Godliness (Eight Steps – Part 10)

What is the highest level of spiritual maturity that we seek to attain?  How do we know when we have reached it?  Is it a state of sinless perfection?  You can walk in victory over sin and the devil.  This stage of maturity is not the highest, it represents the “young man” stage.  At this level, you are able to overcome any “visible” scheme of the devil against your soul.  It does not mean that you are without imperfections, it means that when a sin or wrong thought pattern is recognized, you immediately bring it into captivity to obey Christ.  The Process of Transformation Diagram (Eight Steps Part 4) illustrates that as long as you walk in this natural life there will always be areas of your soul that need to be renewed.  The young man stage is the level that the Body of Christ, in general, is currently seeking to achieve.  The next three steps will help us to achieve the highest stage of spiritual maturity for us on this earth, which is the stage of “fathers” that the Apostle John referred to in his first epistle (1Jn. 2:12-14).  Some are at this level, but the Body is not there yet.  This is what we are moving towards.  I will continue this teaching because it will serve as an understanding of where we are headed, and it will support those who are at that stage of growth.  Even as I do this, I must emphasize again the need for you to continue to build a spiritual foundation to become an overcomer, which is the “young man” stage.

Godliness is the first of the last three qualities we need to obtain in “an increasing measure” (2Pe. 1:8 NIV).  The word translated as “godliness” in the New Testament actually means “piety”, which is a devotion to God.  Acquiring godliness is necessary in order to grow in the first five qualities, and it is necessary to help us obtain the last two qualities.  We could say that love is the essence of maturity, faith is the means to obtain it, godliness is the framework, and the other qualities are essential components.  What is godliness, then, if it is so important to maturity?  It is a commitment to live in an obedient relationship with our Father and our Lord.  Godliness is a devotion to God that is expressed in a relationship of love.  It is how we abide in Christ and bear fruit. 

This relationship of love is essential for our growth.  To obtain it in an increasing measure means that we need some of it from the start but it will increase as we mature.  There are different stages in the development of godliness.  We need to set as a goal the highest level of relationship with the Lord, but we cannot obtain the fullness of this without growing through the different levels.  Nearing the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus prepared His disciples for his death.  He taught them the need to abide in Him as a branch abides in the vine (Jn. 15:1-17).  He continued His instruction by telling them that they would face persecutions, but this abiding relationship would carry them through (Jn. 15:18-20).  He also promised to send the Holy Spirit to help them walk in this abiding relationship (Jn. 15:26).  At that time, Jesus told them that He would no longer call them servants, but friends (Jn. 15:15).  In a similar manner, the Lord wants to relate to us as friends, but I do not think that we begin our walk with Him at this level. 

The Bible says that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Prov. 9:10).  Our devotion to God must begin in the fear of the Lord.  At the start of our Christian life, it is normal for our fear of God to be a fear of punishment.  We recognize the sin in our lives and we realize that the consequences of sin is death.  As we come to trust in God’s love, this fear of punishment is removed (1Jn. 4:18).  Then the fear of the Lord becomes more of a respect for God.  In the beginning, we hesitate to call Jesus our “friend” because we are starting to know Him as our Lord and Master.  When we realize that we are accepted by God because of His mercy, not because of our works, we respond by wanting to obey Him.  We draw near to Him and He draws near to us.  We grow in our knowledge of Him and our relationship matures.  This is the increase of godliness in us.

Jesus started to call the disciples friends instead of servants because servants do not know what the master is doing (Jn. 15:15).  As godliness increases in us, our devotion becomes a commitment to do what pleases Him, without Him having to ask.  We seek to know what He is doing because we want to be where He is.  The Lord once gave me a scripture to help change my obedience to that of a friend.  I had been seeking to know His will but getting no answers.  Finally, He showed me this passage in the book of Psalms:  “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.  Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” (Ps. 32:8.9 NIV)  It came to my understanding that I was focussed on hearing and obeying commands, much like a horse is guided.  Instead, He wanted me to receive the Word with understanding so that it would become a part of me.  Even in the parable of the sower, He tells us that those who receive the word and bear fruit are those who receive it with understanding (Matt. 13:19,23).  As a result, I moved from wanting to hear a prophetic word for guidance, to wanting to receive revelation knowledge.  There is great value in receiving a prophetic word, but for me, it is for unlocking understanding.  Sometimes, in reference to guidance, it is to provide a correction to my path, or it is necessary because the time has not yet come for God to give me the understanding.

It is important for us to begin our devotion to God as servants because even when we relate to Him as friends, we are still His servants.  We are servants whom the Master treats as friends.  There is another level of devotion that is higher than “friend”.  The Apostle John demonstrated that level.  He was described as the disciple whom Jesus loved (Jn. 13:23; 19:26; 21:20).  Mary, the sister of Lazarus, also demonstrated that level when she anointed Jesus before His death (Jn. 12:3-8).  This level of devotion is expected of the Bride of Christ.  We will increase in this measure of godliness when we obtain the next two qualities: brotherly kindness and love.