SLB-045 and SLB-046 ( ) Rest and Godliness

SLB-045 and Godliness Godliness consists of “Learn and Live”. “Learn and Live” (Col. Thieme) “is the pattern for the unique spiritual life of the Church Age.” First, you must learn doctrine and then you must live doctrine. “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17

SLB-045 and Godliness Learning doctrine feeds your Spiritual Genetic Potential (SGP) and allows you, in the filling of the Holy Spirit, to advance to maturity in the spiritual life. But if you fail to feed your Spiritual Genetic Potential there is another way; what Col. Thieme calls “Live and Learn”. This is the hard way. When you fail to obey God through His Word, the only way left to learn is through divine discipline (DD).

SLB-045 and Godliness "For those whom the Lord loves He punishes, and He scourges every son whom He receives." God’s love for you is expressed in divine discipline, even though it is a painful way to be motivated in the spiritual life. This discipline is not for you “sins”: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15

SLB-045 and Rest and Godliness The goal of God’s truth is godliness. Toward this end God has given the transcendent revelation of his Word as a teacher to escort us to “the crown of righteousness”. How do you remove yourself from God’s grace provision of DD and the pain of “Live and Learn”? Recover (I Jn. 1:9) from your Carnality (living in the IGHNA) to stop grieving (Human Bad) and quenching (Human Good) the Holy Spirit.

SLB-045 and Rest and Godliness Concentrate on the accurate teaching of the Word of God so you can feed the appropriate SGP and learn to avoid the mistakes you’ve made in the past. Return to “Learn and Live” pattern of Spiritual Growth. The cursing of DD now becomes blessing. You will be bruised and sometimes battered, but you will survive.

SLB-045 and Rest and Godliness Learn to recognize the Divine Viewpoint in the Appraisal Process of your soul, choose it in your VI and you will advance in the spiritual life. If you remain in “Learn and Live” Mode you will eventually glorify the Lord as a mature believer, and you will do it the easy way - without the DD. “Learn and Live” is the Life of Godliness - the Life of Rest.

SLB-045 and Rest and Godliness Insert Thinking Chart Here

SLB-045 and Rest and Godliness “Godliness — the whole of practical piety (1 Tim. 4:8; 2 Pet. 1:6). “It supposes knowledge, veneration, affection, dependence, submission, gratitude, and obedience.” In 1 Tim. 3:16 it denotes the substance of revealed religion.” Easton, M.G.: Easton's Bible Dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996, c1897

SLB-045 and Rest and Godliness GODLINESS. In pagan literature, godliness (Gk. eusebeia, eulabeia and related terms) meant showing proper caution, fear or reverence towards the gods. Such piety involved the offering of sacrifices and other cultic activities. It also meant honouring the gods by respecting elders, masters, rulers, and all the orders of life thought to be under the protection of the gods. When this terminology was used in the Bible, a different notion of fear or respect was intended.

SLB-045 and Rest and Godliness Ungodliness (Gk. asebeia) brings the wrath of God, because it involves suppressing the truth about God, worshipping created things rather than the Creator, and pursuing unrighteous relationships and behaviour (Rom. 1:18–25; 1 Tim. 1:9–11). It is a condition from which we can only be rescued by trusting ‘him who justifies the ungodly’ (Rom. 4:5; cf. 5:6; Tit. 2:11–14). Godliness is most frequently mentioned in the Pastoral Epistles, where Paul uses the terminology to counter its misapplication by false teachers (1 Tim. 6:3–10; 2 Tim. 3:4–5).

