The Cost of Measuring Up – Part 3: A Vessel of Honor

“You is mean – you is a mean man! You is da meanest man I ever knowed!” A middle-aged black woman stood in my office trembling with anger. She spat those words at me in a deep, throaty voice that accented “mean” and “meanest” with a primal snarl and built to a crescendo on “knowed.” I laughed at her. I laughed partly because I didn’t know how else to react. I had never before been the object of such a passionate hatred. But, mostly, I laughed because she was right – and I did not have a problem with that. 

The Illinois consumer loan industry of the late 1970s would have been considered predatory, dishonest, and illegal in any state not accustomed to incarcerating its governors. In Illinois it was business as usual. In 1978, the year I was bestowed the title “Meanest Man I Ever Knowed,” I was a rising star in a nasty racket that required its stars to be hard-hearted and mean. Hard-hearted because our core business preyed ruthlessly upon the often illiterate, mostly black, working poor of the inner city by cloaking brutal usury rates and fees in lending contracts that offered easy money and low monthly payments. Mean because collecting a debt from someone who had no money to pay it back often turned ugly. I was exceptionally good at it.

Early in 1981, at the age of 24, my bosses promoted me to general manager of their largest and soon-to-be-with-me-running-it most profitable branch office. Later in 1981, as a result of one simple decision, the focus of my life turned powerfully to a new and unexpected direction. 1981 was the year I trusted in Jesus, and everything changed.  

My conversion to faith in Christ was not dramatic or emotional. An acquaintance had sent an old-school evangelist uninvited to my home. I let the elderly man in because he seemed intelligent and I thought I would enjoy debating him. He had no intention of engaging in a debate. He presented the gospel message to me, quoting from memory  verses out of the book of Romans. As I listened I felt an acute awareness of truth being opened up and revealed to me, almost as if old, dead scales were peeling away from my eyes. I was a sinner, chief among them, and yet Jesus had given His life to pay the penalty for my sin. But that was not the end of it. He had risen from the dead to offer me eternal life and reconciliation to God – the one and only path to salvation from the everlasting torment reserved for all who choose to reject His truth. I became a believer.

The only thing in my personality and behavior that changed immediately was that I suddenly had an intense and unquenchable desire to read and learn more about the Bible, the Word of God. I devoured the Bible at every opportunity. There was so much about it that I did not understand, and yet there were two things that the Word of God made crystal clear to me very quickly.

First – I needed to study. I wanted desperately to focus my time and energy on whatever was necessary for me to become a man God could use according to His good purpose.

Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. I Timothy 4:7-9 NLT

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. II Timothy 3:16 NLT

Clearly, I needed to become a serious student of scripture and begin an active pursuit of godliness if I was to serve any useful purpose in the plans of God. Like the crack of a 100 mph fastball ricocheting off the sweet spot of a Hank Aaron bat, this sudden reversal in the direction of my life was unmistakable.

The second thing that became crystal clear to me was this: I was probably going to have to find a different job.

Like most new believers, I was woefully ignorant of all things Bible related. Additionally, like most new believers prior to the 21st century, I was totally unaware of the tremendous volume of published biblical scholarship in existence, primarily because it was not readily available to those of us who were not students of a seminary or Bible college. There was no internet in 1981 – no Google or Wikipedia to which one could query and receive an immediate response, no online booksellers, no Bible software, apps, or podcasts. Yet I knew there had to be resources out there somewhere.

I had gotten involved in a local church and decided to schedule a meeting with my pastor.

“I want to study the Bible.” I said, “What should I do? Are there books I can buy or a school I can attend?”

His eyes lit up. “I knew it!” he said, “You’ve been called to preach!” He told me to buy a Strong’s Concordance, move to Springfield, Missouri, and enroll in Baptist Bible College.

I wasted no time. On a Sunday afternoon in late December I packed everything I owned, including my new concordance, into a 26-foot-long U-Haul truck. The next day, with little more than a hasty goodbye to my office staff and a request that they give me an hour head start before phoning the home office, I stole quietly out of town.

