Tag: Holy Spirit

What Does it Mean to be Godly?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical4 Comments

I have been reading Thomas Watson’s The Godly Man’s Picture this week. Watson defines godliness by saying,

Godliness is the sacred impression and workmanship of God in man, whereby from being carnal he is made spiritual.

He goes on to say,

When godliness is wrought in a person, he does not receive a new soul, but he has ‘another spirit’ (Num. 14:24). The faculties are not new, but the qualities are; the strings are the same, but the tune is corrected.

Watson then gives seven propositions concerning godliness:

(1) Godliness is a real thing

It is not a fantasy, but a fact. A Christian is no enthusiast, one whose religion is all made up of fancy.

(2) Godliness is an intrinsic thing

It lies chiefly in the heart. The moralist’s religion is all in the leaf; it consists only in externals, but godliness is a holy sap which is rooted in the soul.

(3) Godliness is a supernatural thing

By nature we inherit nothing but evil, but godliness is the wisdom from above. It is given by the Spirit because a man has no more power to change himself than to create himself.

(4) Godliness is an extensive thing

He who is godly is good all over. Godliness is a sacred leaven that spreads itself into the whole soul.

(5) Godliness is an intense thing

It does not lie in dead formality and indifference, but is vigorous and flaming. He whose devotion is inflamed is godly and his heart boils over in holy affections.

(6) Godliness is a glorious thing

As the jewel to the ring, so is piety to the soul, bespangling it in God’s eyes.

(7) Godliness is a permanent thing

A blush of godliness is not enough to distinguish a Christian, but godliness must be the temper and complexion of the soul. Godliness is a fixed thing.

Resource

Today’s post was adapted from Thomas Watson’s The Godly Man’s Picture, pp. 12-14. You can pick up a copy by clicking here.

Go Up The Mountain of the Lord

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

20110404-114252.jpg

“Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.” — Isaiah 2:3

It is exceedingly beneficial to our souls to mount above this present evil world to something nobler and better.

The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are apt to choke everything good within us, and we grow fretful, desponding, perhaps proud and carnal.

It is well for us to cut down these thorns and briers, for heavenly seed sown among them is not likely to yield a harvest; and where shall we find a better sickle with which to cut them down than communion with God and the things of the kingdom?

In the valleys of Switzerland many of the inhabitants are deformed, and all wear a sickly appearance, for the atmosphere is charged with miasma, and is close and stagnant; but up yonder, on the mountain, you find a hardy race, who breathe the clear fresh air as it blows from the virgin snows of the Alpine summits. It would be well if the dwellers in the valley could frequently leave their abodes among the marshes and the fever mists, and inhale the bracing element upon the hills.

It is to such an exploit of climbing that I invite you this evening.

May the Spirit of God assist us to leave the mists of fear and the fevers of anxiety, and all the ills which gather in this valley of earth, and to ascend the mountains of anticipated joy and blessedness.

May God the Holy Spirit cut the cords that keep us here below, and assist us to mount!

We sit too often like chained eagles fastened to the rock, only that, unlike the eagle, we begin to love our chain, and would, perhaps, if it came really to the test, be loath to have it snapped.

Spurgeon’s Prayer

May God now grant us grace, if we cannot escape from the chain as to our flesh, yet to do so as to our spirits; and leaving the body, like a servant, at the foot of the hill, may our soul, like Abraham, attain the top of the mountain, there to indulge in communion with the Most High.

Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening : Daily Readings, Complete and unabridged; New modern edition. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2006), Evening, April 4.

God’s Glory in Salvation

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals4 Comments

Recently, I have been working to prepare a sermon on Ephesians 1:3-14. If you don’t have your Bible’s handy, you can read the text here. The main idea of the sermon is that God is glorified in His remarkable plan of redemption, by electing a people for Himself before the foundations of the world, saving them through the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and sealing them through the work of the Holy Spirit.

God is Glorified in Election

God is glorified, firstly, because He chose and predestined a people for Himself before the foundations of the world. Election is not a popular topic; especially, in our consumer driven individualistic society. We are taught to make our own decisions, and we believe this right extends to our salvation as well. However, Ephesians 1 tells us that in God’s sovereign plan He has predestined those who would join His church before the foundations of the world.

Application

This means that we can rest assured that our work in evangelism is not in vain, nor do we have to depend on our own power to bring others to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. God has elected a people for Himself, and He will bring those people to salvation for His glory.

Our job is to be instruments in His sovereign plan by obeying His command to proclaim His gospel to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28)

God is Glorified in Redemption

God is glorified, secondly, in the redemption of the elect through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross, to provide a way for man to once again have a relationship with God. If we believe that Christ has the power to save us from eternal destruction through His death on the cross, then we experience a repaired and restored relationship with God. Here we see that salvation only comes through faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

Application

This means that we cannot work for our salvation. There is nothing we can do outside of having faith in Jesus Christ. And our last point makes it clear that God provides us with that faith through His electing grace for His glory.

God is Glorified in Sealing

God is glorified, thirdly, in the sealing of His church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those God has elected to salvation are saved through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, and are kept in Christ until their death by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Application

This means that we do not have to work to gain salvation, nor work to keep our salvation. We are secure in Christ because of the sealing power of the Holy Spirit.

However, this does not mean that walking the church aisle and praying a prayer with the pastor ten years ago precludes you from living a life pleasing to God. It is still necessary to reflect Christ in our thoughts and actions. What makes a Christlike life possible is the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and working to remove the idols of our hearts.

Come As You Are!

In order to attain salvation, we do not have to clean ourselves up. Salvation is not like trading in your old car for a new one. You don’t have to spend time fixing yourself up in order to gain a higher trade in value. We can come to God just as we are, and expect to get the highest price we would ever get for a beat up old car, eternal life and a relationship with the God of the universe.

Charge

If you are trying to get your life right before you approach God, don’t. Come just as you are. Accept the call of God on your life, believe in His Son for salvation, and you will be saved. To God be the Glory!