SLB-045 and Rest and Godliness Positively, it is a God-honouring manner of life, issuing from a true knowledge of God and his grace in Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 3:16; 4:7–10; 2 Tim. 3:10–12; Tit. 1:1; 2:11–12). A genuine devotion to God [Reciprocation] transforms relationships and behavior in every context. (New Bible Dictionary)

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:1-3 “Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, 3 but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,”

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:5-9 7 For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:5-9 NASB - “is above reproach” NKJV, NRSV - “blameless” TEV - “without fault” NJB - “irreproachable character” This is the key to all of the qualifications, both positive and negative, of both I Tim. 3 and Titus (cf. vv. 6, 7; I Tim. 3:2, 7, 10; 5:8; 6:1). We will skip the qualifications for now, and move on to the key role of Pastors when faced with opposition to the Truth of the Gospel of Grace.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:5-9 NJB - “a firm grasp of the unchanging message” This is a PRESENT MIDDLE PARTICIPLE. Pastors are to be a link in the chain of apostolic, historical Christianity. They must grasp and hold on tenaciously to the Gospel of Christ which is the self- revelation of the one and only true God.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:5-9 NASB, NRSV - “which is in accordance with the teaching” NKJV - “as he has been taught” TEV - “which agrees with the doctrine” NJB - “of the tradition” Pastors must pass on the Apostolic truths they have been taught without change.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:5-9 “so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine” The minister, by personal preparation, spiritual giftedness, and love must be able to work with believers and non-believers. His task involves teaching, preaching, and modeling (i.e. living out) the gospel and correcting false teachings (cf. II Tim. 4:2).

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:5-9 “and to refute those who contradict” The next few verses (cf. vv. 10–16) describe the attitudes and actions of these false teachers. There was an obvious Jewish element (cf. vv. 10, 14).

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:10-16 NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1: For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. 12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1: :10 NKJV, NJB - “insubordinate” NRSV - “rebellious people” TEV - “who rebel” This is the term “be subject” with an ALPHA PRIVATIVE (cf. 1:6). This means “not under authority.” This relates contextually to “those who contradict” in v. 9. (cf 3:9–11).

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:10-16 NASB -“empty talkers and deceivers” NKJV, NRSV - “idle talkers and deceivers” TEV - “deceive others with their nonsense” NJB - “who talk nonsense and try to make others believe it” Anything other than Doctrine leading to Godliness is “Nonsense”. What we believe about how we live is the crucial aspect of Christianity.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:10-16 “those of the circumcision” These early Jewish legalists, who asserted that people had to keep the Mosaic Law before they could trust Jesus and become Christians, are found throughout the Epistles. These later heresies seem to be a combination of Jewish legalism and Greek philosophical thought (gnosticism).

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1: :11 “who must be silenced” This is a PRESENT INFINITIVE of the compound “to put on the mouth” (i.e. to muzzle, to gag, or silence). Church leaders must control who speaks in the house churches. The same principle is true today. Religious and academic freedoms do not give anyone the right to address the people of God; the Pastor must decide who is qualified.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:10-16 “they are upsetting whole families” This could refer to house churches (cf. Rom. 16:5; I Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; I Tim. 3:15) “for the sake of sordid gain” This shows the true nature of the false teachers (cf. I Tim. 1:7; 6:5, 10; II Pet. 2:3, 14; Jude 16). Pastors must be free of this temptation (cf. I Tim. 3:3, 8; 6:9–10).

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1: :12 “One of themselves a prophet” Epimenides lived in the sixth century b.c. and was from Crete. This shows the Greek influence of the heresy. Paul quotes from Greek philosophers and poets at least three times in his writings (cf. Acts 17:28; I Cor. 15:13; Titus 1:12). His home town of Tarsus was known for educational institutions. Paul was highly educated in both Greek and Hebrew culture.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:10-16 “Cretans are always liars” The Cretans believed and bragged that Zeus was buried on their island. The term “cretinous” meant “a liar.” In this context it seems to relate to the false teachers, not the churches or the general public.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:10-16 “lazy gluttons” The basic meaning of the phrase is greed (cf. Phil. 3:19). 1:13 “reprove them severely” This literally means “cut off with a knife.” This is a PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVE. This strong term is used only here in the NT. The admonition to strongly rebuke can be seen in I Tim. 5:25; II Tim. 4:2; Titus 2:15.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:10-16 “so that they may be sound in the faith” This shows that discipline is to be redemptive, not punitive (cf. I Cor. 5:5; Heb. 12:5–13). The term “sound” is a recurrent theme in the Pastoral Letters, which refers to something being healthy (cf. I Tim. 1:10; II Tim. 1:13; 4:3; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1, 2, 8).

