of weak faith comes to
have immovable trust. The one who was depraved in desire and behavior comes to
display Christ-like character and conduct. Such growth leads inexorably to
delight, for to know and to imitate God is to enjoy him.
Though growth may come through other means, God promises
growth will come through these ones.
How, then, can we experience such an increase in
knowledge, trust, conformity, and delight? Primarily through what we call
“means of grace,” disciplines through which God communicates his sanctifying
grace to us. While there are many such means, we can summarize them under three
headings: Word, prayer, and fellowship. They are experienced in private
devotion, family and corporate worship, and whenever we are with other
Christians. Though growth may come through other means, God promises growth
will come through these ones. J.C. Ryle speaks of their importance when he
says, “I lay it down as a simple matter of fact that no one who is careless
about such things must ever expect to make much progress in sanctification. I
can find no record of any eminent saint who ever neglected them.”
Ordinary Means
Christians have often referred to these activities as the
ordinary means of grace. The word ordinary is meant to address the common
temptation to lose confidence in the means God has ordained, and to look instead
to those that are foreign or forbidden. Deeply embedded within the sinful human
heart is a desire for more than God has mandated, for other than what God has
prescribed. Though God gave Adam and Eve knowledge of good, their sinful
temptation was to add to it the knowledge of evil. When God held back nothing
except the fruit of a single tree, they found themselves obsessed with that
very one. Similarly, we may grow weary of entrusting ourselves to the ordinary
ministry of the Word and veer instead into mysticism. We may grow discouraged
in our ordinary prayers and search for new forms of communication with God. We
may grow weary of worshipping in Christian community and pursue selfish
worship.
Yet God means for us to commit ourselves to these activities,
to trust that they are the means through which he accomplishes his work within
us. His extraordinary work is achieved through ordinary means. Thus, we must
not only make use of the means of grace but trust them. We must trust they are
God’s appointed means to promote zeal for godliness, to foster godliness, and
to preserve godliness to the end.
God’s Means
God’s means of grace are the Word, prayer, and
fellowship. These, according to John MacArthur, are the “instruments through
which God’s Spirit graciously grows believers in Christlikeness and fortifies
them in the faith and conforms them into the image of the Son.” Ryle describes
them as “appointed channels through which the Holy Spirit conveys fresh
supplies of grace to the soul and strengthens the work which He has begun in
the inward man.” Let’s look briefly at each of them.
As Christians we are, and must always be, people of The
Book.
Word. The Word of God, the Bible, is God’s revelation to
humanity—his revelation of himself, his character, and his works. It is his
voice to the world. And it is through the Bible, more than any other means,
that God sanctifies us. The Bible first reveals the gospel, which is “the power
of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). We cannot be saved without it. Then it is
“profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness,” so that every Christian may be “complete, equipped for every
good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We cannot grow in godliness without it.
Therefore, the Bible must be read, taught, absorbed, and applied. We must read
it as individuals, families, and churches. Parents must teach it to their
children, pastors to their congregations, Christians to their peers. We must
meditate upon it, diligently and prayerfully seeking to understand it, and we
must apply it, shaping our lives according to its every truth and every
command. As Christians we are, and must always be, people of The Book.
Prayer. As the Bible is the means through which God
speaks to humanity, prayer is the means through which we speak to God.
Christians are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to make life a
conversation in which we hear from God and speak in return, or in which we
speak to God and hear in return. We are to offer prayers of adoration, confession,
thanksgiving, intercession, and supplication. We are to pray privately, with
our family, with our friends, and with our congregation, to pray both as
individuals and gathered congregations. In certain seasons, we are to pray with
fasting, specially consecrating ourselves to the work of prayer. As we pray,
God blesses us with increased trust in him, increased fellowship with him, and
increased confidence in his character and works.
Fellowship. When we become Christians, we enter into a
fellowship of believers that spans the earth and the ages. We grow in godliness
in community, not isolation. This is why the author of Hebrews wrote, “Let us
consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to
meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all
the more as you see the Day drawing near” (10:24-25). It is in Christian
community that we read the Word and hear it preached (2 Timothy 4:2), that we
join our voices together in prayer (Acts 4:24), that we sing praises to God
(Colossians 3:16), that we bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), speak
truth to one another (Ephesians 4:25), and encourage one another (1
Thessalonians 5:11). It is here that we celebrate the ordinances of the Lord’s
Supper and baptism, and here that we experience the blessings of church
membership and the tough love of church discipline. The Bible knows nothing of
Christians who willfully separate themselves from Christian fellowship. It is a
means through which God pours out his sanctifying grace upon us and through us.
Conclusion
Ray Ortlund points out that the means of grace are God’s
answer to questions every Christian must ask: “How do I, as a believer, access
the grace of the Lord for my many needs? Where do I go, what do I do, to
connect with the real help He gives to sinners and sufferers here in this
world?” We access the Lord’s grace and receive the Lord’s help through these
ordinary means. We cannot expect to grow or thrive apart from them. But we can
confidently expect to grow and thrive in proportion to the degree we commit
ourselves to them, for God has ordained them for this very purpose.
Thus, the first rule of godliness is trust the ordinary
means of grace. We must take full advantage of the disciplines God provides,
and we must ensure we do not lose our confidence that God can and will work
through such ordinary means. It is his desire and delight to do so.
The “8 Rules for Growing in Godliness” are drawn from the
work of Thomas Watson. Here are the words that inspired this article: “Be
diligent in the use of all means that may promote godliness, Luke xiii. 24.
‘Strive to enter in at the strait gate:’ what is purpose without pursuit? When
you have made your estimate of godliness, prosecute those mediums which are most
expedient for obtaining it.”