About an hour into the trip a fierce Illinois blizzard moved in and nearly forced me to turn around. Being fully resolved to my purpose, I determined to press on. I was driving south. Surely I could drive out of it. Somehow I did. Two days later I arrived at my destination on the Ozark plateau of Southwest Missouri. It was Christmas Eve, 1981. I was in a strange new town, without a home, without a job, and without a friend – at least in this world.

And so began my new life as a believer in Jesus Christ. Things only got worse from there. I immediately began to reap abundantly the harvest of personal and economic destruction that inevitably sprang forth from the seeds I myself had sown into so many unsuspecting lives during my five years as a mean and heartless financial predator. The law of sowing and reaping, like the law of gravity, is no respecter of persons – applying to all universally, saved and unsaved alike.

The interesting thing is that during the worst of times (and they were pretty bad) I remained faithful to my calling as a believer, reading my pocket New Testament voraciously, praying without ceasing, walking daily by faith. But, as I began to regain some financial self-sufficiency, I drifted away from my abiding relationship in Christ. I began to fall into old habits and sins. I stopped reading and praying. I even convinced myself that God had forsaken me. 

I never made it into Bible college. I had been told that I was called to preach, but I had never felt for myself the call to be a preacher or pastor/teacher. That fact sadly illustrates a telling characteristic of the modern church in that my Illinois pastor, and his entire small congregation for that matter, would mistakenly diagnose a new believer’s natural and common desire for God’s Word as a singular and not-so-common “call to preach. “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. James 3:1 NASB. I was and still am simply a called-out believer in Jesus Christ.

Of course, God had not forsaken me. In spite of the misdirected motive, my move to Springfield, Missouri was no random occurrence or mistake. I found my wife in Springfield. We started a family and began going to church. Soon after that we discovered a newly opened used bookstore in town that catered to the students of the multiple Bible colleges in the area. I spent so much time there they knew me by name. I purchased books, commentaries, and theologies by brilliant Christian thinkers and stalwarts of the faith. My personal library began to swell with works on the Greek language – grammars, dictionaries, and word studies. My wife learned of a popular and relatively new mail order book seller called Christian Book Distributors. What I could not find at the used bookstore I purchased from CBD. Packages of books on our doorstep became commonplace around Christmas and my birthday. After nearly seven years of aimless drifting, Jesus had reeled me back to the exact place that I was after I had first trusted Him – filled with a consuming desire to read, to study, and to know His Word.

But this time there was a difference. I was different. My arrogance and self-sufficiency had been tempered by trials. My faith had increased and was now supplemented with endurance. In addition, I now knew where to find the scholarly resources I craved, and I had the means to obtain them. I rediscovered my previous focus, and I resolved not to squander my second chance.

My purpose in relating my own testimony is simply to illustrate in a personal way the struggle that all believers will face in pursuit of a lifestyle worthy of God’s calling – that is, in pursuit of godliness. This is a portion of my story. We all have a story. We will all struggle – at certain times more so than at other times. Paul relates a portion of his story in Romans chapter 7: 

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. Romans 7:18-19 NASB

I’m sure James, the half-brother of Jesus, had a story as well although he does not choose to share it with us. Instead he comes at the topic from his own unique “James” perspective – giving us the 1st-century version of “suck it up, buttercup” by flat telling us to be happy about the trials that will inevitably come our way:

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 NASB

None of our stories will be complete until we are home with the Lord, but, like any other story, our own personal stories can have a good ending or a bad ending. I am not talking about the final reward for believers in heaven, which is all good. I’m talking about the manner in which we, as believers in Jesus Christ, lived our lives here on earth. Did we make ourselves useful to God for His purposes in this temporary world, or did we allow ourselves to be useless and of little value to the God who created us in Christ Jesus to do good works? (Eph. 2:10) Consider the analogy Paul gives us in II Timothy 2:20:

Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.

