Grace and
peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to
life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and
virtue, by which have been given to us
exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust.
(2 Peter 1:2-4)
God has called all true Servants of God to glory and virtue. That is the highest and more glorious calling, to be called to reflect the glory and virtue of the very God Himself who created the universe ex nihilo (Genesis 1:1) and who will reign forever. Indeed, glorious and excellent things await those who totally give their lives for the glory and virtue of God!
Such glory and virtue is not merely great, but excellent and eternal. One would be a fool to say that one loves God, but yet seeks only the things of this world which are passing away. Hence, the warning of the Scriptures to anyone who wants to seek God:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
(1 John 2:15-17)
The glory of God is so absolutely magnificent, excellent and sublime, that no mind can even conceive of it. The carnal mind cannot understand it and will disregard it all as foolish, mocking it, as useless, worthless or second-rate.
The religious who claim to seek God but are unregenerate and carnal will attempt to twist Scripture to justify their carnality and refusal to seek the glory and virtue of God, even going so far as to say that doing great thing for God in seeking God's glory and virtue is prideful, arrogant and egotistical.
The truth is that such people despise the glory and virtue of God which is exactly why they think that seeking the glory and virtue of God is prideful, arrogant and egotistical. They will say that giving up all things, including financial security, is foolish, to discourage one from seeking the glory and virtue of God, for they know not God. Such people are going to Hell, of which they are many. Most professing Christians are going to Hell, plain and simple. They think they know God but they do not. They are those who Jesus prophesised in Matthew 7:21-25:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
The vast majority of those who claim to be followers of Christ in these times are false converts. They will be told by Jesus to depart from Him on that frightening and terrible Day of Judgment, for they hear His saying and do not practice them. They thought they were founded on the Rock, who is Jesus Himself, were never so.
They will be so sure that they will enter Heaven, with many for most of their lives, only to find out that they were never headed for Heaven, but Hell. But by the time they realise, it will be too late. For they refused to put Jesus' Words into practice. Their house was never founded on the Rock as they were never willing to give up all things, and yes, their very lives, for Jesus.
They will be those who put their hand in the plow, but look back to the world, because they were never willing to leave the world behind. As Jesus said: “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”(Luke 9:62). They wanted to seek Jesus, by only on the condition that Jesus let them seek their own will as the Scriptures in Luke 9:57-62 indicate:
Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The true Christian life is not only spiritual, and free of all carnality, fleshliness and worldliness, but sublime. It is to renounce all the stake that one has in the world, and strive only for the excellence of the glory and virtue of God.
Despite what is often taught by the Church today, especially by evangelicals, the true Christian life is not about making oneself small, thinking small of oneself or believing small. It is not at all about relegating oneself to obscurity, passively watching at the sidelines, or refraining from being impactful. No! It is the precise opposite. It is one that is to "think big, speak big, believe big", that is, in the things of God, expectantly waiting on God not to fulfill one's desires or to give one what one wants, but to do great things for the glory and virtue of God.
A Servant of God is called and sent to do great things for God, things far greater than one can even imagine. God is up to great things in the lives of those who are genuinely striving to serve Him, not those who claim to serve Him but are only wanting to receive His blessings and for Him to fulfill their desires. He despises and rejects such people! Such people are like the wicked servant in the Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:11-27) and the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30).
Being led by the lusts and desires for the world and the things of this world is the essence of carnality. Such carnality is a stench in the nostrils of God. He abominates carnality and those who are carnal. Those who are carnal are enemies of God who He will destroy. So, if you are carnal, loving the things of this world, and striving for the things of this world, be fearful. For God will destroy you, if you do not repent!
Fear God and be wise. Hate all evil, of which carnality is prime, for carnality is the hatred of the glory and virtue of God. Repent, repent, repent. Turn to Jesus Christ who died for your sins, so that you may be right with God.
(2 Peter 1:2-4)
God has called all true Servants of God to glory and virtue. That is the highest and more glorious calling, to be called to reflect the glory and virtue of the very God Himself who created the universe ex nihilo (Genesis 1:1) and who will reign forever. Indeed, glorious and excellent things await those who totally give their lives for the glory and virtue of God!
Such glory and virtue is not merely great, but excellent and eternal. One would be a fool to say that one loves God, but yet seeks only the things of this world which are passing away. Hence, the warning of the Scriptures to anyone who wants to seek God:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
(1 John 2:15-17)
The glory of God is so absolutely magnificent, excellent and sublime, that no mind can even conceive of it. The carnal mind cannot understand it and will disregard it all as foolish, mocking it, as useless, worthless or second-rate.
The religious who claim to seek God but are unregenerate and carnal will attempt to twist Scripture to justify their carnality and refusal to seek the glory and virtue of God, even going so far as to say that doing great thing for God in seeking God's glory and virtue is prideful, arrogant and egotistical.
The truth is that such people despise the glory and virtue of God which is exactly why they think that seeking the glory and virtue of God is prideful, arrogant and egotistical. They will say that giving up all things, including financial security, is foolish, to discourage one from seeking the glory and virtue of God, for they know not God. Such people are going to Hell, of which they are many. Most professing Christians are going to Hell, plain and simple. They think they know God but they do not. They are those who Jesus prophesised in Matthew 7:21-25:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
The vast majority of those who claim to be followers of Christ in these times are false converts. They will be told by Jesus to depart from Him on that frightening and terrible Day of Judgment, for they hear His saying and do not practice them. They thought they were founded on the Rock, who is Jesus Himself, were never so.
They will be so sure that they will enter Heaven, with many for most of their lives, only to find out that they were never headed for Heaven, but Hell. But by the time they realise, it will be too late. For they refused to put Jesus' Words into practice. Their house was never founded on the Rock as they were never willing to give up all things, and yes, their very lives, for Jesus.
They will be those who put their hand in the plow, but look back to the world, because they were never willing to leave the world behind. As Jesus said: “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”(Luke 9:62). They wanted to seek Jesus, by only on the condition that Jesus let them seek their own will as the Scriptures in Luke 9:57-62 indicate:
Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The true Christian life is not only spiritual, and free of all carnality, fleshliness and worldliness, but sublime. It is to renounce all the stake that one has in the world, and strive only for the excellence of the glory and virtue of God.
Despite what is often taught by the Church today, especially by evangelicals, the true Christian life is not about making oneself small, thinking small of oneself or believing small. It is not at all about relegating oneself to obscurity, passively watching at the sidelines, or refraining from being impactful. No! It is the precise opposite. It is one that is to "think big, speak big, believe big", that is, in the things of God, expectantly waiting on God not to fulfill one's desires or to give one what one wants, but to do great things for the glory and virtue of God.
A Servant of God is called and sent to do great things for God, things far greater than one can even imagine. God is up to great things in the lives of those who are genuinely striving to serve Him, not those who claim to serve Him but are only wanting to receive His blessings and for Him to fulfill their desires. He despises and rejects such people! Such people are like the wicked servant in the Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:11-27) and the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30).
Being led by the lusts and desires for the world and the things of this world is the essence of carnality. Such carnality is a stench in the nostrils of God. He abominates carnality and those who are carnal. Those who are carnal are enemies of God who He will destroy. So, if you are carnal, loving the things of this world, and striving for the things of this world, be fearful. For God will destroy you, if you do not repent!
Fear God and be wise. Hate all evil, of which carnality is prime, for carnality is the hatred of the glory and virtue of God. Repent, repent, repent. Turn to Jesus Christ who died for your sins, so that you may be right with God.
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