RULE #2 GUARD
AGAINST WORLDLINESS
There are certain words and ideas that, over time, fall
out of favor. Once they have fallen out of favor, it is not long before they
fall out of common parlance. Sometimes, when words are archaic or their ideas
unbiblical, this is the church’s gain. At other times, though, this is the
church’s loss, for words may be useful and their ideas key to the Christian
life and faith. At such times we do well to reclaim them, to introduce them to
a new generation.
Worldliness is a word and idea that has been recently
neglected. Perhaps this is because it was abused in the era of fundamentalism,
when innocuous pleasures were held to be dangerous distractions. Or perhaps
this is because we prefer not to feel the weight of its conviction. Perhaps
this is the work of Satan, who wishes to mask one of his masterpieces. Either
way, the Bible has much to say about the world and its influence upon us. It
has much to say about how we can and must refuse to be of the world, even while
we live in the world.
In this article, we continue our “8 Rules for Growing in
Godliness,” a series of instructions drawn from a great preacher of days gone
by. Together these rules teach how we, as Christians, can be ever more
conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. The second rule for growing in
godliness is this: Guard against worldliness.
The World and Worldliness
In his first letter, the Apostle John lays out the
challenge and the danger of worldliness. “Do not love the world or the things in
the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1
John 2:15). There is a stark contrast here between two opposing options: We can
love the world, or we can love God, but we cannot love both. We can follow and
obey the world, or we can follow and obey God, but we cannot serve two masters.
Only one will own our heart, only one can claim our ultimate allegiance. That
choice lies before us.
What is the “world”? In days past, some Christians took
it to mean the earth and everything in it, as if there is something
intrinsically wrong with experiencing pleasure in God’s creation. But this
cannot be, for John would not contradict Paul who insists, “everything created
by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with
thanksgiving…” (1 Timothy 4:4). The “world,” then, is not a place but a system.
It is a way of thinking and living that rejects God’s rule. It is enthusiasm
for the temporal and apathy for the eternal. It is living as if this world is
all there is. To love the world is to value what unbelievers value, to foster
ungodly desires and attitudes, to indulge in what is delightful to those who
refuse to delight in God.
Worldliness is a failure to renew our minds by the Word
of God so we can live in a manner pleasing to God.
Those who love the world naturally succumb to
worldliness. Worldliness is a failure to renew our minds by the Word of God so
we can live in a manner pleasing to God. It is the failure to think and live in
distinctly godly ways. It is the failure to become who God has called us to be
through the gospel.
Worldliness is first a matter of the heart’s desires,
then the mind’s meditations, then the hands’ actions. We all enter this world
as lovers of the world who are in desperate need of salvation. It is only God’s
work of saving grace that allows us to see our captivity, only the light of the
gospel that frees us from our former blindness. Every Christian must then put
off the old worldliness to embrace the new godliness. Thus, we have the choice before
us: Will we be worldly, or will we be godly? Will we remain conformed to this
world, or will we be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)? We
make the decision once and for all when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, and
we make the decision again day by day as we battle to work out our salvation by
putting sin to death and coming alive to righteousness (Philippians 2:12,
Colossians 3:9-10).
Christians who mean to grow in godliness must be vigilant
to guard against worldliness, for worldliness is a wily foe and a constant
tempter. Few who profess Christ set out to be worldly, yet multitudes bear the
world’s imprint. Just as some jump off the dock into a cold lake, while others
creep down the ladder so their bodies can adjust, some who profess faith plunge
into worldliness rapidly, while others become worldly through a long and slow
immersion.
Some make a close study of the world and its ways, then
deliberately imitate what they observe. We see this often with those raised in
Christian families, ready to gain their independence. They purpose to be
worldly and easily achieve their goal. They inevitably drift from the faith.
Tragically, many are lost forever.
More commonly, though, Christians become worldly by
neglect. We fail to be watchful, to maintain an offensive posture against the
world’s attraction and intrusion. We neglect the means of grace, allowing
ourselves to lose confidence in the ordinary means of Word, prayer, and
fellowship. Having lost our confidence in them, we soon forsake them
altogether. We neglect to approach ungodly entertainment with due caution, so
that what at first shocks us soon amuses and delights us. We neglect Christian
friendship and instead ally ourselves with people who have no affection for God
and no desire for holiness. Through such neglect we slowly lower ourselves into
the waters of worldliness. Soon, we find sin has begun to look attractive and
holiness has begun to look futile.
Expelling Worldliness
To be healthy and growing Christians, we must maintain a
close watch, guarding against the least encroachment of worldliness. We must be
aware of its existence and its allure. We must be aware of its ease, for while
godliness requires tenacity, worldliness takes only apathy. Whereas we can
easily coast into worldliness, we will not attain the least godliness without
persistence. And we must be aware that either godliness will drive out
worldliness, or worldliness will drive out godliness. They cannot coexist any
more than light can mingle with darkness, than God can cohabit with devils.
Ultimately, it is our love for Christ that will overcome
our latent worldliness.
Ultimately, it is our love for Christ that will overcome
our latent worldliness. Our new affection for Christ has what one Puritan
referred to as an “expulsive power,” an ability to expel whatever competes with
it, diminishes it, or threatens to supplant it. Thus it becomes our duty and
delight to fix our eyes on Christ. “In this duty I desire to live and to die,”
said John Owen. “On Christ’s glory I would fix all my thoughts and desires, and
the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this
world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this
world. It will become to me like something dead and putrid, impossible for me
to enjoy.”
