True Discipleship - Dr.Varghese John
Once in a Sunday school class the teacher asked the students to give the names of a pair of twin brothers mentioned in the Bible. Then one “smart” boy got up and said, “Sir, first Samuel and second Samuel.” The boy misunderstood the two books of the Bible for the names of the twin brothers. Misunderstanding is very common even among mature people. Many well meaning Christians have wrong notions about some commonly used terms in the Bible. “Discipleship” is such a misunderstood term. Many suppose that all believers are true disciples and to classify the believers into different categories is unfair. However, a closer look into the Scriptures will not justify their opinion.
Significance
The significance of the subject “discipleship” is very clear from the Great Commission recorded in Matt. 28:19, 20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen”.
When Jesus was on the earth, He was on the business of making disciples. When He departed from this earth He commanded His disciples to go and make disciples. The focus of Great Commission is discipleship rather than conversion. It is the mandate given to the whole Church for the whole church age. Christ didn’t command His disciples to make a few devotees but to build a group of disciples. To achieve this goal the church has to go, baptize the believers, and teach them to obey all the doctrines. Only when we make disciples we can claim that we are fulfilling the Great Commission. This is the ultimate commandment given by Jesus. That highlights the importance of discipleship.
History and Meaning
The concept of teacher and disciples is an old one. Ellijah the Old Testament prophet had disciples and Elisha was the most prominent one among them. In the New Testament we come across the expression “Moses’ disciples” (Jn.9: 28), “the disciples of Pharisees” (Matt.22: 16), and “the disciples of John the Baptist” (Matt. 9:14). Disciples of Moses were students of the Law of Moses; the disciples of Pharisees majored on the tradition of elders and the Pharisaic teachings on the Old Testament; the disciples of John the Baptist followed the doctrines and life of John. These disciples were committed totally to their Rabbi (Teacher) and his teaching. They also hoped to become teachers after extensive training. However Christian discipleship is a new concept that Jesus taught and practised.
The Greek word for disciple is “Mathetes”. This word has different meaning but all are related to one another. Disciple is a learner, a student, or one who follows another’s teaching. According to the Biblical concept a disciple is one who unites himself to a teacher to acquire his practical and theoretical knowledge. In olden days the one who teaches was much more important than what he teaches. The disciple had to stay with the master to learn from his life and lips. This process will continue till he becomes like his master. However, the basic idea is that of following a leader or imitating his lifestyle rather than learning from a teacher by sitting in a classroom.
Putting the historical and Biblical background of the term “disciple” together, we could say that the disciple of Christ is one who has a personal relationship with Christ and follows Christ through imitation of His life and doctrine. Discipling is the method of making such a disciple. Discipleship is the process through which one becomes a disciple. When a disciple becomes perfectly trained he could be like the master to a greater extent.
Types of Disciples
In many of the passages in the New Testament, the word ‘disciple’ is simply another word for a believer or a Christian (see Acts 11:26). However, a careful observation shows that it is possible to classify the disciples into three groups according to their closeness and commitment to the Lord. This kind of a classification is very much true in today’s churches also.
1. False disciples: A false disciple is one who professes to be a disciple but do not have a personal relationship with the Lord. He is not a disciple at all but pretend to be so. Many who are having a Christian name will fall into this category. In fact, they do not know the fact that they are not disciples. They assume that they are disciples of Jesus because they are born and brought up in a Christian family and they are the members of a local church. They don’t have a born again experience and are not related to Lord Jesus. Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. Therefore only through faith in Jesus Christ one can become a genuine disciple. Today, we may use the term ‘nominal Christians’ as a substitute for false disciples.
There were many false disciples during the time of Jesus’ ministry. John writes about them in his Gospel. “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “this is a hard saying who can understand it?” (In.6: 60). What was their spiritual condition? Please notice our Lord’s comment about them: “But there are some of you who do not believe” (Jn. 6:64). What happened to these disciples after some time? Their fate is recorded in Jn 6: 66, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. “The disciples mentioned in these verses were not disciples at all. That is why they stopped following Lord Jesus. Bible graciously calls them disciples simply because they followed Jesus physically.
2. Faulty disciples: These are believers. They have a genuine personal relationship with Christ, but they have not grown much in their lives. They are spiritual babes. If we use Paul’s terminology, they are “worldly” or “carnal” (See 1 Cor.3: 1). These disciples are advancing in age but are not making any spiritual progress. Sometimes they may boast about their seniority in the church but they are only spiritual dwarfs. A good description of this category of people are given in Hebrews 5:12-13: “For through by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.”
These believers are not growing spiritually because they are not trying to fulfill the conditions of discipleship. Probably they are ignorant about those conditions or they lack sincere desire to grow. When we are born to the family of God, God expects us to make a definite progress every day of our lives. If we do not go ahead according to God’s expectation we are faulty disciples indeed.
3. True (Faithful) disciples: Once Lord Jesus told some of the Jews who put their faith in Him: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed” (Jn. 8:31). What does He mean by this statement? They are disciples of believers indeed. However, if they want to be true disciples they have to abide in His word. That means, they have to fulfill the conditions that He taught about true discipleship or they have to keep on obeying those commandments. Then and only then they can be called true disciples. Remember, all believers are disciples, but all are NOT faithful or true disciples. True or faithful disciples are those who have started fulfilling the conditions of discipleship. They may not be perfect, but are in the process of discipleship. They may fail occasionally but still are going ahead by God’s grace.
The 12 disciples of Jesus were true disciples; Judas was an exception. From their life and the teachings of Jesus we can understand who the true disciples are. The disciples of Jesus were called by Him and were followers of Him: Then He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him (Matt.4: 19, 20) Again Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me” (Matt. 11: 29) On another occasion Jesus said, “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master”. (Matt. 10: 25). Primarily, a true disciple is a follower of Jesus. He has committed himself to Christ to walk in His ways, to live Christ’s life and to share His love and doctrine with others. A disciple should also be a learner. He should be teachable. The ultimate goal of a true disciple is to be like his teacher and master, Jesus Christ. When we put these facts together, we can make a working definition for the term ‘True Disciple”. A true disciple of Christ is one who is called by Him, follows Him, learns from Him and tries to be like Him daily. Discipleship is a life long process. No one will become a perfect disciple overnight. However, only those who are in the path of progress can be called true disciples.
As we have seen, there is a difference between the terms ‘disciple’ and ‘true disciple’. Just like a ‘student’ is different from a ‘true student’ a disciple differs from a true disciple. Anyone who gets enrolled in an institution where some course is offered is a student. Even if he is not regularly attending the classes or taking his studies seriously, he is still a student because his name is in the student’s register. But to become a true student, he has to meet some of the requirements of the institution. For instance, he has to attend the classes regularly, finish all the assignments in time, study his lessons well and so on. Similarly, anyone whose name is in heaven’s record is a disciple or a believer. However a true disciple is not satisfied with such a salvation experience. He has started growing in his life through abiding in God’s Word and obedience of His Commands. Only those who have started displaying the characteristics of true discipleship are really faithful or true disciples. What about your condition? Are you a true disciple?
Cost of Discipleship
No one can attain anything of worth in life without paying the cost. To gain something valuable we have to lost something or sacrifice certain things. The student has to sacrifice long hours of sleep to score high marks in the examinations. The farmer has to toil during the sowing season to reap a good harvest. To obtain something precious, all have to pay the price for it. There is no crown without a cross. This principle is true in the case of discipleship too. It is said, “The entrance fee for discipleship is nothing, but the annual subscription is everything”.
In Matt. 16:25 Lord Jesus said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”. The words of Jesus make it plain that there are two realms of life -temporal and eternal. One cannot gain both. He has to lose one to gain the other. The phrase “whoever desires to save his life” conveys the idea of personal choice. We have to go through the process of discipleship willingly. It is not a matter of chance but an issue of choice. One has to deliberately choose to follow Jesus.
When one loses his life for Jesus’ sake he will find or save the same for his own sake in eternity. Each one who wants to follow Jesus wholeheartedly has to decide whether he wants to save his life for his own sake or lose for Jesus’’ sake. This is the ultimate test of true discipleship. The choice is between present life and future life. The outcome of this crucial choice or cost that has to be paid for discipleship also is made clear. Those who decide to save temporal life now are going to suffer eternal loss. Those who choose to lose temporal life now are going to gain eternally. Loss now and gain later, or gain now and loss later are the choice given to us.
What is it that one has to lose to be a true disciple? What is the cost he has to pay? He has to lose his own life. By the term life our Lord has meant more than the physical life. One does not have to die to become a true disciple. Then there won’t be any true disciple here on earth. The word, LIFE has the implication of the things that constitute or make life. It consists of the things that make life possible on earth. They may include material possessions, academic pursuits, social and professional achievements etc. Many legitimate comforts and conveniences in life also we may have to forsake for the sake of Christ. When one disciple is willingly permitting to lose these things in life he is paying the cost of discipleship. When one is unwilling to lose anything for the sake of fulfilling the conditions of discipleship, he is actually a loser. He may be a clever fellow in the sight of the world, but he is the ultimate loser in the light of eternity. Jesus said, “Whoever saves his life will lose it”. There is a day when the final stock of one’s life will be taken and the balance sheet will be prepared. Then he will find out that all those things he gained actually for himself are of no value. Whatever a man gains for his temporal life will he lose with the temporal life itself. On the other hand, a true disciple who has sacrificed many of the present achievements for the sake of Christ will receive eternal rewards.
