The Demand of Godly Living

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Most often expectation is not very high. The lower the expectation the less effort required to succeed, and the easy road is often the one most traveled. No this may not be the norm in most jobs, schools, hobbies, or activities, but it is the predominant religious message being heard today. It seems that the less some want to do the less they are told they must do, and the result is peace and serenity among those circles, but no spiritual growth. Paul, though, took a different approach in relating the expectations of God regarding His faithful children and heirs of salvation. He said: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14). If anything is gathered from those four verses, it has to be that there is a demand of godly living. Now, many see the word “demand” and are immediately turned off because to demand implies an insufficiency in present personal conditions. However, a demand should only be feared when the sacrifice simply is not worth the result. For instance, most likely if one’s employer made a demand in some area of their given job, the sacrifice would probably be worth fulfilling in order to keep that job. On the other hand, if a boyfriend made an unjust demand of some sort to a young lady, that demand may be worth not fulfilling if it means ridding herself of that young man in whom she no longer finds interest. But, when it comes to things spiritual, surely in the interest of the soul, any demand is worth enduring for the purpose of its salvation.

Well, the point is that regardless of whether it is appreciated or not, God demands certain things of godly living. If those demands are not fulfilled then that life has not met the Divine standard. If those demands are met then that life looks forward to the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ. Of the many demands, though, what underlying expectation does God have of all who would live godly in Christ Jesus? Perhaps to answer this question it would be beneficial to see the actions of one such heir of glory.

King David was near the end of his life and kingly reign when in II Samuel 24 the Lord’s anger was kindled against him because of his numbering of the people. The Lord’s wrath came by means of a great pestilence sent upon Israel that killed 70,000 men. David, with need to make retribution for this great sin, was instructed to go up to the threshingfloor of a man named Araunah who was a Jebusite. It is with David’s arrival at Araunah’s that II Samuel 24:20 begins: “And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people. And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. All these things Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee. And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel” (II Samuel 24:20-25). What did David know was demanded of godly living? Sacrifice. Though it was freely offered to him to do as he knew to be good, David realized that he truly was not sacrificing unless it cost him something.

The question is not if Christianity will cost us anything. True Christianity will cost us something. The question rather is what are we willing to give up for Christianity? Whatever the Lord demands of us will be worth the price, whether it be possessions, a particular lifestyle, friends, and even family. The early Christians recognized that true Christianity was worth sacrificing their lives, the ultimate demand of godly living. It was unto those in that precarious predicament that Christ stated, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). God’s promise is always greater than His demand. Thanks be to God for those willing Christians who stand faithfully in the pathway of truth. Their end shall be according to their works (II Corinthians 11:15).

-Andy Brewer

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