Conclusion
The first rule of godliness warned us of our tendency to
lose our confidence in the means God has provided for our sanctification. The
second rule warns us against spiritual slumber, of failing to maintain a close
watch against a fearsome, cunning enemy. If you long to be godly, determine not
to be worldly. Guard against the least encroachment of worldliness and fight
for every appearance of godliness.
RULE
#3 THINK HOLY THOUGHTS
The Christian life is one of continually growing in
obedience to God, of diligently working out the salvation Christ accomplished
on our behalf. This work of sanctification begins at the moment of
justification and ends only at the moment of final glorification. Between these
moments, we are engaged in what one author has insightfully called “a long
obedience in the same direction.” This obedience begins first in our heads and
then works itself out into our hearts and hands, for to have renewed desires
and renewed actions, we must first have renewed minds.
We are continuing our “8 Rules for Growing in Godliness,”
a series of instructions for how to grow in conformity to Jesus Christ. We have
seen that God calls us to trust the means of grace for our sanctification and
tells us that we must battle hard against worldliness if we are to attain any
measure of godliness. Our third rule for growing in godliness is this: Think
holy thoughts. As we will see, we must think a particular kind of holy thought
if we are to experience great progress in our sanctification.
Unholy Thoughts
In our naturally sinful condition, our thoughts are only
ever unholy, only ever opposed to God. It was God’s damning indictment of
humanity that “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually” (Genesis 6:5). The Apostle Paul, tracing humanity’s slide into
ever-deeper depths of depravity, described it this way: “For although they knew
God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became
futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to
be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:21-22). Even the wisest thoughts are
foolish when they fail to acknowledge God.
In our natural condition, we are without hope, for “the
god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from
seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”
(2 Corinthians 4:4). With our minds blinded, we have no desire and no ability
to do those things that honor God. To the contrary, we serve our master, the “god
of this world,” in continual acts of rebellion.
When God’s light pierces the gloom of our darkened minds,
we then begin to understand and believe what is true.
By God’s power, the gospel breaks through our hard hearts
with glorious light. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has
shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). When God’s light pierces the
gloom of our darkened minds, we then begin to understand and believe what is
true. Thus, the Christian life is one that first depends on a renewed mind. “So
we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is
being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). As that inner self is renewed over
the course of a lifetime, we amass a growing desire to know the will of God and
a greater ability to actually do it.
Holy Thoughts
If we are to live holy lives, we must think holy
thoughts, for the renewal of a life can progress no further than the renewal of
the mind that informs and guides it. There is benefit in thinking all manner of
holy thoughts and pondering all that is good and lovely. Paul says, “Set your
minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians
3:2). We are to elevate our minds, to turn them away from lesser things to
ponder Christ and what he has done. In another place Paul says, “Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any
excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things”
(Philippians 4:8). In all of life, we are to find delight in pondering what
pleases God.
But here we speak of a particular manner and method of
holy thought: set aside time in which we deliberately consider our minds, our
motives, our desires, our actions, and our sanctification. Guided by the Bible
and aided by prayer, we devote time to think over our lives and consider
whether they are aligned with a life worthy of the gospel. We ponder Christ and
discern whether our lives have been transformed into his image or conformed to
the world. It is far too easy for us to slip into complacency, to drift with
the same worldliness and apathy that marks the world. This practice of thinking
holy thoughts allows us to stop, examine ourselves, and turn our course toward
God’s path of holiness and joy.
In Psalm 119, David tells of his commitment to this
practice. “When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies. I
hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments” (Psalm 119:59-60). David is
undoubtedly reflecting on times in the past when he had been wandering from the
will and ways of God. He may have been purposefully violating God’s
commandments and hardened in his sin, or he may have been transgressing God’s
will through simple ignorance or careless neglect. Regardless, when he engaged
his mind in evaluating his attitudes and actions, he soon saw that he had
erred. When he pondered his ways, he came to see the evil of sin and the beauty
of obedience.
Having seen his error, David responded without delay. He
allowed no complacency, permitted no procrastination. He dealt ruthlessly with
his sin, putting it to death immediately so he could come alive to righteousness.
And now he tells of his determination to live in this way, to find delight in
continually evaluating himself by the light of God’s Word. In another Psalm, he
declares his desire that every word he speaks and every thought he thinks will
be acceptable to God (Psalm 19:14). Yet he knows for this to happen, he must
diligently apply himself to the Word, for only then will he be able to discern
his errors, only then will he be freed from the dominion of sin, only then will
he be blameless before God (Psalm 19:13-14).
Much of our sin arises and persists because we do not
seriously consider our ways.
Much of our sin arises and persists because we do not
seriously consider our ways. We do not diligently compare our actions with the
Word of God. We do not apply ourselves to thinking holy thoughts. And without
such discipline, we continue on in our sin and unholiness. We neglect this
practice because our lives are busy, our minds are scattered, and our hearts
are burdened with the cares of this world. But this is all the more reason to
make time for reflection, for meditation, for self-evaluation.
Conclusion
The Christian is visibly distinguished from the
unbeliever in his actions. This is why Peter can say, “Keep your conduct among
the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they
may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter
2:12). Yet the Christian is first invisibly distinguished from the unbeliever
in his mind, for the desire to do deeds that accomplish good for others and
bring glory to God must arise from a transformed mind. Only a mind that has
been pierced by God’s light and dazzled by a sight of Christ can desire
something so selfless, so noble. The mind’s renewal depends upon the practice
of thinking holy thoughts, of deliberately applying the light of God’s Word so
it can search our hearts and lives, so it can expose all that is foreign, all
that is sinful, all that does not belong. We would do well to make David’s
prayer and practice our own: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and
know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).