Well, what does it mean to say, “One will lose his life”? Does it mean that he will be eternally lost? No, it doesn’t. Jesus himself told on another occasion that he came to give life and life in abundance. It is this abundant life that a person will lose if he lives only for himself and for the values of this world. Being a believer he may get into heaven and share eternal life, but he may lose abundant life both here on earth and there in heaven. Paying the cost of discipleship today is not a bad deal because it will be bringing eternal profits.
Through the parable of the builder of a tower and the king who goes out to war with his enemy king (Luke 14:28-32), Lord Jesus taught His followers the need of sitting down and counting the cost of discipleship. There is a great price to be paid for true discipleship. Out lord never attempted to attract people to him without mentioning the cost they have to pay in the due course. His words to prospective disciples were always firm and serious. He hinted the cost of following Him, through some conditions of discipleship like hating the relatives, denying self, carrying the cross daily etc. Even to those who willingly opted for discipleship, He didn’t hesitate to disclose the risk involved in following Him. For instance, He said to the one who offered to follow Him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). Here Jesus is testing the willingness of this disciple to pay the price to follow Him. The apostles of Jesus paid a great price to follow Jesus and down through the centuries all great men of God paid the cost of true discipleship. Are you willing to pay the cost of true discipleship? If you are willing to do so the conditions of discipleship will make sense to you.
A story is told of a lady who frequently took shopping trips to far off places looking for unusual antiques. On one particular trip she found a beautiful chair for sale at an antique shop. Even though the price was too high she was captivatingly drawn to that chair. As she considered purchasing, she thought it would be wise to contact her husband and get his advice. So, she promptly went to the telegraph office and sent a telegram to her husband asking his advice. She received a prompt reply and she went joyfully back to the antique shop and purchased the prized chair.
On her way back to home she kept thinking how happy her husband would be about the chair she bought. But when she arrived home and showed her husband the chair, he was furious. “Didn’t you receive my reply? I specifically wrote you not to buy that chair!” The astonished wife pulled the crumpled telegram out of her purse and read the words on it, “No price too high!” The husband said, “That’ not what I wrote! What I wrote was. No! Price too high.” The person in the telegraph office had made a mistake with the punctuation and that changed the message altogether.
While explaining the cost of discipleship, the Bible doesn’t make any mistake in punctuation, but in unmistakable terms says that, Discipleship is costly, but no price is too high for discipleship. Catching the spirit of Jesus’ invitation for discipleship, Billy Graham has appropriately written, “Jesus invited us, not to a picnic, but to a pilgrimage; not to a frolic, but to a fight. He offered us, not an excursion, but an execution. Our Saviour said that we would have to be ready to die to self, sin, and the world”. What a great challenge!!
Conditions of Discipleship
Many believers have a wrong understanding about the promises and blessings in the Bible. Since salvation is free many think that everything labeled “Christian” is free and even unconditional. It is true that salvation is free but it is not unconditional. Faith is the condition that one has to fulfill to obtain salvation. All promises in the Bible are conditional. There is no crown without a cross. No one can become a true disciple without meeting the conditions and paying the cost for it. It costs nothing to become a disciple, but it costs everything to become a true disciple.
It is said, “The mark of a great leader is the demands that he makes upon his followers”. The Italian freedom fighter Garibaldi offered his men only hunger and death for joining him in the freedom struggle. Winston Churchill told the British people that he had nothing to offer them but “blood, sweat, toil, and tears” in their fight against their enemies. These great men demanded total commitment from their followers. Similarly the Lord Jesus also commanded absolute surrender and commitment from His disciples. To stress the necessity of total dedication – even to the point of death, He placed the conditions of discipleship so high and rigid. Let us consider the conditions for true discipleship.
1. Supreme love for the Lord Jesus.
Mincing no words our Lord told his earlier disciples, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). This is the primary condition of true discipleship. Jesus told that unless one hates his dear and near ones he cannot become HIs disciple. It appears to be a hard saying. How can Jesus, the personification of divine love make such harsh demands from His disciples? Does not Jesus teach that His disciples should “love their enemies?” Is He contradicting Himself in His teaching about discipleship? These are a few questions that rise in our minds while considering this condition of discipleship. All these questions are reasonable but will disappear when we understand the meaning of the word “ hate” in its proper context.
Some of the Biblical terms have a special sense that is not available in the dictionary. Therefore when we interpret a passage in the Scripture we have to seek the Biblical sense of the words used. It is rightly said, “Scripture is its own best interpreter”. Anyone who has some awareness about the character of Jesus would never say that Jesus meant literal hating of the dear ones when He put this condition of discipleship. Then what does He really mean? A parallel passage in the Old Testament will help us understand the Biblical meaning of the word “hate”. In Genesis 29:30:31, we read, “Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years. When the Lord saw that Leah was hated (unloved), He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren”. Here “hated” is clearly used synonymously with “One who is loved less”. If Jacob hated Leah literally it is hardly believable that he would consent to marry her.
In Luke 14:26, the Lord Jesus uses the term “hate” in a relative sense. A true disciple of Christ should love Christ much more than he loves his dear ones in this world. Jesus demanded utmost love for Him. The parallel passage in Matthew confirms this fact. Matthew 10:37 says, “ He who loves father or mother, more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” When we compare these verses it is clear that Jesus demands us to love Him Much more than we love our family members. He never taught to hate anyone’s close relatives. Our love for the Lord should be so great that, in comparison, all our love for others and for ourselves would seem like hatred. Moreover in the Aramaic language that Jesus spoke, “hate” is not a word that conveys feeling rather it is a word of priority. It means, “leave aside”, the way a soldier needs to leave aside distracting things in his personal life to win the battle.
To sufficiently emphasize our detachment from all earthly relationships the Lord said that the disciples should hate their dear ones. When we consider the fact that we have been purchased by the precious blood of our Lord and we are God’s own possession, we will realize that this condition is not a severe one. Then we will gladly love the Lord more than everything and everyone related to our lives. A true disciple should not permit anything to stand in his way as a hindrance to his love towards his Master. We are not to hate people who are related to us, but we should hate our excessive attachment to them. People or things should never take our priority that we have to give to our Lord. He deserves the first place in our love-thoughts, feelings and decisions.
There is an Old Testament example that vividly portrays this concept of loving God more than the dear ones. At Mount Sinai Israelites departed from Jehovah and went back to idol worship. When Moses came down from the mountain he saw a dismal scene. He saw people dancing before golden calf and worshipping the same. In his attempt to bring back the people to the LORD, he challenged the Israelites and told them, “Whoever is on the LORD’s side come to me!” (Ex.32: 26). Only the Levites responded to this challenge positively. All the Levites gathered themselves together to Moses. Then Moses commanded them to put their sword on their side and kill their brothers, companions and neighbours. The sons of Levi did exactly the same and about three thousand men fell that day. Then Moses told them that God might bestow a blessing on you because every man opposed his son and his brother (See Exo.32: 26-29). The Levites of Moses’ time proved their devotion to Jehovah by loving Him much more than their relations in this world. Their earthly attachment didn’t prevent them from obeying God’s command though it appeared to be very harsh.
The disciples in the New Testament are not asked to kill their unbelieving relatives, but they have to slay all attachments and affections that stand as a hindrance between them and their Lord. Commitment to Christ may result in strained family relationships, persecution and even martyrdom. Following Christ presupposes a willingness to endure such hardships. To communicate these truths forcefully Lord Jesus said, “I didn’t come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law”. (Matt.10: 34,35) The Term “sword” refers to the essential division or conflict between believers and non-believers in the same family. In fact, that conflict is a test of one’s commitment to Christ and it is an occasion to fulfill this basic condition of true discipleship.
The detachment of a true disciple with his family members who discourage him from following Christ is beautifully portrayed by John Bunyan in his Christian classic, Pilgrim’s Progress. The Christian, the main character of that story, is pictured as fleeing from his wife and children, with his fingers plugging in his ears so that he doesn’t hear their pleadings to stay back. Since he found peace with God, there was a sword at home. This may be true today also in the lives of many true disciples.
How can we apply this condition of true discipleship in our lives? How can we prove that we love our Lord much more than we love our dear ones in this world? If we love master more than anything else in this world our lives will be centered on Him. Before taking every decision we will ask questions such as, “How does my decision affect my Lord?” “Will it be pleasing to Him?” “Will it honour His name in this world?” We have to take all our decisions to please our Lord and for His honour. All our desires and decisions should be according to His plan and will. Moreover we will be having a hunger and thirst for the Lord. We will be worshipping and serving Him for who He is and not for what we would receive from Him. Our Lord told his first century disciples that if anyone loves Him, he would keep His word (See John14: 23). Our obedience of His words at any cost and in every situation is the distinctive mark of our love towards our Master. “Obedience is doing what the Lord says to do, when He says to do and how He says to do.” To obey the Lord without question in all situations, we require the strength of the Holy Spirit. Only a Spirit controlled person can be a true disciple.
Let us a finish the study on this condition with the words of William MacDonald: “The Lord Jesus is not looking for men and women who will give only a little time to Him... He wants people who will give Him the first place in their lives... He wants men and women who are prepared to leave all they have and follow Him... He wants men and women who are ready to obey Him even if it means death.” What a great challenge our Lord has placed before us! What about our commitment to the cause of Christ? Do we love Him more than we love our dear and near ones? May the Lord enable us to rise up to His expectation in the coming days.
2. Denying One’s Self.
This truth is recorded both in Mathew and Luke. Mathew writes: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt.16: 24) Jesus told His disciples to deny themselves and follow him. He is presenting this condition to those who are already His disciples. Therefore it is clear that He is talking about conditions for going higher in the stairway of discipleship, that is, to become true disciples.
