Introduction:
If we look around us, we can see that the world we live in is becoming more and more Godless. The thought of God and living Godly scares the multitude of people. We are pushing God and His Word out from our systems, schools, governments and secular world. Most of the people are afraid to live a life according to God's standards but have so easily adopted immorality, corruption and sinful way of life.
Many Christians believe that the world is turning more and more evil as we achieve progress in science and technology. In fact the technology like internet and virtual world is helping to promote evil behavior, terrorism and erosion of Christian values. Even within the Church of Christ, we are becoming compromising and tolerant to the worldly thinking and sinful ways of living.
The fact is that according to the Bible the world was a beautiful place when God created it. But the choice of our first parents (Adam and Eve) brought sin in the world.In the days of Noah, God destroyed the world by the great flood and only eight family members of Noah survived the destruction. Since then the world is on a downward spiral, getting worse and worse in terms of evil index. We are in the 21st century and perhaps are living in the most Godless society.
The world is a hostile place for the Christians. This is because the worldly standards and lifestyle are in complete contradiction to the Godly lifestyle specified in the Word of God- The Bible. It is increasingly becoming difficult to live Godly lives in the world that is hostile to God, His Word and God's people.
The question that comes to our minds today is- how can we live Godly life as Christians, as the world is exactly opposite to the standards set by the Lord for us.
1. People from The Bible who lived Godly:
The Bible talks about many men and women of God, who lived God-pleasing lives even in most ungodly times. We will just focus on two persons, Noah and Daniel today. They have proved us that it is not impossible to live Godly life, even when the world around them was corrupt and evil. We will then derive the Biblical Principles to help us live Godly life in today's society which hates God and promotes evil.
a. Noah:
Genesis 6:5-9 "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God."
God spared Noah and his family from the destruction of the world because Noah lived a Godly life in then evil society that deserved God's judgment. Noah didn't allow the world to influence his life.
- Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (v 8b)
- Noah was a righteous man (v 9)
- Blameless among the people (v 9)
- Walked faithfully with God (v 9)
Noah is included in the list of "Hall of Faith" by the author of Hebrews in chapter 11:7 " By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith."
Noah remained untouched by the evil system around him for two reasons- he walked faithfully with God and he believed and obeyed God's Word.
Genesis 7:5 " And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him." He even didn’t bother when others may have mocked and laughed at his plans to build a giant boat. We learn from Noah that we have to walk faithfully with God in spite of hostile environment and ignore the voices of people of the world to listen to God and obey His commandments. We should have a strong faith in God to live a Godly life.
b. Daniel:
During the captivity of Israel four Young Israelite boys including Daniel were selected by Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) for a royal training to be the high ranking officials in the kingdom. The training program included diet of the royal food (offered to idols) and vine for three years (Daniel 1:5). Daniel and his three friends were God-fearing and decided to abstain from the royal defiled food and vine and chose a vegan food and water instead.
Daniel 1:8 " But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way". God honored their resolute decision and the four boys turned out to be the best among the royal trainees and the king appointed them in highest administrative positions.
King Darius appointed Daniel as one of the three straps over 120 satraps and thought to make him a chief satrap because "Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom" (Daniel 6:3)
His envious colleagues tried to stop Daniel and incited King Darius to issue a decree that for 30 days all have to pray to the King otherwise get thrown in to a lions' den. Daniel was a man of prayer and he didn't stop praying to the Living God three times in a day with the windows of his home opened towards Jerusalem (6:10). He was not afraid of the King and he continued to pray to God. That shoes his courageous and uncompromising nature for the things of God. He was thrown in the lions' den but God miraculously saved him.
Daniel continued to be the administrator under many idol-worshipping kings but his deep relationship with God helped him to live a Godly life in the most adverse surroundings.
Two things helped Daniel to live a Godly life- his resoluteness to stay away from evil and his strong prayer life.
2. Seven Biblical Principles of Godly living:
a. Prayerfulness:
We have to pray to the Lord daily for our protection against the evil around us.
Mathew 6:13- The Lord taught His disciples to pray in, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
John 17:15- The Lord Jesus prays for us even today, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one".
b. God's Word (Bible):
God's Word helps us to know the way of our life and what is pleasing and acceptable to God.
Psalm 1:1-2- Picture of a Godly man described by the Psalmist," Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night." The Bible keeps us away from sin or the sin keeps us away from the Bible.
Psalm 119:11 says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
Ephesians 6:10-17- Paul describes the full armor of God against the forces of evil and God's Word is the only attacking weapon given to us.
Jesus Christ used the Word of God to defeat the temptations of satan in Mathew 4.
c. Beware of the world's mould:
Romans 12:1-2 (J B Philips translation), "With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity."
The world around us is constantly bombarding Christians to squeeze us in to its mould. Media and TV are the biggest instruments being used by satan to lure us in to the world. We need to be careful what we allow to see and influence our minds. The protection technique is also provided in these verses by Apostle Paul:
i. Submission of our bodies to the Lord daily with a determination to stay away from the evil
ii. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Our mindset needs to be transformed by the Holy Spirit and only a transformed mind can lead us to a transformed lifestyle.
d. Learn to draw a boundary line with ungodly world:
The Lord doesn't want us to get out of this evil world but we need to have a limited association and friendship with the ungodly people.
Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers in I Cor. 5:9-10 " When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that."
I Cor. 15:33- “Bad company corrupts good character.”
II Cor. 6:14-16, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.
Verse 17- “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord."
We can have friendship and association with the ungodly but we have to learn to draw the line when and where we need to stop. Remember we are the temple of God and we have to keep this temple holy.
God's Word guides us to set the boundary lines. So our minds must be saturated with God's Word.
e. Shine your light in the dark world:
Our best defense against the darkness of the world is to be the shining lights for Jesus because light dispels darkness.
In Mathew 5:14-16 Jesus told us, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
I Peter 2:9, " But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
Remember our true identity and let your light shine before the evil world.
f. Be ready to pay the price for Godly living:
II Timothy 3:12-13- "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived."
The world hated Jesus and His disciples and the world still hates Godly Christians today. We may be ridiculed or face discrimination for being Christian, we may be sidelined in the jobs for being Christians. But we have to be ready to pay the price of being Godly. When we suffer for Christ, we share in His sufferings and God is well pleased.
I Peter 4:14 says, " If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."
g. Overcome evil with good:
Romans 12:21- "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Our answer to the evil should be continuing doing good. This is the Christian response to the evil around us.
Conclusion:
May the Lord bless each one of us to live in Godliness in the Godless world. I conclude with the following passage from Titus 2: 11-14.
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
Amen.