The “8 Rules for Growing in Godliness” are drawn from the
work of Thomas Watson. Here are the words that inspired this article: “Inure
yourselves to holy thoughts: serious meditation represents every thing in its
native colour; it shows an evil in sin, and a lustre in grace. By holy thoughts
the head grows clearer, and the heart better, Psal. cxix. 59. ‘I thought on my
ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.’ Did men step aside a little out
of the noise and hurry of business, and spend but half an hour every day in
thinking about their souls and eternity, it would produce a wonderful
alteration in them, and tend very much to a real and blessed conversion.”
Rule #4 WATCH FOR TEMPTATION
It is the deep longing of every Christian to be like
Jesus, to imitate the one who perfectly obeyed God and perfectly fulfilled all
righteousness. We long to be “transformed into the same image from one degree
of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is our longing because this is
our purpose. According to Calvin, God means to “bring our lives into harmony
and agreement with His own righteousness, and so to manifest to ourselves and
others our identity as His adopted children.”
One of the means God uses to conform us to the image of
Jesus Christ is temptation. Though we must never seek or desire it, still we have
the confidence that God redeems the crucible of temptation to refine his
people, to remove their sin, and to instill his righteousness within them.
While we would never choose to be tempted, still we see how God uses it to
accomplish his good purposes within us. We do not become conformed to Christ
apart from temptation, but through it.
We are now well advanced in our series, “8 Rules for
Growing in Godliness.” These are instructions for the Christian to live a life
that is pleasing to God. We have come now to the fourth rule for growing in
godliness: Watch for temptation.
Temptation
No Christian wants to be tempted, yet every Christian
will be tempted. In fact, every Christian will inevitably endure times of
grueling temptation, when the opportunity to sin and even the desire to sin are
nearly overwhelming. The Bible promises that temptations will arise from within
and from without, for the Christian’s great enemies—the world, the flesh, and
the devil—are arrayed against us, each attacking with its own weapon of sinful
desire. Each day and each hour, we find our hearts stirred for those things God
forbids. Such is life as sinful people in a sinful world.
If we are to endure and resist temptation, to come out of
temptation refined and not ruined, we must take an offensive posture against
it. We do this by watchfulness, by praying against temptation, and by studying
our hearts for the first signs of its stirrings.
Watchful Prayer
Christ calls us to be watchful. He tells us to prepare
for the temptation that will inevitably come against us by praying against both
the Tempter and his temptations. Complacency here is the height of folly, the
height of arrogance.
Every temptation is an opportunity to resist, to obey,
and to grow in conformity to Christ Jesus.
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he told them to
plead, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).
Of course, the sinless God would never tempt his people to sin, “for God cannot
be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). Yet God does
test our faith, and at times these tests expose inner weaknesses that generate
the opportunity and desire to sin. Even then, these temptations are not God’s
fault but our own, for “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by
his own desire” (James 1:14). Still, we are to “count it joy” when we meet
trials and temptations, knowing that these tests product steadfastness and that
steadfastness, in turn, causes us to grow in spiritual maturity (James 1:3-4). Every
temptation is an opportunity to resist, to obey, and to grow in conformity to
Christ Jesus.
Thus, we are to pray each day that God would keep us from
temptations that might overwhelm us. John Stott summarizes the petition in this
way: “Do not allow us so to be led into temptation that it overwhelms us, but
rescue us from the evil one.” Jesus instructed his disciples, “Watch and pray
that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). They did not pray, they did enter into temptation,
and because of their lack of watchfulness, they fell into terrible, avoidable
sin. If only they had strengthened themselves with prayer, they might have held
fast! Those who will not pray against temptation cannot expect to endure it.
“Therefore, stay awake” (Matthew 24:42a)!
Watchful Self-Examination
At times, temptation will seem to come from nowhere and
overwhelm us, like a tsunami sweeping over shore. But more commonly,
temptations follow established patterns and take advantage of known weaknesses.
We prepare ourselves to endure and resist temptation through the watchfulness
of self-examination, which involves knowing our sinful inclinations and how we
have succumbed to temptation in the past. When water comes to the desert, it
flows through established stream beds, even if they have long since run dry. In
the same way, temptation tends to follow established patterns, to take
advantage of deep-rooted habits. Peter warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your
enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to
devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
To maintain watchfulness, we must first know our
individual inclinations to sin. Such self-knowledge comes from looking deep
within, for sin does not begin with our actions, but with our hearts. Jesus
said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual
immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19). The heart is the
seat of our emotions and desires, our spiritual control center. And it is from
the heart that sin springs up, for what the heart desires, the hands soon
perform. Whenever our hands turn toward sin, we know our hearts have already
turned. So we must go to the source. We must first know our heart’s sinful
inclinations and its patterns that have led us to sin in the past.
Then, like guards in a tower watching for the smallest
sign of the enemy’s approach, we must watch for the least stirrings of
temptation, the smallest opportunity for sin. We must watch our thoughts,
knowing that our imaginations are often engaged long before our bodies. When
evil thoughts arise, we must immediately turn our hearts to what is good and
true and pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8). We must watch our eyes, refusing to
see what might arouse temptation, and our ears, refusing to hear what is crass
and unfitting (Ephesians 5:1-13). We must guard ourselves from environments
where temptation can rush upon us (Genesis 39:7-10). Through it all, we must be
realistic and self-aware. Because of God’s grace, we are strong enough to
endure some kinds of temptation. Because of our depravity, we must—at all
costs—flee from other kinds temptations that can quickly ensnare us (1
Corinthians 6:18, 10:14).