What does the expression “deny himself” mean? This is a much misunderstood phrase in the history of the Church. Certain Christian monks who lived in the early centuries misunderstood this term for self-torturing. They believed that all disciples should inflict their bodies to become true disciples. Because of the wrong notion about the expression “denying self”, a monk decided to sleep by leaning on a wall instead of lying on bed. He slept like this for about 40 years. Another one lived in the hollow of the trunk of a tree for 11 years just to obey this command to “deny one’s self”. What a pity! The Bible never teaches about torturing of our bodies for the sake of piety. Instead, it affirms that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit and we should take care of our bodies.
Many have confused this expression with “self-denial”. Self-denial is abstinence from some kind of food or other goods that make life comfortable. Fasting is one form of self-denial. Many are willing to make certain physical and material sacrifices in their lives, but that is not what Jesus meant when He talked about “denial of self”. Denial of self and self-denial are not the same. To comprehend the words of Jesus, one has to first understand the meaning of the word self.
What is self? Self is all that we are. It is our personality. We express ourselves through our thoughts, emotions and decisions. Our will power decides all our attitudes and actions. Self in itself is nothing evil, but human self is controlled by the flesh or sinful nature. Therefore all the desires and decisions of self carry the stain of sin. Moreover our self-will is always opposed to the Will of God. The Bible says, “The carnal (sinful) mind is hostile to God. It doesn’t submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Rom.8: 7). That is why Jesus taught His disciples have to surrender their will to His will and decision. Instead of leading a self-controlled life they have to lead a Christ-controlled life. They must be ready to sacrifice all their self-interests and self-importance for the sake of their Leader and Lord. They must always try to please the Lord Jesus rather than pleasing themselves. They should forsake their rights about their life and live only for their Master. This is what Jesus meant when he spoke about DENIAL OF SELF.
When one follows a leader, the decisions are taken by the leader and not by the follower. This is applicable to Christian discipleship because a true disciple is a follower of Christ. When we search the Gospel record we never find the disciples taking any decision and Jesus accepting them. On the other hand, they were always waiting for His decisions and commands. There were occasions when their decisions were in conflict with the will of the Lord, but finally they obeyed His will rather than their will. To surrender one’s will to another is the last thing an ordinary man will do willingly. However a true disciple of Christ will do it gladly because he knows that His master’s will is always the best.
Jesus not only taught denying self, but He practiced this in His earthly life. He said on one occasion, “I do not seek My Own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (Jn.5: 30). The very purpose of His coming to this world was to do His Father’s will (See Heb.10: 7) He was very much concerned about doing His Father’s will and business on all days of His earthly life (See Luke 2:49, Jn.4: 34). In the Garden of Gethsemane also our Lord prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matt.26: 39). Paul writes in his epistle to Romans,” For even Christ did not please Himself....” (Rom.15: 3) He set an example for denying self so that we may follow His footprints. The self-will of Jesus was sinless, yet He surrendered that will to the will of His Father to provide us a model. Paul also practised denial of self in his life. He wrote to the Galatians, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me...” (Gal.2: 20). To the Philippians he wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil.1: 21). For Paul, Christ was everything in his life. He lived only to carry out Christ’s desires and plans in his life. Whether by life or death, he wanted to please Christ Jesus (See 2 Cor.5: 9) Timothy is another example of a person who denied his self. Look at Paul’s exemplary remark about him in Philippians: “For I have none like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus” (Phil.2: 20-21). Seeking one’s own things at the expense of God’s, is exactly the opposite of denying one’s self.
How do we practically express our denial of self? How can we know that we are leading a life that is according to His will and pleasure? Whether we obey our self-will or God’s will is being tested when the commandments of the Bible are in conflict with the desires of our body and mind. When our comforts, security in life, plans for future etc. are under threat, because of obeying the commands of Christ, the real conflict between self-will and God’s will comes. Those situations will prove whether we have denied our self or not. If we are able to obey our master’s voice in such trying situations we demonstrate the denial of self.
Our minds and hearts are so deceptive. Sometimes we may be serving our own self rather than serving Christ. The sad thing is that, we may not be even conscious of this deception. Therefore it is essential to check our motive behind our every action. Please take some time for soul searching. Are we serving God or using God? Are we loving people or using people for our purposes? Do we esteem ourselves better than others better than ourselves? What about our prayers? Are they Christ-centered or self-centered? We may often pray with our lips, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. But what do we do with our daily lives? Are we building His kingdom or our kingdom? Are we trying to do His will or our will? Do we really want His will be done on earth or do we expect our will be done in heaven? Quite often our deeds betray our words. May the Lord deliver us from the self-deception and help us practise real denial of self on all areas of our life.
3. Take up One’s Cross Daily and Follow Jesus
This condition is laid down more than once in the Gospels. Luke records the words of Jesus to His disciples: Then he said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9: 23; 14: 27).
This expression “taking up the cross” is a much-misunderstood one. Does it refer to the carrying of a wooden cross? Not at all. The disciples of Jesus did not do that either before or after the crucifixion of Jesus. Therefore it is clear that Jesus used it not in a literal sense but in a figurative sense. Then, what does this phrase exactly mean? Sometimes even non-Christians use this term “cross” to refer to the sufferings and setbacks in their lives. Unfortunately, many Christians also understand the term “cross” as a synonym for all the unpleasant things in their lives. For instance, once a believer told that he had been carrying the cross for ten years. When inquired further he told that he was leading an unpleasant married life for the last ten years. Sufferings, physical or mental, are common for all human beings whether they are believers or not. Therefore such sufferings or sickness may not be what Jesus meant by this expression. Apostle Paul was physically weak and sick, but he didn’t use the term cross to refer to his sickness. Instead, he used the term “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor.12: 7).
Many students of the Bible think that cross is a reference to the hardships and persecution disciples have to suffer for the sake of Christ and His Gospel. They don’t think that all kinds of sufferings will fall into this category. This interpretation is almost close to the truth, but not the truth. We have to notice that Jesus commanded us to take up the cross daily. If cross is some kind of suffering, then we have to purposely undergo persecution daily. Since Jesus commanded to take up the cross daily, if anyone does not harass or persecute us, should we somehow force others to do so? It is both impossible and impractical. Any sensible person will agree that Jesus never meant to invite persecution intentionally when He told His disciples to take up their crosses and follow Him daily.
Meaning of Cross
Of course, Jesus used “cross bearing” in a metaphorical sense. If so, what did He mean by this term? To know the right meaning of this expression, we have to understand both the historical and textual contexts of this expression. William Barclay throws light into the historical context of this usage in his commentary on Mathew: “People in Galilee well knew what a cross was. When Roman General, Varus, had broken the revolt of Judas of Galilee, he crucified two thousand Jews, and placed the crosses by the wayside along the roads to Galilee. In the ancient days criminal did actually carry the crossbeam of his cross to the place of crucifixion, and the men to whom Jesus spoke had seen people staggering under the weight of their crosses and dying in agony upon them.” Therefore in the Bible times in Palestine the word cross was used as a synonym for death, not mere persecution or suffering of some kind.
The textual context of Luke 9:23 also is in agreement with the historical context. In Luke 9:22, Jesus said about His crucifixion and death. Straight away He told His disciples about taking up their cross. Thus it is clear that Jesus used the term cross as a synonym for death. That is, the figurative meaning of carrying the cross was the one that was in the mind of Jesus and His listeners. What kind of death did Jesus mean when He said that His disciples should carry the cross daily? It is not possible to physically die daily. In the Bible death is a symbol of separation. Therefore Jesus definitely meant the daily separation from the world that His disciples should maintain while they live in this world. This is in harmony with the historical context. In the first century, those who were convicted for crucifixion had to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion. While such a person walked along the road, all those who had seen him understood that it was his last journey. That is, he had already said goodbye to the people and the world around him.
In the same way, the true disciples of Jesus should say NO to the pattern and practices of this world and follow Christ daily. When one denies his self he says NO to his self. Similarly when he takes up his cross he says NO to this world. A true disciple has to declare his separation from the world daily and live in this world. “Take up the cross daily”, therefore means, “be separated from the world daily”. Paul’s statement also confirms that this is the right interpretation. Paul wrote to Galatians,”... by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal.6: 14). Paul meant that he was dead or separated from the world. He uses crucifixion as another word for death or separation.
Well, in that case, does it mean that carrying the cross has nothing to do with suffering for the cause of Christ? Certainly Not! When a disciple of Christ leads a separated life surely the world would hate him and consequently he has to suffer many hardships. Suffering is inseparably interwoven into the fabric of discipleship. Taking up the cross does not mean suffering and persecution. However when one takes up his cross and follows Jesus, as a consequence of that he has to suffer hardships. That is why Lord Jesus cautioned His early disciples, “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18,19). This kind of suffering from the world of unbelievers is the consequence of cross bearing. Apostle Paul wrote in the same vein to Timothy, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3: 12). Apostle John also has exhorted his readers, “Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13)
Separation from the world
We have seen that carrying the cross is a reference to separation from the world. What does it practically mean? Apostle Paul has exhorted the believers in Rome long back, “Do not be conformed to this world” (Rom 12: 2). J.B. Philips has put it expressively: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould”. Apostle John also has written that we should not love the world or the things in the world (1 John. 2:15). Remember, separation from world does not mean isolation from people around us. The term world is a reference to the way of life of people who do not know God. The value system and viewpoint of the world is totally different from that of the Bible. The secular world always values power, position, possessions etc. Someone has said, the value system of this world can be summarized in four words: Birth, Beauty, Brain and Bank balance. The family status, physical appearance, intelligence and money are the four measuring rods that the world uses to assess a person. On the contrary the Bible always esteems godliness (See 1 Tim. 4: 8) and always judge a person based on his spiritual condition.