It is clear from the context of the passage that the “large house” represents the church, the body of believers in Jesus Christ. The word translated “vessels” just means household goods. It could refer to plates, pots, tableware, or even chairs or tables – almost any item that would be common to a large home. This includes household items that would typically be kept out of sight, such as garbage pails and the pots that every ancient home had for human waste. As in any large house, some of the household items are expensive (gold and silver) and some are common (wood and earthenware or clay).

However, the important distinction between the vessels is not the material from which they are made but the purpose for which they are fit to be used – some to honor and some to dishonor. The Greek word translated “honor” is the same word that Peter uses in I Peter 2:7 to describe the “preciousness” of Christ unto believers. In Paul’s analogy the vessels of honor are the precious, valuable, and useful items – the good stuff, the stuff you are proud to use and to show off. The word dishonor is the same Greek word with an alpha privative (prefix) attached which negates or reverses the meaning. “Contemptible” would be a good translation. “Vessels of dishonor” is Paul’s nice way of referring to garbage pails and pots for removing human waste. Some vessels are good for no other purpose than waste removal.

Now look at verse 21:

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

In Paul’s analogy God is the Master of the house, the church. We, as believers, can be vessels that are precious, holy, and useful to God – prepared for every good work. Or we can be vessels that are dishonorable and useless to God, serviceable as nothing more than a chamber pot or waste receptacle. In light of this, how could any believer not want to be a useful vessel for God? Is there anyone who wants to be likened to a chamber pot in the house of God? Yet so many today seem to choose the dishonorable ending to their story. It does not have to be that way.

In Part 2 of this series I discussed the fact that a believer’s first priority is to grow in the knowledge of Christ and to maintain an abiding relationship with Him. But nowhere in the scriptures does it say that this priority will be easy to accomplish. Both of Paul’s letters to Timothy carry an undertone of concern that Timothy, of all people, could be in danger of falling away like so many others had done. The two epistles addressed to him are packed with admonitions, commands, encouragements, and warnings.

James, as is his way, addresses the issue with a one-liner that hits like a Joe Frazier left hook: 

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27 NASB

“To keep oneself unstained by the world” – He states it so simply yet it can seem so difficult to accomplish. In James 4:4 he further affirms that friendship with the world is hostility toward God. In Paul’s “large house” analogy the vessels of honor would be those that are unstained by the world. The vessels of dishonor would be believers who are friends with the world.

My primary purpose in presenting this “Cost of Measuring Up” series is to unmask, examine, and address what I perceive as an epidemic surge of worldliness within the 21st-century American church and the corresponding near-extinction of godliness. Clearly, worldliness has always been an issue for God’s people, otherwise it would not be addressed so extensively in the Scriptures. I am, however, convinced that in our modern society the keeping of James’ injunction to be unstained by the world is decidedly more difficult now than it has ever been at any time in history.

Along with all of the useful things the internet has brought to our lives, it has also brought the mindset of the world (Greek cosmos) directly into our homes to a degree previously unimaginable and unheard-of. We bring it in via streaming television, smart phones, and personal electronic devices. We are immersed in worldly perspectives on social media and in popular visual entertainment formats. It is everywhere in ways that were not possible prior to the electronic age. And make no mistake, if we are inviting the world into our homes and lives, we are also inviting its ruler.

II Corinthians 4:4 refers to Satan as the god of this age (Greek aion) and in John 12:31 Jesus calls him the ruler of this world (Greek cosmos). The following is a quote from Charles Ryrie’s Basic Theology (pub. 1986).

Clearly the Scriptures teach that Satan does have supreme authority over the cosmos. Of course, this is within the sovereign purpose of God and with His permission. Nevertheless, Satan’s usurped authority over the cosmos is supreme.

In the same book Ryrie further describes Satan’s purpose with regard to believers in Christ.

