The Ministry of Godly Living
Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 6
What is living Godly? We could say that Godly living is living in obedience to God's commands, the Word of God.
We could also say that Godly living is living according to the will of God for us.
We must understand that the decrees of God have been established in eternity past and refer to God's sovereign control over every realm of His creation and over all events that happen.
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
There are two options:
1) God is sovereign over all His creation with absolute control.
2) God does not have sovereign control, and He was not our Creator.
"There is no truth" in those who say God has predestined certain people to be saved and the rest to be lost, so keeping God's commandments is not necessary.
God indeed knows who will accept His Son and who will not because He is omniscient and knows all things.
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Our salvation depends upon our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
Though many will not accept it, the decision for the Lord Jesus to take on humanity and shed His blood for us was made before we were created by Him.
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
We will never understand all these things until we meet Jesus in the clouds.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
God has a plan, and we can be part of it, or we can reject God's plan and spend eternity in a real Hell.
This is the choice we must make before we die. God will not make this choice for us!
What is God's purpose for all these things? God's plan is designed to reveal His glory to us all!
Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
God has decreed all these things, yet every individual must be presented the Gospel, and they must believe the Gospel to be saved!
Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Godly living begins when we stand in awe of the God of Creation who is wise, powerful, merciful, and loving.
In fact, love may be God's greatest characteristic.
1Jn_4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
God cannot be other than love!
1Jn_4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
We can entrust our lives to the Almighty Living God.
We should rejoice in the wonder of our salvation.
We can rest in peace now knowing our future eternal life has been secured.
God still holds people responsible for their sin!
The main problem we have as humans is the fact that we want to run our own lives, and pride and self-righteousness become our greatest enemy.
*****2Co 6:11 O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
Anytime we are speaking to the church or to the lost, our words must come from the heart.
If our thoughts seem to be fake, then we will be seen as fakes.
The Lord Jesus expects a personal relationship with us, and we must have personal relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is not kissy, kissy love but a heartfelt love as family, because we have the same Heavenly Father.
Mat 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Mat 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
These things must hold as we witness to others and as we live the Christian life.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
We must give the Lord Jesus all our heart, all our soul, and all our body, just as Jesus gave us His all.
Our body must truly be the Temple of the Lord.
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
The Lord Jesus is like His Father; He is jealous in a Godly way and He wants all of our heart not just a part of it.
*****2Co 6:12 Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.
2Co 6:13 Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.
The Apostle Paul is saying his heart was open to them and his affection had grown since he had been sharing the truth with these Corinthians.
The word "straightened" is used of these same Corinthians to say that their hearts were not yet open to grow in the Lord.
We should understand that the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ poured out all of the blood of Christ to make room for the love He has for us.
Now He does not expect us to spill our blood for Him, but He does expect us to make room for Him in our hearts.
If we open our hearts to receive the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will also open our hearts to receive those who preach the truth of the Gospel.
At the same time, if our hearts are not open to the truth of the Gospel, we will never accept the children of God nor His witnesses.
That word recompense means, open your hearts as the Lord Jesus has opened His heart for all sinners.
1) Those who preach/teach the truth in the church must be open and honest and have a loving heart toward God's people.
2) That church must also be open and honest and have a loving heart toward God and His chosen preachers/teachers.
3) All those who are to witness of the truth of God must also have a loving heart for those who are lost.
Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Joh 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
A church that does not show the love of God in their hearts is not a true church!
*****2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Many believe that Paul is speaking only of marriage here, but in truth believers should never be unequally yoked with unbelievers in any situation.
God gives us such a situation in the Book of Deuteronomy: Deu 22:10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
Here it was forbidden to plow with an ox and a donkey together.
This represents doing a work together for the Lord.
An ox was a clean animal and a donkey was an unclean animal.
A believer cannot do a work for the Lord together with an unbeliever.
In a marriage, the problems show up immediately, and the believer will suffer serving the Lord, and not many unbelievers in this situation will come to the Lord.
A true believer is radically different from an unbeliever.
1) How can we expect to have fellowship when there are two opposing views of the things in this world and the things of the church?
The unbeliever will live and do as they please, and the believer will try to obey the Word of God.
2) An unbeliever has already rejected the truth of Jesus Christ and will not obey God. That person is their own god.