When one rejects the priorities, practices and policies of the world, he is walking in the way of the true discipleship carrying his own cross. Then he can expect from the world only what Jesus experienced in His earthly life. He received shame, suffering, and sorrow from this world and finally the cruel death on the cross. Those who choose to take up the cross to follow Him can expect the same kind of experience. Way of the cross is a way of dying rather than living. As a consequence of bearing the cross a disciple may even expect physical danger. Therefore he must always live with the readiness to die for Christ.
Voluntary Act
The Lord Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him... take up his cross daily and follow Me.” It is very evident that taking up the cross is something that we must do willingly. It must be our free choice. It must not be done out of compulsion. It is possible to evade the taking up of the cross. But a true disciple will willingly choose to carry the cross of separation from the world and suffer the consequences of it. It is interesting to note that this is the only commandment that Jesus gave us to do daily. It is true that we have to daily obey many other commandments given by Jesus, but this is the only one with which the word daily is attached. That small word stresses the importance of this condition of true discipleship. Since following another person is a process and requires time, carrying the cross is a daily and a life long business. True discipleship involves a continuously committed lifestyle.
Practical considerations
It is a sad thing that many Christians who know the Biblical truths are failing miserably in applying them in their lives. Taking up the cross is certainly very important. How can we practically take up our cross daily and follow Our Lord? To lead a life separated from the world, we have to decide to swim against the current of the society. The philosophy of most people of this world is “get things done either by hook or crook or both”. They may resort to any unethical means to achieve their ends. Their slogan is “End justifies the means”. Cheating, bribing, showing favoritism etc. are the trademarks of the day. In such situations the true Disciples of Christ have to take a definite stand against the evils of the society and live with uprightness, upholding Biblical values and virtues.
After discovering the implications and applications of “taking up the cross and following Jesus,” it is quite appropriate to spend some time to search your lives. Please try to earnestly answer the following sample questions.
* Have you ever experienced any shame, sorrow, inconvenience, or loss because you stood firm for your Christian convictions?
* Do your friends and acquaintances know that you have a different attitude to possessions and positions of this world?
* Do others know that you will not resort to any questionable practices for getting things done?
These three questions are only illustrative. If you can answer all these questions in the affirmative, then you can be sure that you are following Jesus taking up your cross. If not, you have not started carrying the cross. If you have begun your journey in the path of true discipleship, remember that you have miles to go in this narrow path to reach “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph.4: 13).
The Bible says about the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 that “The world was not worthy of them” (Heb. 11: 38). What about you? Is the world worthy of you?
4. Forsake all for Christ
While presenting the conditions of discipleship the Lord Jesus declared in no uncertain terms that we have to forsake all for Christ to be His true disciples. Let us listen to His words: “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). Hard saying? Yes, in the first hearing. Impractical? No. Probably, this is one of the very unpopular verses in the New Testament and something that is not understood accurately.
What does our Lord really mean by this condition? Is it something possible? Is it not contrary to the general teaching of the New Testament? Hundreds of such questions will rise in our minds when we read His words. To discover the correct meaning of this condition for discipleship we have to examine other passages in the Scripture too. Since the Bible never contradicts itself, this verse must be understood in the light of other passages dealing with similar issues.
The first question we have to answer is this: Does this condition teach asceticism? The answer is an emphatic No. In fact, the Bible only condemns an ascetic life (See 1 Tim. 4:2- 4). In addition to that the Bible commands and always commends family life. As far as we know all the apostles except Paul were family men (See 1 Corinthians 9: 5). Therefore, by the expression, “forsake all”, our Lord never meant His disciples to forsake their family life.
Does this condition of discipleship prohibit ownership of private property and saving for our present and future needs? The answer again is an emphatic No. Let us survey the plain teaching of the Bible in this regard:
* “.... For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children” (2 Cor.12: 14). The Bible commands the parents to save for their children.
* “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8) Here Paul denounces he who does not provide for his household.
* “.... If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3: 10). The practical principle
laid down her is that one should work and earn for his food.
* “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, not to trust in
uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy (1 Tim.
6:17). Here Paul recognizes that there are certain rich disciples in the Church. Paul is not asking them to divest themselves of their riches. Instead commanding them not to trust in their riches, but to trust in God who is the giver or riches. He also writes that
God has given all riches for our enjoyment too.
* “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets”
(Proverbs.21: 20 - The Living Bible). The wise man in the book of Proverbs is a godly man
(See Pro.1: 7)
Sometimes Acts 2:45 is quoted to support that the Bible teaches all believers should give up their private property. John Mac Arthur Jr. makes an illuminating comment about this verse based on the original meaning of this verse: The verbs “sold” and “parted” are both in the imperfect tense, which means it was a continuous action... It simply means that all the believers were selling their goods and giving money to those who had need as the needs arose. It was a picture of self-sacrifice for the need of another, not of pooling everything. Nowhere does the Bible advocate that all money be put into a common pot to be dolled out by some hierarchy”.
Meaning of “Forsaking All”
From the above discussion it is clear that the Bible does not teach that believers have to forsake their family and possessions to qualify themselves for discipleship. Therefore Jesus must not have taught His early disciples to do so to become His true disciples. Then what does this expression exactly mean? Here Jesus is talking about a basic attitude rather than an action. In fact, all the conditions of true discipleship are primarily right attitudes that a true disciple should have while following Christ.
When someone forsakes everything, he will not have anything to be named as his own. Thus “forsaking all” means that a disciple has to forsake all that will stand between Christ and him from his mind. In other words, his mind must be fully focused on Christ and must be absolutely free from any kind of attachment to anything or anyone in this world. This condition of discipleship is the culmination of all the three previous conditions.
Here Jesus stresses the forsaking of everything from our minds because it is possible to forsake certain things from our hands and yet treasure them in our hearts. For instance, suppose a person gives up his profession or possessions for Christ. If his mind, however, is preoccupied with the loss he suffered for Christ, it indicates that he has not forsaken those things from his mind. Jesus commands His disciples to forsake everything from their minds, and to be committed fully for Him. That is, forsake everything not from our hands but form out hearts. The one who have forsaken everything from his mind will not treat anything he has as his own, but only as a gift from God. Paul asks in 1 Cor. 4:7, “And what do you have that you did not receive?” The true disciple realizes that he is only a steward of his possessions and not the owner. He does not have any ownership right in God’s viewpoint but only the responsibility and accountability of a steward. He will use everything for God’s glory but will never love it. He may possess many things in this world but won’t be possessed by anything.
Therefore the one who obeys this condition of discipleship will not have any undue attachment to any gift (thing or person) that the Lord has given him. He will have a healthy detachment to everything in this world. Believers often confess that Christ is the Lord or King who rules on the throne of their hearts. It is a plain fact that two kings cannot sit on the same throne. Therefore, Christ and something else cannot occupy the throne of one’s heart. If Christ is not the Lord of all in our life, He won’t be the real Lord of our lives. The Lord has said on another occasion that no one can serve two masters. If Christ has to be the only Lord in the life of a disciple, he has to forsake all for the throne of his heart and “sanctify Christ as Lord of his heart” (See 1 Pet. 3: 5). Through this condition of discipleship Jesus demands our complete commitment to Him. Someone has put it strikingly: “There is no following without any forsaking”.
Shall we then conclude that this condition does not demand any kind of actual forsaking of our possessions? Certainly not! When a disciple sincerely follows Christ, forsaking everything from his heart, the Lord may ask him to forsake certain things from his hand also for His kingdom and righteousness. That will be an occasion to prove his commitment to the Lord. The first century disciples of the Lord forsook all things in their lives to follow their master. That is why Peter said to Jesus once, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” (Matt. 19: 27). In the first century, they were physically following Jesus. Therefore all of them had to forsake their native places, parents, parental property profession etc. to follow the Lord. But today, the situation varies from disciple to disciple. Those who embrace Christian faith from other religious backgrounds may have to forsake everything they had for the sake of Christ right at the moment of conversion. For others the degree and objects of forsaking may be different. But if you have not forsaken anything (material or non-material) for His sake, you have to check yourself to see whether you are a true disciple or not.
Biblical Cases
Both in the Old and New Testaments we come across people who lived with detachment to the things of this world. Some of them forsook many things at the very outset they were called by God. Many others lived with the readiness to forsake everything at any moment for God.
* Job: Consider the life of Job. When he lost all that he had, he worshipped God and uttered one of the immortal statements of the Bible. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; Blesed be the name of the LORD” (Joh 1:21). Job didn’t have any attachment to the things he had. Such an attitude enabled him to say without any hesitation, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away”.
* Abraham: Abraham, the father of the faithful and friend of God was a man who forsook everything when God called him to follow Him. He also displayed his detachment to wealth when a dispute had risen between Abraham’s servants and Lot’s servants. The land, which they lived in, was not sufficient for the livestock belonging to them. How did Abraham resolve this problem? He willingly forsook his right to occupy the best part of the land and gave Lot the chance to choose first the best part of the land. Abraham said to Lot, “Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right, or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left” (Gen.13: 9). Abraham did not try to grab the choice portion of the land because he didn’t have any attachment to wealth of this world. He was always satisfied with whatever God has given him. He lived by faith as a sojourner till his death.
* David: He was the greatest king of Israel. God blessed him both spiritually and materially. What was his attitude to wealth? David discloses it in one of his Psalms”... If riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (Psalm 62:10). Though he was very rich, his heart and mind were not on the riches. He had a heart that was always thirsting for God and not for the blessings of God (Psalm 63:1).