In general we may say that Satan the adversary wants passionately to squelch the believer’s testimony. To accomplish this he prowls the earth like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The word “devour” is the same word used to describe the way the Red Sea swallowed up the Egyptians when they were pursuing the Hebrews (Heb. 11:29). It paints a vivid picture of Satan’s ultimate goal – to completely drown the believer’s testimony and usefulness.

Now consider this – Satan is not omniscient. He is more intelligent than any human has ever been or will ever be but he does not know everything. Though he desires to be God, he is not. And if he does not know everything, then it stands to reason that he learns. And if he learns, he must be getting better at what he does. That means if his goal is to destroy Christian testimony and usefulness, he is better at it today than he was one hundred years ago, and better one hundred years ago then he was one thousand years ago. And he will be even better at it tomorrow. It is a sobering thought.

The Scriptures list and describe a number of specific qualities that, taken as a whole, would be considered the necessary characteristics required to attain the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Paul gives us a great summary in Colossians chapter 3:

¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15 NLT

Incredibly, there is one New Testament word that contains within its meaning the synthesis of all of these individual Christ-like characteristics as they are lived out in the lives of obedient believers. It is the Greek word eusebeia – translated “godliness.” Paul uses it with frequency in the pastoral epistles (I and II Timothy and Titus), which is telling considering that his primary theme in the pastorals is the need to teach sound doctrine in order to achieve sound living. If we were to choose one word to describe the focus of Satan’s destructive designs toward individual believers, it would be this word – godliness. Satan desires to drive godliness into extinction within the body of believers.

Can the church in America retrieve her hold on a vanishing godliness? One of the most marvelous statements in all of the Scriptures comes to us in Peter’s second epistle:

Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. II Peter 1:3-4 NASB

This passage centers around the word eusebeia (godliness), which is derived from two words – eu meaning “well” and sebomai which meant an attitude of reverent awe in Homeric usage but in later classical Greek the meaning shifted to denote physical acts of worship as opposed to a reverent or pious attitude. Accordingly, the root meaning of eusebeia is “acts of worship rightly directed” thus emphasizing a manner of life that reflects a true faith in God.

In his classic work Word Studies in the New Testament (pub. 1887), Marvin Vincent describes the New Testament understanding of eusebeia as “embracing the confession of the one living and true God, and life corresponding to this knowledge.” W.E. Vine, in his Expository Dictionary of  New Testament Words (pub. 1940), adds that the word denotes “piety which does that which is well-pleasing to Him (God).”

The “doing” is important because it becomes for the believer a wordless testimony to the preciousness of Christ. Hence, regarding Paul’s use of the word in the pastoral epistles, the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Edited by Gerhard Friedrich (pub. 1971) makes this statement: “the author (Paul) always has in view the effect of the walk of Christians on those who are without (i.e. unbelievers).”

A godly lifestyle is a lifestyle that puts the mind of Christ on display for an unbelieving world. It incorporates all of the individual qualities of Jesus lived out in our daily lives with a view to the manner in which our lives present the preciousness of Christ to lost humanity. Godly believers are honorable vessels, useful to God and prepared for every good work.

Peter tells us that Jesus, by His divine power, has granted us everything we need in order to live a godly life. In the Greek text the word “everything” begins the sentence. This is what is called the “emphatic position.” The emphasis is on EVERYTHING we need, not some things or most things, but all things necessary for godliness. This is accomplished through the promised work of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God who allows us to become “partakers of the divine nature.”

What an incredible statement! Every born-again believer in Jesus Christ has everything  needed to live a godly life and to be an honorable vessel fit for the Master’s use. Such a great truth for these desperate times and yet, as the environment of the world encroaches ever more forcefully into the very fabric of our lives, the manifestation of this truth seems all too rare. Clearly the means has been freely provided. Could it be that we simply fail to make the effort to appropriate it?

