Morality Distinguished from Godliness
Morality
is something society needs in order to survive. We should encourage
each other to be moral, ethical, honest, honorable, just, generous,
kind, compassionate, all of which should be efforts to love our
neighbors as ourselves. But we must never confuse morality and
godliness. A person can be moral in all the areas, not perfectly but
to the best of his/her abilities, and still not be godly according to
God’s definition of godliness.
Godliness
in the Scripture has to do with a believer, a justified sinner, one
who is in Christ, washed in His blood and clothed in His
righteousness. Godliness describes only those who have been born
again by the Spirit and who have spiritual life as evidenced by faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance of sin. Godliness, then, in
the Scriptures refers to the motives and efforts of a believer’s
seeking to obey God, to love God and to love his neighbor,
acceptably.
The
motives for the morality and obedience of a truly godly person are
the sovereign grace, mercy, and love of God in Christ and gratitude
for all salvation freely given him in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. A
godly person knows that his efforts at morality do not
make him righteous before God. His
claim of righteousness is the Lord Jesus Christ and what Christ
accomplished on the cross to save him from sin
(JEREMIAH
23:5-6; 33:15-16; ROMANS
10:1-4).
-Gospel report by preacher Bill Parker
Eager
Avenue Grace church of Albany, Georgia USA
Please
find Audio Gospel Sermons & Contact Information here:
Comments