* Paul: He was the greatest Christian the world has ever seen. In his testimony given in Philippians he wrote, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss... and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Phil.3: 7, 8). By the end of this epistle he wrote, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to be abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Phil. 4:12). This statement shows that Paul didn’t have any attachment to anything in this world. He treated prosperity and poverty alike.
Jim Elliot, a modern martyr who gained international recognition when he died with four others at the hands of Auca Indians, also was a man who didn’t have any attachment to anything in this world. Let me quote the words he penned in his diary. “Father, let me be weak that I might loose my clutch on everything temporal. My life, my reputation, my possessions, Lord, let me loose the tension of grasping hand... Rather, open my hand to receive the nail of Calvary, as Christ’s was opened - that I, releasing all, might be released, unleashed from all that binds me now”. A prayer worth praying for all disciples!
All the above examples from the lives of great men of God illustrate the right meaning of forsaking all for God or Christ. The true disciple has set his mind on things above. Christ alone is the focus of his affection and adoration. He is not only detached from earthly things; he is ever ready to give them up as well. His peace of mind is never disturbed by loss or gain of anything in this world, because he is giving away what he cannot keep and what he has ceased to love.
Are you prepared to forsake all things for the Lord and to become a true disciple?
We have come to the concluding part of this study on “True Discipleship.” Well, who then is a disciple? A spiritual superman or spiritual slump? The answer is that both possibilities are there. Since discipleship is a process, a disciple is a person who goes through the process. This process begins with his conversion and goes on till he stops learning from God and His Word. God will continue His work in the disciple till his death. There is no such thing as instant discipleship. Without spending time and effort none will become a mature disciple.
Just like the disciples of Jesus’ day, all disciples will commit mistakes from time to time. But as long as they are trying to learn from the Master and obey Him, they are in the right track of true discipleship. To the growing disciple Jesus would say, “You have been doing well, you have been demonstrating that you are a disciple, but it is now time to graduate to the next class. Are you willing to grow further? If the disciple says yes, he continues to be a true disciple. Otherwise the Lord would say, “You cannot be My true disciple.” Now let’s look into some of the marks of true discipleship.
Marks of Discipleship
The true disciple of the Lord Jesus would definitely demonstrate to a greater extent the following characteristics of discipleship. These are the major marks of discipleship mentioned by the Master Himself.
1. Abiding in His Word
Listen to the words of the Lord to the Jews who believed in Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed” (John 8: 31). Here Jesus makes it clear that the first mark of a disciple is abiding in His word. A disciple is a life-long learner. To be a true disciple one has to remain in the words of Christ. It implies diligent study of His words and daily obedience of those words. Jesus taught that to be a true disciple one has to abide in or hold on to His doctrines. To abide in His teachings, one has to know the truths. That is why Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8: 32). However, by the phrase “knowing the truth” Jesus didn’t mean mere intellectual imparting of information. All doctrinal information should result in the transformation of the life of a disciple. The phrase “abide in My word” holds the idea of manifesting His words through the life of a disciple. One’s belief should be consistent with his behaviour.
The disciples of a Jewish Rabbi would submit themselves, as slaves to their master till they become masters. Jesus also called His disciples to follow Him by participating in His life and becoming more and more like Him through obeying His words. The goal of discipleship is to be like the Master (See Luke 6: 40). According to apostle Paul this coincides with God’s purpose in the redemption of mankind, that they be conformed to the image of His son (See Rom. 8: 29).
2. Bearing Much Fruit
One of the purposes of God in saving us is to bear fruit for Him in this world (John 15:16). Like a gardener God always looks for fruits in the lives of His children. In His farewell message to His disciples before crucifixion, the Lord Jesus told them, “By this My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15: 8). This means that by bearing fruits, a believer will prove that he will be a true disciple. Here Jesus speaks about another mark of discipleship.
Why does our heavenly Father want fruit in the lives of the Disciples of Christ? Jesus makes it plain that “By this My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit” (John 15: 8). Our heavenly Father who is the gardener is glorified when we, His vineyard, produce much fruit. In fact, we have been created to live for Father’s glory. We bear fruit also for God’s glory. As time goes by there is to be more and more fruits in our lives.
What are the fruits that we have to bear for God’s glory? The New Testament mentions many fruits that a Christian should bear. They are given below:
* Christlike character: The ultimate goal of discipleship is to be like Christ or to acquire the character of Christ. When the Holy Spirit works in a believer to produce the virtues that are part of the character of Christ, the disciple bear fruit for God. All the nine fold characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit are the character of Christ that a disciple has to bear.
* Good works: Right character will result in right conduct. As a disciple advances more and more in the path of discipleship he will do more and more good works called fruits (Col. 1:10). We are not saved by works but for works. Any work done for the glory of God in the power of the Holy Spirit is a good work.
* People won for Christ: Those who come to Christ through the testimony of a disciple are fruits. Paul longed to go to Rome to have some fruit from his ministry there (Rom. 1:13), and he refers the conversion of the household of Stephanas as the firstfruits of Achaia (1 Cor. 16:15).
* Praises and thanks: A disciple can bear fruit also with his lips by offering praises and thanks to God (Heb. 13: 15). This is called fruit of our lips and something we have to do continually.
* Sharing of our wealth: Giving our money to people who are in need is also a fruit. Paul called the collection of money to the poor saints in Jerusalem as fruit (Rom. 15: 28). When Philippians supported Paul financially, he wrote that their sharing brought fruit to their account (Phil. 4:17). One of the characteristics of the first century church was the joyful sharing of their possessions. This was not communism, but Christian compassion.
How can we bear more fruit? Jesus gave two answers to this question: one is pruning (John 15:2) and the other is abiding (John 15: 4). The vinedresser, to bear much fruit will prune the branches that bear fruit. Thus he removes all useless things that would sap the strength of the branch and hinders fruit bearing. This may involve removing from the life of a disciple all harmful things and even some good things those stand in the way of bearing much fruit. God’s Word and God’s Spirit are the agents that do the work of pruning in our lives.
What about the branches that bear more fruit? The Father is not contented with that. He wants them to bear much more fruit by abiding or remaining in Christ and His love. To abide in Christ is not by some mystical experience, but by obeying His Word and keeping His commandments (John 15: 7, 10, 14). The better we obey His words, the closer we abide in Him, and the more we bear fruit.
3. Loving One Another
Another identifying mark of a true disciple is his love for fellow disciples. Jesus told his early disciples, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 35). Jesus taught that this is the most important mark of a true disciple in the sight of unbelievers. Right doctrine is very important, but the world pays only very little attention to purity of doctrine. What people notice is love in a world filled with hatred, when it is observed among people who come from different social, economic, and racial backgrounds. Any attempt to proclaim Gospel will fail to attract the people of this world unless it is accompanied by a visible demonstration of brotherly love.
What about the pattern for loving one another? Here Jesus gives the divine standard: “as I have loved you” (John 13:34). Jesus loved us sacrificially and unconditionally. His love is unique, unlimited and eternal. After loving his disciples to the uttermost He commanded them to love one another. The first condition of discipleship is to love the Lord Jesus more than anyone else in this world. When a true disciple fulfills this condition God’s love will fill his heart and motivate him to love other disciples. Jesus told His disciples that this divine love is visible and observable to the people of this world. When many such disciples are living together in some society the non-Christians of that society will notice their mutual love. This love will make a positive impact in their hearts about the disciples of Jesus and glorify God’s name. This is the most powerful tool of witnessing in any place at any time.
After studying all the details of True Discipleship, one question may rise up in our mind and perplex us. How on earth can we live the life of a true disciple? The question is genuine and the Bible gives us the answer too. Apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). If we go to the throne of grace God is gracious enough to give us grace (power) in plenty to strengthen us to be a true disciple. But the right question is: Do you really want to be a true disciple? If you really want to become one, God will certainly help you to become one. Remember, Your decision determines your destiny.
(Dr. Varghese John is a Bible Teacher based at Trivandrum. He can be contacted at varghesejohn@eth.net)
Soli Deo Gloria
TRUE GODLINESS by Dr.Varghese John, Trivandrum.
The age that we live in is an age of counterfeits. False persons and fake products are not exceptions but are the order of the day. Duplicity has become the hallmark of this generation. Since error often wears the disguise of truth it is very difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.
Quite often the duplicate products and persons outshine the original in appearance. Then it will become a tough task to identify the original. Once Charlie Chaplin, the comedian of the English film world became victim of such an incident. Some organisation in Europe conducted a ‘Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest’. The purpose of the organisers was to select three persons who resemble Charlie Chaplin the most. On the appointed day of the contest many turned up to participate. The face cuts of most of them were similar to that of Charlie Chaplin. After examining each of them, the expert judges selected three persons for awarding prizes. The first and second prizewinners went off immediately after receiving their prizes. But the third one waited there to meet the judges. He told the judges, “Sirs, I am happy that you selected me for the third prize. But I am sorry to say that I am the real Charlie Chaplin”. What an irony! The real Charlie got only third prize in the Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. When the duplicates dominate the scene it is always difficult to detect the original.
In the matter of Christian experiences and virtues also distinguishing ‘true’ from the ‘false’ is not an easy task. It is very true in the matter of godliness. Apostle Paul has prophetically warned long ago about this fact. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be ………… having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Tim 3:1-5, emphasis added). Paul’s prophecy has become a reality in our days. There is a form but not the fact of godliness. There is an outer appearance but not the inner substance. The cover is there but not the contents. True godliness has become a rare commodity today. Therefore it is high time to have a revival of true godliness in the church. This is the most pressing need of the hour. Let us become truly spiritual or godly and show the world through our life style what true godliness is.
