The Mystery of Godliness apart X

Written by Major W. Ian Thomas

The Eternal Life is God’s Kingdom-Life of Love. This life, which will naturally express a very special quality of Love, is to begin welling up and overflowing from our eternal soul/spirit while we remain in this world.

Man was created to be a vessel of God’s Eternal Life of Love (Genesis 1: 26-27, 2:7). The nature of this Love was clearly expressed by the Son through His mortal body. (1 John 1:1-2) And when we are filled with Christ’s Spirit, He will manifest the same nature of self-sacrificing Love through our mortal bodies.

In this the Love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him… God is Love, and he who abides in Love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this…because as He is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4:9, 16-17)

God has the power to reproduce the Son’s Life of Divine Love through the human body. It is not the consequence of your capacity to imitate God, but the result of God’s capacity to Reproduce Himself in you! This is the nature of the Mystery. We present our bodies to Him and He uses His power to display His Life of Righteousness and Holiness through us.
(For more detail on this Holiness see our other blog under "God has only one way for us all" a link is posted in the left hand side of this page.)

…Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I show Myself Holy through you before their eyes… And I will put My Spirit {of Divine Love} in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws… I will
save (Redeem) you from all your uncleanness. (Ezk. 36:23, 27, 29)

Remove the mystery of God’s power being the source of all true godliness and you will end up with a false imitation. Your imitation of “godliness” will be shaped by your own thought processes. In other words, you will end up trying to make God into someone who fits your mold.(This is the case found in our religious system of denominationalism world wide. Emphasis added.)

This method of living by the power of the flesh according to self-will is how people “of the world” live. This fallen way of life originated when Adam first turned from his dependency on God. Fallen man’s basic precept for developing his spiritual life is to go it alone. Free from the restrictive and destructive influences of God, he chooses for himself what will be right and wrong for his own life.

Even the most degenerate of people is incurably religious in this sense. They naturally create a god {within their own minds} who will best represent how they desire to live. It permits them to establish their own concepts of righteousness. Even when their “religion” results in evil behavior, they will tend to believe their actions are right. Adolf Hitler’s chosen way of life is an extreme example of how far fallen man can be deceived in this matter.

Satan has led man into thinking he has the right to direct his own steps as he sees fit. Fallen man naturally chooses how he will live according to his own desires. As he lives by the “pride of life,” he will tend to think his ways are right.

Because he will have a desire to promote his beliefs, he will also have a tendency to reduce his ideas into a theological formula, an ethical code, or a political program he can foster on others. This is how the self-centered people of the world naturally live.

But this is not how God’s children were created to live. God never intended for man to decide for himself how he would live. “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” (Jer. 10:23) God’s spiritual children will depend on the Spirit to direct their steps. “For as many as led by the Spirit of God, these {and not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord”} are sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14) And “the fruit” of living by the Spirit is a life of “self”-sacrificing Love. (Gal. 5:22-23)

In explaining how He lived His life, the Son said, “I do nothing of Myself… He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” (John 8:28-29) In the same way their Master lived under the control and power of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual children of God also wait on the guidance of the Spirit and depend on Him to be with them in all they do. They walk in the “Light of Life” from Heaven, displaying the Son’s Life of Divine Love, as God’s children were created to live.