3) They are not seeking the Kingdom of God, and they think they are righteous without the laws of God.
4) They do not hunger and thirst for the truth but say what truth is to them. The truth of the world we know about.
But God says: 1Jn_2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The word "fellowship" means sharing and participation.
The word "communion" means to be in union, in partnership, in a bound fellowship, to be closely bound together.
When you take a light into a dark room, darkness will do its best to hide from that light.
It is the same with the Lord Jesus Christ, and we see it in our world today.
When you take the Lord Jesus Christ anywhere in the darkness of this world, that darkness will try to hide its sin, or it will rebel at any sign of Jesus, and hatred will appear.
A believer's home is Heaven, the unbeliever's home is Hell, and these two places can never come together.
1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
If we worship the One true God, and are a Temple for God, we will want no part of unrighteousness!
Eze 37:27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Lev 26:11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
Lev 26:12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
*****2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
To be a child of God is to be righteous.
To be a child of Belial(the Devil) is to be lawless.
To be lawless is doing your own will, ignoring the will of God, without recognizing any authority.
To be in "concord" is to be in agreement, have similar opinions, have similar sentiments, similar views, or similar interests.
A believer belongs to Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world.
A non-believer belongs to the Devil, who is the darkness in our world and worthless. (as useless as a pile of trash)
To be a believer is to be a follower of Christ not only throughout eternity but now in our daily lives.
The unbeliever hates Jesus Christ!
To be a believer is to say, "I completely trust the Lord Jesus Christ"; it's called faith.
Faith is the sincere and hearty assent and consent of the mind to the belief of the being and promises of God, as especially revealed to the church in the person and redemption, work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith is the believing of the testimony of Jehovah(Yahweh), through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
*****2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Since the Holy Spirit dwells in me, there is no room for idols in my life.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
As I go about the business of serving the Lord Jesus Christ, I proudly wear the seal of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
As cattle are branded to show ownership, I am branded with a Heavenly branding iron, which is the Holy Spirit.
The Lord has paid my sin debt, and I belong to Him; He owns me!
This seal is permanent: Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
It is the Holy Spirit who is that Seal; God the Father is the Sealer.
The Holy Spirit that gives us the power to show the characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives.
Everything about salvation is about the Triune God, and there is no other such God as He!
1Jn 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
In the Temple of God, God is honored, praised, and served by the true believer.
There is no room for idols of any kind.
The Church, the Body of Christ, is the dwelling place of the One True God.
The God of the Bible has a desire to dwell with His people and walk with us.
God wants to feel at home in His walking, talking temples and move around freely.
Psa 93:5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.
This is only possible when there are no disturbing elements within us.
So-called believers who associate themselves with the world are not walking with God within them.
*****2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
The people of God must be radically separated from the world and everything found in the world.
Yes, we have to work in this world.
Yes, we have to deal with the unbelievers in this world.
But we must remember that any association with unbelievers is what may give us an opportunity to tell them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ so they may have an opportunity to be saved.
God has given us His truth and those denominations that have rejected the truth of God were never saved to begin with.
God warns us about allowing the world into the Church!
Jesus did say to love our enemies, and the best thing we can give to our enemies is the truth of the Word of God.
In the end every believer must break all relationships in which God does not have the first place.
This means relationships that we enter into ourselves.
This means relationships where we have to compromise the Word of God just to remain.
This means the relationships that ruin our testimonies.
This means we must not join ourselves to nonbelievers even in business ventures.
2Ch 20:35 And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:
2Ch 20:36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber.
2Ch 20:37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
This means a believer should never marry an unbeliever, but once the marriage takes place, there are only certain reasons that this marriage should be broken.
Keep in mind that as Christians, we may be better off than an unbeliever, but we are not better than they are or anyone else.
There has never been, but One who was/is perfect, and He is our Savior.
We are only better off because of the benefits in choosing the Lord Jesus, which He really chose us.
He came searching for me as He did for every Christian. We must want to be found!
We must never participate in worldly, ungodly events with an unbeliever.
We must not even look like we are being sinful.
We must not question, try to rationalize, twist these words to some other meaning, or ignore this command of God.
If we want God to receive us, we must obey all His commandments!
If God is not our Father, then we are not His children.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
We cannot say we are Christians if we refuse to repent from our old life.
Amen