All the while we must plead for God’s help, for we are
too sinful and too self-interested to have the clear sight we need. Without his
help, we cannot always identify evil thoughts, and we cannot adequately guard
our eyes and ears. Without his help we may not even be able to recognize a
temptation as it rushes toward us. But God knows even the deepest secrets of
the heart and exposes them through his Word (Psalm 44:21). As we prayerfully
and meditatively approach God’s Word, we find that it “is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of
spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of
the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Thus, we watch in prayer, and we watch in
self-examination. We watch against anything that might tempt us away from
godliness, away from conformity to our Savior.
Conclusion
Even as we endure temptation, God offers us his kind
assurance that no sin is more powerful than his grace. “No temptation has
overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let
you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also
provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians
10:13). While we must be tempted, yielding to those temptations is never
inevitable—not if we watch against them in prayer and self-examination. It is
God’s desire and delight to preserve us from the consequences of succumbing to
temptation and to grant us the benefit of enduring them. Christian, watch!
Watch for temptation, for most sin is committed precisely because we did not
watch.
RULE
#5 PONDER THE BREVITY OF LIFE
The
Bible uses a number of metaphors to describe the Christian life, and among the
most prominent is that of runners in a race (e.g., 1 Corinthians 9:24, Hebrews
12:1). The “race” is a vivid image meant to remind us that Christians face
competition, need endurance, and require diligence. Life is not a leisurely
stroll, but a grueling race. From this metaphor, we also learn that just as
each step brings runners closer to the end of their race, each moment brings
Christians closer to the end of their life.
Life is
fragile and fleeting. We are mortal people living in weak bodies and facing a
perilous journey through time. For some, this journey will last only a few
years. For others, it will last many decades. But for all, it will some day
come to a close. As runners eventually cross the finish line, so Christians
eventually close their eyes in death. Until then, their great desire is to grow
in conformity to Christ. They do this while racing the clock and maintaining an
awareness of their own mortality. They long to grow in conformity to Christ to
the greatest degree possible in the short time available to them.
This
article carries on our series, “8 Rules for Growing in Godliness.” We have seen
that if we wish to grow in godliness, we must trust the means of grace, guard
against worldliness, think holy thoughts, and diligently watch for temptation.
The fifth rule is this: Ponder the brevity of life.
Consider How Short Life Is
Even
the longest life is too short, for we were made to live forever. God promised
that sin would bring death, and God always keeps his word (Genesis 2:17). Sure
enough, the day Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, death entered the world.
It has never left. Our first parents died, as did each of their descendants.
So, too, will we. Like the sun that rises sets again, the life that begins must
also end. And death always comes too soon.
Aware
of death’s inevitability, we must discipline ourselves to ponder just how short
our lives will be. Though our hearts are set on immortality, we are heading
toward certain mortality (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Hebrews 9:27). Moses says, “The
years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their
span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalm
90:10).
David
laments the human condition when he prays: “Our days on the earth are like a
shadow, and there is no abiding” (1 Chronicles 29:15). A shadow has no
substance, it is fleeting and ephemeral, and it cannot be grasped before it
fades away. Life, too, is transient, and it will soon fade away to death.
Job
compared time to a runner, a skiff, and an eagle: “My days are swifter than a
runner; they flee away; they see no good. They go by like skiffs of reed, like
an eagle swooping on the prey” (Job 9:25-26). As a man runs on land, and as
skiff glides across the water, as an eagle swoops in the air, so time races by.
Yet time is different in one essential way. The runner can retrace his steps
and go back to the starting line, the skiff can turn and make progress against
the flow, the eagle can rise again. But time only goes forward, never back.
Consider How Little Time You Have Left
We
should not only consider the brevity of life, but also how much of our short
lives have already elapsed. Job says, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s
shuttle and come to their end without hope” (Job 7:6). Our days race by, each
seeming to go faster than the one before. The long, leisurely summer days of
youth are soon but a distant memory. The college years fade into the distance
behind us. Our babies soon grow into adults and bear babies of their own.
Youthful vigor is replaced by the fear and feebleness of old age. We learn, to
our surprise, just how short a dash separates the day of birth from the day of
death.
We do
well to ponder what we have done with the time given to us, as well as the
talents, gifts, and opportunities bestowed upon us. Have we redeemed the time
by using our talents, by blessing others with our gifts, by making the most of
every opportunity? Such reflection must provoke lament and confession for time
misspent, talent wasted, gifts neglected, opportunity squandered. Such
confession is not meant to lead to hopelessness but to repentance and
recommitment. God freely forgives us and sets us back on our way, telling us to
make our final days our most significant.
Consider Your Uncertain End
Finally,
we do well to consider that we do not know how much time we have left. “So
teach us to number our days,” says Moses (Psalm 90:12). Life is short, and we
have already lived so much of it. Only God knows whether we have decades
remaining or mere moments. “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What
is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then
vanishes” (James 4:14).
With
such thoughts fixed firmly in our minds, we must not allow ourselves to waste a
moment or to indulge a single sin. What if Christ returns, and we are not
prepared? “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,” says Jesus,
“and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding
feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks”
(Luke 12:35-36). What if death comes before we are ready? Paul says, “I
discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I
myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). What if the end comes
suddenly while we are trapped in habits and patterns of sin? “For you are all
children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the
darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be
sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:5-6).
Such
considerations are meant to drive us to quick repentance and to motivate a deep
longing for godliness. “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at
an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40). Are we ready?
Conclusion
This
life is a race, a race against time, a race to become like Christ as we sprint
toward Christ. Even the greatest believers will still be laden by sin as they
cross the finish and receive their crown. The holiest saints will still be
stained with sin, drawn to evil. It is only in the presence of Christ where
they will experience final deliverance from the power of sin and final
transformation to complete holiness. Yet there is much we can and must
accomplish in the meantime, and our usefulness to Christ’s purposes depends
upon our holiness. Such holiness demands that we ponder the short time given to
us, that we consider what we have done with it, that we commit to making the
most of what remains. To grow in godliness, we must diligently ponder the brevity
of life.