Misunderstandings Cleared
Different people have different concepts about true godliness or true spirituality (The words, ‘godliness’ and ‘spirituality’ are used interchangeably in this article). Many Christians have got it wrong. Since the concept of godliness is much misunderstood and there are many things that look like the evidence of true godliness, it is essential to clear off many mistaken notions at the very outset. In order to understand what true godliness is we must first of all know what it is not. In this section I am trying to dispense off certain confusions and establish the truths about true godliness.
1. Activity in itself is NOT a mark of godliness.
Many mistake activity for spirituality. If one is active in the church or if he belongs to the church choir or busy with some kind of Christian work, people take him to be a spiritual man. It is true that a spiritual man will be active. But activity in itself is not a sign of spirituality or godliness. We cannot equate activity with spirituality. One can be active for so many other reasons such as fame or power or money also. It is possible for a believer to be active in the ministry and at the same time lead a carnal life. Therefore do not brand any person as spiritual simply because he is actively involved in the Christian ministry.
If activity alone is the mark of godliness Satan will be the most spiritual one. He is really a hyper active fellow. In the book of Job we come across a conversation between God and Satan. “And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it” (Job 1:7, emphasis added). Very unusual answer! Satan cannot precisely point out the place that he started from. That is why he said, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it”. See how active Satan is! Indeed he is very active but not spiritual or godly.
2. Bible knowledge in itself is NOT a sign of godliness.
Sometimes we mistake Bible knowledge for spirituality. If someone has enough knowledge to Preach and teach the Word of God we usually treat him to be a spiritual man. If he knows a little bit of Greek or Hebrew and if he has written a few books, then he may be recognised as a spiritual giant. A godly person can also be a Bible Scholar. But mere scholarship of the Scriptures is not a sure sign of one’s godliness. There are many great scholars of the Bible in the Christendom who preach many profound truths from the Bible. However it is possible for them to live without practising anything that they preach. I don’t mean that all preachers do the same, but I am just pointing out a possibility. Mere knowledge will not make a person spiritual. Only when Bible knowledge becomes a life experience through daily obedience a Christian will be spiritual.
The possession of a theological degree or the ability to teach the Word of God just proves that the person concerned is a brilliant or gifted one. It tells nothing about his spirituality. As we know, the Devil also knows the Scriptures very well. When Jesus was tempted in the desert (see Mat.4 or Luke 4), Jesus quoted three times from the Old Testament and Satan understood them very well. In fact, he also quoted a verse from the book of Psalms. Therefore it is very evident that Satan is well versed in the Scriptures. Satan knows the Bible but he is not spiritual or godly.
If Bible knowledge were the mark of godliness this should be an age of godliness. No time in the history of mankind, people have this much facility to acquire Bible knowledge. If we look around, we will be amazed by the abundance of theological institutions and the abundant supply of Christian literature. Many today pursue courses in theology. Our Christian bookshops are packed with different kinds of Christian literature. Many of us have a vast collection of Biblical books too. However this is not a reflection of the spiritual condition of Christians today. In other words, the acquisition of Bible knowledge or the abundant supply of Christian literature in itself is not a mark of abundant Christian living or godly life.
3. Spiritual gifts in themselves are NOT a mark of godliness.
Spiritual gifts are the abilities that God bestows on believers by His grace. No one can earn them by his merit or effort. God distributes gift to His children freely according to His purpose in order to be used in the Church for the profit of fellow-believers. Since these are gifts of grace, God will not take them back even if the persons who possess them become backsliders. Therefore spiritual gifts are never an indicator of one’s godliness. You may find people who are exercising many spiritual gifts. But don’t assume that they are spiritual just because of their gifts.
The life of Corinthian Christians in the first century is a telling example of this fact. What does Paul say about their spiritual gifts? “So that you come short in no gift eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:7). The people of the Corinthian Church were so rich in their spiritual gifts. But what was their spiritual condition? Were they spiritual because of their spiritual gifts? Let us listen to Apostle Paul: “And I, brethren, couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ” (1 Cor. 3:1). What a contradiction! They had all the spiritual gifts, but they were not spiritual at all. This proves conclusively that spiritual gifts are not a sign of true godliness.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus speaks about a group of people who did many genuine miracles without having any relationship with Christ. “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them I never knew you; depart from me you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:22,23). Jesus will not tell them what they claimed is wrong. But he will surely tell them that he didn’t know them. That is, they were not believers at all. Jesus himself has said elsewhere, “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn. 17:3). Therefore Knowing God (Jesus) is getting into the right relationship with God through faith in Jesus.
Is it possible for non-believers to perform miracles in the name of Jesus? Yes, it is possible. It seems to be incredible but true. How did they get the power to do these miracles? The Bible gives us the answer to this question. “And no wonder for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). It is possible for Satan to use non-believers to do ‘signs` and ‘lying wonders’ in the name of Jesus. Therefore manifestations of miraculous gifts in themselves are not at all an evidence of godliness.
4 Getting answers for prayer is NOT an indicator of godliness.
Our God is a prayer-answering God. All godly men and women have got plenty of experiences to share about the answers of their prayer. We often think that God is answering our prayer because of our godliness. That is a mistaken notion. God is gracious and loving and His blessings in our life are only a reflection of His grace. It may not reflect our spiritual condition. Jesus has taught this truth clearly in the Sermon on the Mount. “For He (God) makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). Our God is so gracious and good that He sends His general blessings (sunshine, rain and so on) both to the wicked and good without their praying.
Sometimes God answers even the prayers of carnal and backslidden people because of His grace. For instance, consider the story of Israelites who were redeemed from Egypt. What was their spiritual condition? The Bible says, “For forty years I (God) was grieved (angry) with that generation, and said, it is a people who go astray in their hearts and they do not know my ways”. (Ps. 95:10). God was not at all happy with the wicked Israelites. But how did he take care of their material needs during those years? How did he answer their prayers? “Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years” (Deut. 8:4). How miraculously God led them in spite of their rebellion! He divided the Red Sea into two parts and let the Israelites pass through the midst of it. He led them under the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire for forty years. When they were hungry He filled them with manna, the bread of heaven. When they were thirsty He opened the rock and quenched their thirst with water. All these things God did for the disobedient Israelites of the old. No single group of people in the history of the world has ever had as many miraculous experiences as those rebellious Israelites had. But it had nothing to do with their godliness.
In the Old Testament we read about Moses’ disobedience to God’s command. He has broken God’s command by striking the rock twice (Numbers 20:10,11). What was the result? The water came gushing forth despite the disobedience of Moses. Does it mean that God was pleased with what Moses did? No. God loved the people who were thirsty and it pleased the Lord to give water in response to what Moses said. However God was not pleased with what Moses did.
In the book of Judges we read about the final prayer offered by Samson who was the judge of Israel. He committed many sins and became a backslider “The Lord had departed from him” (16:20). Now he is in the hands of Philistines, the enemies of Israelites. Nevertheless when he prayed for one more chance of God’s display of power through him, God graciously answered his prayer. He got his supernatural power back to destroy the Philistines and their temple (see Judges 16:28,30).
What do all these incidents recorded in the Old Testament prove? They clearly show that answers for prayers may not be always an indicator of one’s godliness.
There may be many more misunderstandings about true godliness. Since it is not possible to give an exhaustive list, let me stop with these four outstanding examples. Now let us see what true godliness is all about.
Meaning and Concept
In the book of proverbs, Solomon presents the timeless truth about godliness. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…” (Pro. 1:7). This is the first proverb recorded in the book. The phrase ‘Fear of the LORD’ keeps recurring in the book of proverbs. Godliness literally means ‘fear of God (LORD)’. It is the reverential fear of God, which prompts a person to live well pleasing to God. Positively it helps one lead a life that is pleasing to God and negatively it keeps one from evil (sin).
The practical meaning of true godliness is expressed clearly in many verses in the Old Testament and New Testament. Let us look into a few of them
* “Fear the LORD and depart from evil” (Pro. 3:7).
* “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil” (Pro. 8:13).
* “And to man He said, ‘Behold the fear of the LORD’, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:28).
* “Therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1)
The first three verses quoted above show the link between fear of God and hatred to evil. The last one emphasises both the negative and positive aspects of the fear of God. Fear of God consists of both cleansing from all filthiness and perfecting holiness. What do we infer from all the verses quoted above? True godliness is primarily an attitude to sin and to holiness (righteousness). Godliness is the reverential fear that helps a person to keep away from sin and love righteousness.
A godly man is always conscious of God’s presence in his life. He is always aware that the Lord sees him and knows all about him. Since he knows that he lives in the sight of God and nothing is hidden from His sight he is sensitive to every temptation. This helps him to keep away from all evil and pursue righteousness with all his heart. Living each moment with this kind of reverential fear of God and a sense of accountability to God (see Heb. 4:13) is the real sign of godly living. Psalmist David has written, “I have set the LORD always before me” (Ps.16: 8, emphasis added). A godly man will always live conscious about the presence of God.
Prophet Isaiah has beautifully portrayed in his book the significance of godliness (fear of God) in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ: “The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding … the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD….” (Isaiah 11:2,3, emphasis added). The delight of our Lord was in the fear of the LORD. How did the spirit of the fear of the LORD manifest in His earthly life? The book of Hebrews gives us the brief answer to this question. “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore God, Your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions” (Hebrews 1:9). The natural outcome of the fear of the LORD is to love righteousness (holiness) and hate lawlessness (sin). The earthly life of our Lord Jesus was a practical demonstration of ‘True Godliness’. Let us follow his steps in our daily walk.
