Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Deny the worldly system of religion


BEING WHO WE ARE "All who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (II Timothy 3:12). We are called to "live." We do not need a "form" (:5) for we have "life" (1:1). We are called simply to "be" – to be who and what we are "IN CHRIST." We are called just to "live…in Christ Jesus" (:12)! We are called to live in our COMPLETENESS in Him ("…complete in Him…" Colossians 2:10). We are called to enjoy HIM as our LIFE! ("…Christ, Who is our life…" Colossians 3:4). We are not just called to "live…in Christ Jesus," but to "live godly in Christ Jesus." This word for "godly" here is unique. There are only two occurrences of this particular Greek adverb in Scripture. Interestingly enough, they are both from the pen of Paul. The other passage is in Titus (possibly Paul's second to last letter – II Timothy being his last). "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:11-12). Paul teaches us here that grace is our instructor. Grace is the divinely appointed teacher in this dispensation. No other teacher is "certified" (Galatians 1:11-12); not even the old schoolmaster of the law (Galatians 3:25)! Notice that there are two parts to the grace curriculum: "… teaching us that, denying … we should live …" Denying: The first part of grace's teaching is that of "denying." This is, indeed, the first part of the truth of our identification and union with Christ! The meaning of the word "deny" is, "to disavow, to renounce." From grace we learn of our position in Christ Jesus, and then we come to a place of agreement (i.e., acknowledgment) with God as to exactly who we are. What is to be our subsequent response to the old life in Adam? "That's just not me," "That's not who I am," is what we say concerning our former identification. Every believer will either deny – day by day, moment by moment – who he was in Adam, or who he is in Christ! Live: Paul says, "we should live." This is the second part of the truth of our identification and union with Christ! We are "alive unto God" (Romans 6:11; Galatians 2:20). The Father desires to manifest (II Corinthians 4:10-11) and magnify (Philippians 1:20) Christ in the members of the ecclesia (His Body). Again, Paul's emphasis is upon us living. Grace teaches us to LIVE! To live to be who and what we are in Christ – godly! It is important to note that, according to the context of II Timothy, this godly life is one that is lived outside of the religious system. Just what is the result of such an outsider's life? "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (II Timothy 3:12). Persecution can take many forms, but be assured of this one thing (Paul is very clear about this): "ALL WHO WILL LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS SHALL suffer persecution." From where will this persecution come? It will come from the same place it has always has: religion! It is the religious system that always has been at the root of persecution. Don't ever forget that. Religion took Jesus to Calvary, religion stoned Stephen, and religion now had Paul in a Roman prison. History is filled with the zeal of religion's "holy" wars and crusades. Deny the worldly system of religion, and live: "live godly in Christ Jesus"! It IS our calling! Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr. © Daily Email Goodies DAILY GOODIES – THE BOOK! 365 Daily Goodies have been put together in a book. This is a great resource for personal and family study, as well as a valuable reference volume covering many varied scriptural themes. http://studyshel.com/dailygoodies/1747.html --------------------------- DAILY EMAIL GOODIES: Receive the Daily Email Goodies by signing up at: http://dailyemailgoodies.com 14 BOOKS BY CLYDE L. PILKINGTON, JR.: http://ClydePilkington.com 5 FREE BIBLE STUDY BOOKS: No Strings Attached. Absolutely free – including postage and handling. (A $60 retail value). (1) At The End of the Ages (2) Hope Beyond Hell (3) Flawed By Design (4) Martin Zender Goes To Hell (5) Martin Zender's Guide to Intelligent Prayer. Send your name & address to: books@StudyShelf.com WEEKLY PERIODICAL: The Bible Student's Notebook, available in two formats: Electronic (e-mailed to you) and Printed (mailed to you). http://biblestudentsnotebook.com ONLINE ARTICLES: Bible Student's Notebook past articles online. http://www.pilkingtonandsons.com/Articles.htm AUDIO TEACHING: Available at www.BibleStudentsRadio.com

2 comments:

Unknown said...

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Glenn Burton said...

The Last Trump is infatically the seventh trump. Bro. Burton