RULE
#6 – REDEEM YOUR TIME
Our digital world is both a blessing and a curse for our
growth in godliness. Today’s Christians have more sound, biblical resources at
the tips of their fingers than all of our forefathers could have imagined.
Through our phones, we can keep in constant touch with distant fellow
Christians and benefit from the spiritual gifts of believers all across the
globe. But our digital world can also hinder our growth, for godliness requires
diligence and focus—qualities that are rare today. Godliness requires training,
and training takes time. So in an age in which we always carry convenient
distractions in our pockets, our growth in godliness will require us to reject
the trivial and redeem every minute.
We are continuing to progress through our series, “8
Rules for Growing in Godliness.” In our last entry, we learned that we must
ponder the brevity of life. We must diligently consider how short our lives
are, confess how little we have done with our time, and acknowledge that we do
not know how much time remains. With such thoughts fixed firmly in our minds,
we come now to our sixth rule for growing in godliness: Redeem your time.
The Use and Misuse of Time
The value of any commodity is related to its availability
and desirability. Diamonds are precious because they are both scarce and
desirable; sand is cheap because it is abundant, and we don’t care to
accumulate it. Time is the most precious commodity of all, for its supply is
scarce and finite, and we all desire to have more of it than we are given. “Man
is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow”, says the psalmist
(144:4). Time’s value derives from how much we desire to remain within it and
how much we fear to run out of it. Of all we hold dear, time is most cherished.
Yet, just as the ownership of gold by no means guarantees
the noble use of that gold, the fact that we are given time does not guarantee
that we will make the best use of it. Like any other commodity and any other
blessing, time can be used or wasted, improved or squandered. And too often we
squander it. Sometimes we squander it by committing it to sinful passions and
pursuits—pursuing illicit sexual pleasures or illegal forms of financial gain.
Sometimes we squander it by dedicating too much of it to lesser, frivolous
pursuits—precious hours spent on hobbies, entertainment, and endlessly
scrolling through social media. Other times, we squander it by intentionally or
unintentionally neglecting the matters of first importance—the nurturing of our
souls through Word, prayer, and fellowship. Time can be wasted in a million
different ways.
Time is precious and is to be received and
redeemed—received in trust and redeemed to the highest possible purposes.
Paul lays down the challenge for all Christians when he
says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the
best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). Time is
precious and is to be received and redeemed—received in trust and redeemed to
the highest possible purposes.
The Stewardship of Time
The fact that we enter and leave this world empty-handed
reminds us that there is nothing we actually own. Rather, all we have has been
entrusted to us by our Creator who made it, owns it, and distributes it
according to his good pleasure and good purposes. Our bodies, our money, our
marriages, our families are all given in trust. So, too, does God entrust time
to us. We are not owners of our time, but stewards. We prove ourselves devoted
stewards when we manage our time faithfully.
Just as money is endowed to a college to further
particular programs or support certain kinds of students, time is given to us
to accomplish specific purposes. We are to use our time to carry out the
Creation Mandate, to subdue this earth and to fill it. Thus, we long to
progress and mature, educating ourselves, settling into our vocations, forming
families, building church communities, and so on. We are to use our time to
carry out the Great Commission, to reach neighborhoods and nations with the
good news of Jesus Christ.
But for us to be faithful in these tasks, we must also
commit ourselves to growing in godliness, for our success in carrying out our
mandate and commission depends on our Christ-likeness. Therefore, we must
employ our time to putting to death what is earthly in us—“sexual immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Equally,
time gives opportunity to “put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness,” and every other virtue
(Colossians 3:5, 12). Every day brings the opportunity to take hold of the
sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit and to join with him in working out our
salvation through killing sin and fostering holiness.
Thus, we must use our time for self-examination, to
ensure that we are trusting in Christ alone for salvation, that our deepest
desires are for Christ-likeness, and that we are responding to his Spirit as he
encourages us toward godliness. We must use our time for communion, to read and
meditate upon God’s Word, to pray, fast, and worship. We must use our time for
service, to plead for the souls of those who have not yet turned to Christ and
to do what strengthens the weak, encourages the downcast, what draws back the
wandering. We must use our time for rest, to confidently enjoy recreation to
the degree that it refreshes us to continue on in the work God has given us.
Time is to be received in trust. As a master distributes
money to his servants for safekeeping and gives to some lesser and some greater
amounts, God distributes time to his people. Some are given more and some are
given less, but all are expected to receive it as a gift from his hand and to
put it to use for the furtherance of his purposes. Only those who receive it in
trust and invest it well can expect to hear the master say, “Well done, good
and faithful servant.”
Conclusion
In former days, wax was used to seal important documents.
In itself, a stick of wax had no great value or significance. But when dripped
onto a document and stamped with a seal, suddenly it took on the highest
significance. A mere piece of paper was transformed into the final will and
testament of a great man, a brief dispatch into a king’s orders to his army. In
much the same way, time takes its value from what can be written in it, from
what it is meant to accomplish. Time is to be put to use in growing in
conformity to Jesus Christ, first in our character and then in our conduct. God
has so ordained it that we cannot hope to grow in character or conduct apart
from the passing of time, for putting off the old man and putting on the new is
the labor of a lifetime.
We are all given just one life. Time moves only forward
and elapses in a manner known only to God. In the words of the hymn writer,
“Time, like an ever rolling stream, / Bears all its sons away; / They fly,
forgotten, as a dream / Dies at the opening day.” We are all borne away, but
only after we have lived lives that are both heartbreakingly short and laden
with the greatest significance. In the meantime, we must redeem the time.