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1: :14 “Jewish myths” These myths may be connected to Jewish speculation about the genealogy of the Messiah and certinly about the means of Godliness (cf. 3:9; I Tim. 1:4; II Tim. 4:4). “and commandments of men” This, in context, seems to refer to the Oral Tradition of the Jews, later codified in the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds (cf. Isa. 29:13; Mark 7:7–8; Col. 2:22). These are the man-made rules of Law-Keeping.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:10-16 “who turn away from the truth” This is a PRESENT MIDDLE PARTICIPLE. These false teachers continue to turn away from the gospel. The middle voice speaks of their personal interest in doing so.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1: :15 “To the pure, all things are pure” “Everything” is put first in the Greek sentence for emphasis. “but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure” The first COGNATE VERBAL is a PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE and the second is a PERFECT PASSIVE INDICATIVE, which speaks of a settled state produced by an outside agent, here possibly the evil one. This type of person twists everything and everyone for personal interest (ex. Acts 20:29).

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:15,16 "To the pure all things are pure"? What does that mean? Some people would like it to mean that one can engage in some sort of less than pure activity or entertainment and not be adversely affected by it.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:15,16 So, what does it mean? Does it mean that if I am pure in heart, that everything I do will be rendered automatically pure? Does it mean that a person's lust; greed, immorality, cursing, cheating and lying are all "pure" if the person committing them has been purified by Christ’s salvation?

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:15,16 Any rational, thinking person dedicated to pleasing the Lord knows better than that; so then, what does the statement mean? Here is the context: "For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach, for the sake of sordid gain." (Titus 1:10,11).

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:15,16 Paul's statement "To the pure all things are pure" must be taken in the context of the problem at hand. There were false teachers "teaching things they should no teach." From this epistle, and others, we know exactly what they were teaching. Paul was dealing with rebellious men of Jewish backgrounds who were trying to bind portions of the Old Law on new Gentile converts.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:15,16 Among these laws were the dietary restrictions that divided meat into two groups, "clean" and "unclean". Under the Old Law, this had pictured for God's chosen people, the Jews, the concept of how they must maintain separateness from the world and its sin.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:15,16 The false teachers were saying that some meat continued to be impure. Paul says, in this context, that "To the pure all things are pure." In other words, Ceremonial Law, Religion, is “Impurity” and keeps one from the “Purity” of Godliness - Resting from our own works.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:15,16 Both their mind and conscience are defiled." (Titus 1:15b). Under the Old Law, if one who was ceremonially pure came into contact with an unclean thing, he or she would become unclean. These ceremonial cleanliness/uncleanness rules did not necessarily mean an unclean person had sinned. For example, touching a dead body was not a sin, but it would render one unclean for a time.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:15,16 "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed." (Titus 1:16). Its rather easy to follow a self-chosen Religious code, but these deeds of self-righteousness are “detestable”, “smelly”. They are disobedient to the Plan of God and His grace provision for Righteousness; therefore, “worthless” when it comes to Divine Good, the works God “prepared that we walk in them.”

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1: :16 “They profess to know God” “God” is placed first in the Greek sentence for emphasis. They claim to be religious! They claim godliness based on human regulations (cf. Isa. 29:13; Col. 2:20–22), but in reality, they are defiled. This is another evidence of the Jewish element of the heresy because of the term “God” rather than Christ.

SLB-045 and Godliness from Titus Titus 1:10-16 “but by their deeds they deny Him ” This is a PRESENT MIDDLE INDICATIVE. The Middle means it is for their own harm. Believers’ choices give evidence of their relationship to the Father. “detestable” This literally means “smelly.” “and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (cf. I Cor. 3:10–15; II Pet. 1:8–11). Literally this means “failure to pass the test” (cf. II Tim. 3:8).