Godliness is essentially an attitude. That means, it is a matter of mind and heart rather than conforming to certain pattern of living. It enables one to live conscious about God’s presence. It is a corrective force that controls our convictions and character. D.L. Moody has said, “Character is what we are in the dark”. That is, character is what we are when we are alone. Purity in our thought-life is the right gauge to measure the worth of our character. Godliness controls our character and is reflected in our daily life, both private and public. However our private life or thought life is the true indicator of our godliness because we all know how to manipulate our public performance.
If a Christian sincerely believes that God knows all about his life and always watches him, he will by all means try to keep himself away from sin. Moreover he will pursue righteousness and holiness by obedience to God’s word. Hence one’s obedience to God’s commandments especially in private life is the true indicator of his godliness. In other words, the only measure of his godliness is his daily obedience in secret life. This truth is much evident in the lives of all the godly people who lived down through the centuries. For instance, let us focus our attention to some of the biographical sketches and teachings in the Old Testament.
1. Job
Job was one of God’s choice servants in the Old Testament. God pointed him out to Satan, as one man on earth who feared God and shunned evil (turned away from evil). Let us listen to God’s testimony about Job. “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on earth, a blameless and upright man one who fears God and shuns evil”. (Job 1:8). God testifies about Job’s integrity and uprightness but says nothing about his wealth or accomplishments. It is his character and godliness that impressed God, not his achievements in life.
The obedience of Job in secret and his priority to private life is hinted in many passages in the book of Job. For instance, Job 1:5 says, “… and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said: It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did regularly”. Job offered sacrifices not only for the conscious sins, but also for the unconscious sins, that is, the sins committed in their hearts. See, how much pain he took to keep his heart and conscience as well as those of his children clean before the sight of God.
Another reference to Job’s priority to obedience in secret life, we find in Job 31:1: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl” (NIV). He had made a secret covenant in his mind not to look at a woman with lust. Remember Job lived before the period of patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The word of God was not available in written form in those days. It was a period prior to that of Moses, the lawgiver. Even in that remote age Job was able to maintain a higher level of integrity in his private life. Indeed, he was a godly man. He displayed his godliness through his secret obedience.
2. Abraham
Abraham, who is known as the father of the faithful, towers over many other godly men in the Old Testament. On the mount Moriah God gave Abraham a certificate for his godliness. He said to Abraham, “Do not lay your hand on the lad nor do anything to him for now I know that you fear God, Since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me (Gen. 22:12). God Himself commended Abraham’s fear of God or godliness. God’s word of approval is very precious because he never gives His approval without testing a person thoroughly.
When we consider the circumstances under which God declared His testimony about Abraham, we realise the importance of obeying God in secret life. God appeared to Abraham at night and asked him to offer his only son, Isaac as a burnt offering. It is obvious from the description given in Genesis 22:1-11, that no one other than Abraham heard God asking to offer Isaac a burnt offering. Neither Sarah nor Abraham’s servants knew it. Even Isaac didn’t know anything about it. God’s appearance to Abraham was such a secret one and was known only by God and Abraham. Yet Abraham was extremely keen to obey the words of God on the next day morning itself. That shows clearly that Abraham obeyed God’s commandment not because he feared men but because he feared God.
Even if Abraham had not obeyed God, no one would have known about it because no one could ever imagine God asking such a strange thing to Abraham. Moreover Abraham would not have lost his testimony before men because nobody had known about God’s command. Nevertheless Abraham was in a hurry to go to the mount Moriah to offer Isaac a sacrifice. Because of Abraham’s sincere obedience to God’s secret command God testified that he truly feared God. What a marvellous model of obedience in secret!
We often obey God’s word because we fear men and love the good testimony of men about our lives. Fear of God is not a reason sufficient for making us obey God’s commandments. Therefore it is necessary for us to stop here for a few moments for soul-searching. Let us examine ourselves to see whether we have disobeyed God in anything simply because none knew about it.
3. The Ten Commandments
When we consider the purpose of The Ten commandments to the Israelites through Moses at mount Sinai, it is evident that there is a connection between fear of God and obedience in secret. What was the purpose of these instructions? After giving the commandments, Moses told the Israelites about God’s purpose of giving those commandments. “And Moses said to the people, “… for God has come to test you and that His fear may be before you so that you may not sin” (Ex. 20:20). Moses recollected this incident in his address to the Israelites recorded in Deuteronomy. “When the LORD said to me: Gather the people to me and I will let them hear my words that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on earth and that they may teach their children” (Deut. 4:10).
The truth that emerges out of these verses is that God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments in order to teach them to live always in the fear of God. In other words, they had to obey each commandment out of their deep reverential fear of God and not because of their fear of Moses or other men. But how did God make sure that the Israelites feared Him while they obeyed these commandments? It seems that God gave the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet...” (Ex. 20:17) with the specific intention of finding out those who truly feared Him.
Measure of True Godliness
When we compare the first nine commandments with the tenth one, it is clear that the tenth one is so different from all the others. The first nine had to do with public life of men – worshipping idols, keeping Sabbath, stealing, murdering etc. But the tenth one had only to do with the inner or thought-life of man. The first nine commandments dealt with the areas visible to others but the last one dealt with the area that was hidden from the eyes of others. God is the only one who sees and knows the private life of man. Therefore if one violates the tenth commandment, only God will know it. No other man can know about it or punish the person who violates the tenth commandment. In the history of Israelites many were punished for breaking one commandment or another. But none had ever been punished for breaking the tenth commandment. God knew very well that no one could ever been punished for violating the last commandment. Still He gave such a commandment. Therefore it is obvious that God gave the tenth commandment to the Israelites just to give them a chance to prove their godliness through obedience in secret.
The one who tries to obey the last commandment will obey other commandments also in the fear of God. Thus the obedience of the tenth commandment was a touchstone to test one’s godliness or fear of God. The uniqueness of the tenth commandment is that it dealt with one’s obedience in secret and God used the very same commandment to find out the Israelites who really feared Him.
The importance of obedience in secret life can be seen clearly in the teachings of the Lord Jesus. Anyone who goes through the Sermon on the Mount cannot help noticing the thrust our Lord gives for one’s attitudes, thoughts and secrecy in obedience. Jesus equated murder with anger (Matt. 5:22) and adultery with lust (Matt. 5:28). That is, the inner attitudes are equivalent to outer actions. Then Lord Jesus goes on to emphasise secret giving, secret praying, secret fasting, worrying, judging and so on. In fact, the whole Sermon on the Mount deals with a true disciple’s attitudes, both right and wrong. Why do both the Old Testament and New Testament give this much importance for man’s obedience in secret? It is because this is the only true measure of godliness.
Let us pause for a moment and ask this question to ourselves to test whether we fear God enough. “Is there anything that I do when I am alone which I would like to avoid when others are watching me?” If the answer is ‘Yes’, that shows we do not fear God adequately. In other words, we fear men more than God. Why not confess our sins and commit us afresh for godly living?
Means of Manifesting Godliness
Godliness is something that should control all the aspects of our life. It should be visible both in our private and public lives. It has to be manifested in our personal and inter-personal affairs. Let us consider some of the means through which our godliness should be manifested.
1. Clean Moral Life
The first occurrence of the phrase ‘fear of God’ is in Genesis 20. There, patriarch Abraham talks about the fear of God in the context of a moral issue. Abraham went to the land of Gerar and stayed there for a while. When he went there he said of his wife Sarah that she was his sister. Then Abimelech, king of Gerar believing what Abraham said, sent his men and brought Sarah to his palace. But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream and convinced him of his sin. God told him to send Sarah back to Abraham on the next morning. On the morning of the next day Abimelech called Abraham and gave Sarah back to Abraham. Then Abimelech asked Abraham why he had told such a lie to him. In reply to Abimelech Abraham said, “Because I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place and they will kill me on account of my wife” (Gen.20: 11). Why did Abraham speak about ‘fear of God’ in this occasion? Is there any link between ‘fear of God’ and his telling a lie about his wife? Yes, there is. Abraham knew that the people of Gerar would do any immoral thing since they did not fear God. They may even kill Abraham and take his wife. Because he feared the ungodly men of that land, he told a lie just to save his life. Of course he couldn’t do anything to protect Sarah though he told a lie. (Abraham told a lie because he didn’t trust God fully and the Bible does not approve what Abraham did). The fact we have to observe from this incident is that the phrase ‘fear of God’ first occurs in connection with a moral issue. Keep in mind; the first and foremost means for manifesting godliness is maintaining purity in the moral realm. Only the fear of God will keep a man away from immoral deeds.
Another incident that teaches us about the relationship between fear of God and moral purity is recorded in Genesis 39. There we find how Joseph, one of the top ranking godly person of the Old Testament overcomes a severe temptation. His brothers sold young Joseph to the Ishmaelites. The Ishmaelites (Midianite traders) later sold Joseph to Potiphar who was an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Thus Joseph stayed in the house of Potiphar as a slave. During his stay over there Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. It was a very serious temptation because it continued day after day. The Bible says, “So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her” (Gen.39: 10).
Now consider the circumstances in which Joseph faced this severe temptation. He was far away from his own land of Israel. Neither his parents nor his brothers were there in Egypt. Nobody who knew him also was there. Moreover on that crucial day when he had to flee from Potiphar’s wife, none was there in the house (see Gen.39: 11). Indeed, the circumstances were so compelling and convenient to commit sin. Who on earth can stand such a serious temptation? Normally no young man would be able to withstand such pressures. But Joseph could resist and overcome the temptation.
What was Joseph’s secret of success? Consider his reply to Potiphar’s wife: “ ... How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Gen.39: 9). Joseph didn’t say, “How can I sin against Potiphar?” Instead he said, “How can I sin against God?” Here lies the secret of Joseph. All his actions were controlled by the fear of God. He did everything to please God who sees him in secret. He lived always conscious about the presence of God. He lived in the sight of God.