RULE
#7 – BUILD GODLY RELATIONSHIPS
An ember left alone will soon grow cold, but embers set
close together will continue to glow, to burn brightly, and even to set others
ablaze. Christians resemble embers, for we, too, must be set close together to
thrive. “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise” (Proverbs 13:20), which
means that those who walk with the godly become godly.” In fact, whoever longs
to be godly must walk with the godly, for God has decreed that godliness will
not be attained in isolation, but in community.
Today we continue to look at “8 Rules for Growing in
Godliness,” a series of instructions to lead us into ever-greater conformity to
the image of Jesus Christ. The seventh rule is this: Fellowship with godly
people.
Seasoned by the Seasoned
“You are the salt of the earth,” says Jesus to his
followers. “But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be
restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled
under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13). We Christians are the salt of the earth.
But in what way?
Though salt has many purposes, it is most commonly used
for flavoring and preserving. Salt flavors food, enhancing its natural flavor.
It also preserves food, preventing it from rotting. Christians, then, are to
season this ungodly world with the flavor of godliness and to preserve this
decaying world from fully following its destructive course. We do this by being
in but not of the world, by displaying godly character that contrasts with the
surrounding ungodliness.
But there is an ongoing challenge here, for we are prone
to conformity—conformity to the world instead of to Jesus Christ. As we stop
being salty, we begin to neglect our God-given calling. Though salt cannot
actually lose its salinity, it is prone to contamination and, in that way, can
become ineffective or even dangerous for either flavoring or preservation.
Likewise, Christians cannot actually lose their salvation, but they can slip
into patterns of neglect or ungodliness and, in that way, become ineffective or
even dangerous in carrying out the mission God has given us. Thus, we must be
salty, we must maintain those qualities that make us distinct from the world
around.
This saltiness also has an important function within the
community of Christians, for believers begin their Christian life lacking in
the distinctions that will flavor their lives with godliness and preserve them
for a lifetime. Much of their seasoning comes from the instruction and
imitation of those who are already seasoned, those who have long experience of
putting sin to death and coming alive to godliness. Christians must be seasoned
if they are to grow and endure, and this depends upon fellowship with godly
people. One of the ways we grow into conformity with Jesus Christ is by growing
into conformity with those who love him most and serve him best.
It is the responsibility of all Christians to fellowship
with godly people
This is why Paul instructs older men to first pursue
godliness and then to disciple younger men, teaching them to imitate such godly
character (Titus 2:2, 6). He also instructs older women to be godly and “train
the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled,
pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the
word of God may not be reviled” (4-5). It is the responsibility of all
Christians to fellowship with godly people, first to be taught and then to
teach, first to follow an example and then to set an example.
What We Lack, What We Need
New Christians set out conspicuously lacking in a number
of important qualities. To that point in their lives they have trained
themselves to think as unbelievers rather than as believers, and they have
accumulated patterns of depravity rather than godliness. They have much to
learn and unlearn. As Christians, they must now labor to stop being conformed
to the world but to instead be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Romans
12:2). To the degree that their minds are renewed their actions will follow
suit.
To experience this kind of renewal of mind and behavior,
Christians need the counsel of seasoned saints. They have much to learn but
little knowledge of God’s works and ways. They have important decisions to make
but little wisdom to draw upon. They have brothers and sisters to serve but
little love for God or man. So they must depend on those who have greater
knowledge, greater wisdom, and greater love, who can guide them in the way they
must go.
Christians need the prayers of seasoned saints. God
chooses to work through the prayers of his people. Christians must pray for one
another and with one another, committing their way to the Lord individually and
corporately. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is
working,” and none have greater need of prayer than those who are just being
established in their faith (James 5:16). Prayer is better caught than taught,
and the best school of prayer is hearing others seek the Lord in adoration,
confession, thanksgiving, intercession, and supplication.
Zeal is contagious, so they become righteously, helpfully
zealous as they surround themselves by zealous people.
Christians need the zeal of seasoned saints. Christian
zeal is exercising the fruit of the Spirit at a high level, engaging the whole
self in glorifying God by doing good to others. Zeal can be developed or
undeveloped, mature or immature, helpful or harmful. Believers learn from one
another both the importance of zeal and its right exercise. Zeal is contagious,
so they become righteously, helpfully zealous as they surround themselves by
zealous people.
Christians need the example of seasoned saints.
Christians are people of The Book, who deliberately immerse themselves in the
Word of God, trusting that it is both sufficient and necessary to guide them
into all godliness. Thus, they read it, study it, hear it preached, and
meditate upon it. Yet inevitably, many of its truths are learned by imitation,
which is why Paul would tell young Timothy to “set an example” and often tell
others, “Imitate me” (2 Timothy 4:12; 1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1). It is in the
Christian life that we see truth lived and godliness displayed. No matter how
old we are or how far along we are as Christians, we still need the example of
others to show us the way to endure trials, to live righteous lives, and to die
godly deaths.
Conclusion
If we are to become conformed to the image of Jesus
Christ, we must be in close fellowship with Christ’s people. We depend upon
their counsel, their prayers, their zeal, and their example. We depend upon
their love. Ultimately, we trust that just as Christ has worked in and through
them, he will work in and through us. For that reason we must deliberately be
among godly people, fellowshipping with them first in the context of the local
church. For it is in the local church that we stir up one another to love and
good deeds, here that we love and are loved, here that we live together in
community as we await the day of the Lord’s return (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Having committed to local church fellowship as a matter
of first priority, we can also pursue other Christian relationships with
friends or mentors, and we can even fellowship with the saints of old through
their books and sermons. Through it all, we love, appreciate, and pursue the
tremendous blessing of fellowship with the godly. We cannot expect to grow in
godliness without it.
RULE
#8 PURPOSE TO BE GODLY
We cannot overstate the importance of knowing our purpose.
There is no doubt our lives will go awry and even go to waste if we neglect to
learn the purpose for our existence and the purpose for our salvation. And
central to understanding our purpose is understanding why God placed us on this
earth. This is why the old catechism begins with the question of purpose: “What
is the chief end of man?” This is the question that has provided fodder for
theologians and philosophers since time immemorial.
Many believe the purpose of life is pleasure. Since we do
not know what lies beyond, they say, we owe it to ourselves to satiate our
thirst for pleasure with whatever appeals to mind or body. Perhaps this is what
the old sage calls for in Ecclesiastes: “I commend joy, for man has nothing
better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with
him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the
sun” (8:15). A man dying of thirst will wring out a moist cloth to gain the
very last drop of water. In the same way, many live for pleasure and die trying
to wring out every last pleasure before they depart into an unknown eternity.
Others fall on the opposite extreme, lauding austerity in place of pleasure,
monasticism in place of hedonism, less instead of more.
There is no greater pleasure than close fellowship with
our Creator and, therefore, no higher purpose than godliness.
There is a better answer that directs us to greater
pleasure. The catechism’s first answer summarizes the wisdom of the Bible and
calls us to something far more satisfying: Our purpose is to glorify God and
enjoy him forever. Godliness is the path to pleasure, for by godliness we
glorify God, and in glorifying God, we enjoy God. There is no greater pleasure
than close fellowship with our Creator and, therefore, no higher purpose than
godliness. As we come to the close of this series on “8 Rules for Growing in
Godliness,” we see that our final instruction is one that encapsulates them
all: Purpose to be godly.
The Power of Purpose
The old priest Zechariah was given a remarkable
privilege—the privilege of an unexpected son who would serve as the forerunner
to the Messiah. This son would be the voice crying, “In the wilderness prepare
the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah
40:3). This son would be the one to baptize Jesus so that Jesus, as our
substitute, could fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). And at John’s
birth, Zechariah suddenly found himself prophesying of this coming Messiah and
the purpose he would accomplish in and through the people he would save: “That
we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve [God] without
fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” (Luke 1:74-75).
We who are delivered from the world to be followers of
Christ have the privilege and responsibility to serve God in holiness and
righteousness, to be set apart for service to God by our conformity to God.
This is why God plants within each of his people a deep loathing for sin and a
great longing for godliness. The prayer of David should often be heard coming
from our lips: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be
acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). We,
too, should pray that all of us—our heart, our mouth, our inner man, and outer
man—are marked by God and consecrated to God.
When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are immediately
justified, declared righteous in the sight of God. Simultaneously, we receive
the guarantee that we will eventually be glorified, that we will some day be
perfected in the presence of God. But between the two lies the task of growing
in conformity to Jesus Christ. Between justification and glorification—each
accomplished in a moment—lies sanctification, which is accomplished in a
lifetime. This is a lifetime of relying on the Spirit, taking hold of his
promises and power, and joining with him in this great task.
This world is our training ground, in which we respond to
justification and ready ourselves for glorification. We do this by putting off
what we were and becoming what we are. We see this task pictured vividly in
Jesus’s friend Lazarus. Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days when
suddenly Jesus cried, “Lazarus, come out!” Miraculously, Lazarus heard and awoke
and breathed and rose. He came shuffling out of that dark tomb, eyes blinking
in the glaring light of day. “The man who had died came out, his hands and feet
bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them,
‘Unbind him, and let him go’” (John 11:44).
This life is a dressing room, in which we dress our souls
for eternity.
Lazarus emerged from his tomb wrapped in the clothes of a
dead man. But having returned to life, it was only fitting that his garments of
death be removed, so that he could be clothed in garments suited to a living
man. It would be absurd and inappropriate to go through life wearing the
clothes of death. And this is the task God gives us as Christians, to “put off
your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt
through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and
to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness
and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). This life is a dressing room, in which we
dress our souls for eternity.
The Need for Determination
To attire ourselves for eternity, we must approach
godliness with tenacity. We must be deliberate in our approach and determined
in our pursuit. The driver who takes his foot off the gas pedal will first
coast, then slow, then stop. Coming to a halt becomes inevitable the moment the
engine returns to idle. In much the same way, the Christian who loses his
determination to be godly will find his sanctification first slowing, then
stopping. Godliness always requires effort.
This is why, time and again, we have returned to
Philippians 2:12 and its instruction that we “work out” our salvation. This is
why Peter traces a steady, purposeful progression in the Christian life: “Make
every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and
steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and
brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8). Effort and increase, this is godly
living, for “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14 NIV).
Without effort and increase, we will only ever be ungodly and ineffective.
Conclusion
To be Christians who are growing in conformity to Jesus
Christ first requires us to know the sheer importance of godliness and then to
approach it with purpose, confidence, tenacity, determination. We must not
allow ourselves to be waylaid, interrupted, or distracted. We must be
single-minded in putting off all that smacks of the old man and his ways and
resolute in putting on all that is associated with the new.
Those who accumulate worldly treasures while neglecting
godliness have inverted and frustrated the very purpose for which they were
created. They may have gained the whole world, but in the end they will lose
their souls. “But godliness with contentment is great gain,” and those who
pursue godliness have set out upon the greatest task of all (1 Timothy 6:6).
These are the ones who succeed in finding and achieving the highest purpose.
These are the ones who will gain the immense privilege of glorifying God and enjoying
him forever.