The secret of Joseph’s moral purity is more clearly expressed by one statement that keeps recurring in Genesis 39. “The LORD was with Joseph” (verses 2,3,21 and 23). Of course, God is with all that fear Him and live for Him. Then, why is such a specific statement made about Joseph? The reason is that Joseph was very conscious about God’s presence in his life and the impact of that was visible to others (see verse 3). Joseph’s fear of God enabled him to conquer the lust in his heart and to manifest his godliness through obedience in secret life. The secret of Joseph’s spotless life was nothing but his fear of God.
Why not we check our thoughts and actions to see whether they are controlled by the fear of God? Apostle Paul’s exhortation is worth considering in this connection: “Therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor.7: 1, emphasis added). He admonished young Timothy to “Flee also youthful lusts but pursue righteousness…” (2 Tim. 2:22, emphasis added).
2. Clean Conversation
Another area in our life where godliness should be manifested is our conversation. The Bible clearly teaches in several passages that there is a direct connection between godliness and our conversation. Though the Word of God is very crisp and clear on its teaching about the use and abuse of tongue, many believers are not careful enough to keep their conversation clean. Let us consider a few passages that speak on the absence of the fear of God and the resultant abuse of tongue.
Romans 3:10-18 describes the works of the wicked people. Verses 13 and 14 narrate how they misuse their mouth, lips and tongue. Verse 18 says in conclusion that the reason for this kind of abuse is nothing but the absence of true fear of God.
In Psalm 12, The Psalmist David laments: “Help! LORD, for the godly man ceases: For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly everyone with his neighbour ” (Ps. 12:1,2). Here David cries out because godly men decrease. As a result there are only people who are misusing their tongues. Only the fear of God can enable people to control their tongues and be clean in their conversations. These two examples show clearly the link between absence of godliness and abuse of tongue.
Likewise there is a direct connection between godliness (fear of God) and the right use of tongue. Job was a man who feared God. There are many verses in the book of Job that speak about his fear of God (Job 1:1,8; 2:9). Job 2:10 says, “... In all this Job did not sin with his lips”.
In the New Testament we find many explicit commands concerning our conversation. The book of James resounds with many rebukes and reproofs regarding the misuse of tongues. James admonishes the believers that tongue must be held in check if one really wants to be spiritual or godly. “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless” (James 1:26).
Apostle Paul also has written substantially about the sins we commit in our conversation.
* “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Eph. 4: 29).
* “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned wit salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Col. 4:6).
* “But shun profane and idle babbling, for they will increase to more ungodliness” (2 Tim. 2:16)
The strongest command against careless talk ever given in the New Testament is the one uttered by the Lord Jesus: “ But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement” (Mat 12: 36). Are we conscious of this truth when we open our mouth to talk about someone or something? Remember, Christ is a silent listener to every conversation”.
It is always better to ask the following three check questions before we make any negative comment about someone or something.
* Is it true?
* Is it essential?
* Is it kind?
If you get an ‘yes’ answer for these three questions you can be sure that your conversation is clean and it will glorify God whom you fear.
3. Contentment in life
Another means of manifesting godliness is the contentment that a person experiences. Apostle Paul has written to Timothy about the close relationship between godliness and contentment: “Now godliness with contentment is a great gain” (1 Tim.6: 6). Paul continues to write in the same chapter, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (1Tim.6: 8). Paul’s godliness enabled him to live with contentment in all situations. He expresses his attitude to wealth in his epistle to the Philippians “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Phil. 4:11). Paul treated prosperity and poverty alike. He was really a godly man.
A godly man’s sense of satisfaction has nothing to do with his possessions. He will always be satisfied with ‘the daily bread’ that God gives him. His aim in life is not the thing of this world, but God himself. As a result he runs after ‘God’s kingdom and righteousness’. He has found true contentment in God whom he possesses forever. Therefore, in all situations he can say with Apostle Paul, “Indeed I have all and abound. I am full …” (Phil. 4:18).
To be content in life one has to be free from covetousness. This is possible only if he truly fears God. That is why when God gave the Israelites instruction through Moses, concerning money transactions, reminded them about the fear of God. “Take no usury from him; but fear your God, that your brothers may live with you” (Lev. 25:36, emphasis added). When lending and collecting back money, covetousness may creep in and demand for usury. The antidote to covetousness is the fear of God.
To be content in life our hearts must be free from covetousness. In addition to that we should have the right attitude to money. Man naturally has got a wrong attitude to money. The tendency to grab and possess is very common. However a man who fears God will cultivate the right attitude to money based on the teachings in the Bible. The New Testament gives very definite teachings on material possessions. The first thing we have to bear in mind is that money is not our own. We are only stewards of what God have entrusted with us. Apostle Paul writes explicitly about this. “For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content (1 Tim. 6:7,8, emphasis added). We know that we can carry nothing out when we leave this world. Why doesn’t God allow us to take anything with us? It is because nothing in this world is our own. God in His grace permits us to use the things of the world in our earthly life but they are not really our property. If they were our own, God would have permitted us to carry them with us.
Sad to say, many Christians do not know this truth. They think that whatever they earn is their own and they have every right to use them as they wish. Many do not want God to interfere in this area of their life. But a man who fears God accepts the Lordship of God and in all areas of his life including money transactions. As a result he can live with contentment even when he has money only to meet his basic needs (see 1 Tim. 6:8 & Heb. 12:5).
Another truth the New Testament teaches about our attitude to money is that we should not love money. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10). This is a verse well known to all believers, but I fear it is the least practised truth in the New Testament. A godly man never sets his mind on his wealth. He loves people and uses his money for the glory of God. Money is a good servant but a dangerous master. That is why Jesus taught: “... You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). What does serving mammon (money) mean? It means giving money the supreme position in our lives, granting it the exalted position of a master. If money is the first and foremost criterion for any decision that we make, then money is our lord and we are his servants.
Without money we cannot meet our basic needs like food, shelter and clothing. Therefore a man of God also has to earn money and use it. But his heart must be free from the ‘love of money’. Our God has promised to take care of all our daily needs if God is the very goal of our lives and we run after His Kingdom and righteousness (see Matt. 6:33). If we give God the first place in our life, then we can experience genuine contentment. On the other hand, when the material blessings of God become our prime concern we are serving the things of this world rather than God. Beware of such a danger!
All godly men in the Bible lived with contentment because they had the right attitude to material possessions. Consider the life of Job. When he lost all that he had, he worshipped God and uttered one of the immortal statements of the Bible. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). Job didn’t have any attachment to the things he had. Such an attitude enabled him to say without any hesitation, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away”.
Abraham the great man of faith also displayed his detachment to wealth when a dispute had risen between Abraham’s servants and Lot’s servants. The land, which they lived in, was not sufficient for the livestock belonging to them. How did Abraham resolve the problem? He willingly forsook his right to occupy the best part of the land and gave Lot the chance to choose first. Abraham said to Lot, “Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left” (Gen. 13:9). Abraham did not try to grab the finest portion of the land because he was a man who feared God. He was always satisfied with whatever God has given him. He lived by faith as a sojourner till his death.
David was the greatest king of Israel. God blessed him both spiritually and materially. What was his attitude to wealth? David discloses it in one of his Psalms: “ … If riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (Psalms 62:10, emphasis added). Though he was very rich, his heart and mind were not on the riches. He had a heart that was always thirsting for God and not for the blessings of God (See Psalms 63:1).
Finance is an area where most of the Christians have failed to be faithful to the Biblical teachings. That is why the French Philosopher and atheist Voltaire made such a sharp comment about Christians: “Christians often dispute about their doctrines. But when it comes to the matter of money, all of them have the same doctrine”. Can we deny this accusation? Why not we practise true godliness and display to the world our radical attitude to money and material things?
Maintaining Godliness
We have seen the various aspects of Godliness. Knowing the facts alone won’t do any good to us. To get the full benefit of this study we have to become truly spiritual or godly. Therefore let us focus our attention on acquiring and maintaining godliness.
The book of Proverbs gives us many invaluable insights on true godliness. The very first Proverb in this book speaks about godliness or fear of God (See Pro. 1:7). This book also shows us the way to acquire godliness too. “Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God” (Pro. 2:3-5, emphasis added). Please notice the expressions that are given in bold letters. All these expressions essentially refer to one thing. That is, one’s intense desire or consuming passion for something. If we really want to be godly, we have to seek godliness sincerely and seriously all the days of our lives. That means, we have to be willing to acquire it at any cost. Suppose someone who does not know how to swim falls into a river. Then he will cry out for help with all his strength because he is struggling for his life. A person who desires to live godly also should show the same kind of earnestness in seeking godliness.
In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord Jesus also teaches this truth: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6, emphasis added). The righteousness mentioned here is the practical holiness, which is the expression of true godliness. To acquire righteousness or to be holy, one has to hunger and thirst for it. He has to crave for it like a man who has severe hunger and thirst searches for food and water.
A.W. Tozer, a great man of God who lived in this Century, has rightly said, “Each one is as spiritual as he really wants to be”. Yes, our godliness or spirituality is dependent on our sincere desire. In other words, our godliness is directly proportional to the degree of desire and determination that we have for acquiring godliness. Therefore if we have a low level of spirituality it is just because our desire for spirituality is weak.
The concluding words of King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes form a fitting conclusion to this study on ‘True Godliness’. He writes, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all, for God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13,14). Fear of God or godliness is the supreme priority in the life of a child of God. It is the very corner stone of his life. Does our life display true godliness? Think! May the Lord grant us grace to pursue godliness.
Please send your responses to varghesejohn@eth.net