When I graduated high school I was the recipient of an incredible scholarship / financial aid package from a four-year private university. They offered me fully paid tuition, paid room and board, free books, extra money for whatever additional expenses I might have and, as if that were not enough, they gave me a part-time job at the university library – which basically amounted to me getting paid to sit at the reference desk and study. In addition, I was allowed to “test out” of my entire freshman year, which I did. That university paid a cost on my behalf that I could not possibly have paid on my own. In doing so they granted me everything I needed to attain a degree in any field of study I might choose. It was a marvelous opportunity.

The thing is, I do not have a degree in anything. I stopped going to class after one semester and dropped out after my first year. Whether due to boredom, lack of motivation and direction, or just plain stupidity, it doesn’t matter. The fact remains I failed to do the work required of me in order to take advantage of the free gift that was mine for the taking.

A cost that I could not possibly pay had been paid for me. But there was another cost, a cost of a different nature, one that required me to train, to study, to do the work necessary in order to appropriate that which had been freely given to me. That cost was my responsibility. When I chose to abdicate my responsibility, I essentially chose to abandon the benefit of the priceless gift that had been given to me.

Feel free to call me an idiot. Yet is this not the very thing that we, as believers, do each day as we choose to disgrace the name of Jesus by failing to pursue the godly behavior to which we have been called and graciously empowered?

I believe my scholarship analogy is accurate. There are two types of costs associated with the pursuit of godliness – two costs required to measure up to the stature of the fullness of Christ. One of those costs has already been paid in full. It is the cost that we could never have paid for ourselves. The currency was the precious blood of Christ. The gift purchased was His grant to believers of “everything pertaining to life and godliness.” Every believer possesses eternal life and every believer possesses the means to be a godly, honorable vessel fit for every good work. This is a promise from God that stands sure. That cost has been paid in full.

Our failure and the failure of the modern church to acquire a “degree” in godliness, regardless of the difficulties the world and Satan set before us, lie in our disregard of the cost that we ourselves are responsible for paying. It is a cost calculated in the time and the effort required to train ourselves to be godly (I Timothy 4:7). The pursuit of godliness requires effort on our part:

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15 NLT

So, what are the first steps? What must we do to train ourselves to be godly? We are going to look at two principles that are essential ingredients to the development of a godly lifestyle. Both can be found in Paul’s ‘large house’ analogy in II Timothy chapter 2:

(19)Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” (20)Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. (21)Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. (22)Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. II Timothy 2:19-22 NASB

PRINCIPLE NUMBER ONE: Break all ties and associations with worldly friends, acquaintances, politicians, and public figures, who claim to be believers.

The word translated “cleanses” in this II Timothy passage means “to cleanse out, to purge, or to separate from.” In his expanded translation, Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest (1893 – 1962) translates with the phrase “separates himself from.” I personally like the KJV word choice “purge.” I feel it conveys a stronger sense of the meaning here. Paul says if anyone purges himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor.

The question is, what things? Note that in the NASB translation the word “things” is in italics. That means it is not in the original text but was supplied by the translators in an effort to clarify the meaning. The original text reads “purge himself from these.” In the absence of any other modifier the word “these” necessarily refers back to the nearest antecedent, which is the vessels of dishonor. The meaning is clear – we must purge or separate ourselves from believers who are not clean.

I spent twenty-two years teaching the Bible to fourth grade boys and girls. When I taught lessons on holiness I would bring a baking pan filled with loose dirt into the classroom and ask a volunteer to squish their hands around in it. After a minute or two of serious dirt-squishing, I would ask the volunteer to hold their hands up for their classmates to view. My question to the class was simple, “What do you see? Do you see dirty hands or handsy dirt?” I can tell you in all the years that I did this object lesson we never once made handsy dirt.

The reality is, you can not hang with Christians who are in love with the things of this world and expect at the same time to be a vessel fit for honorable use. Keeping company with worldly believers will not make them clean, it will only make you dirty. In fact, Paul is telling us that if we separate ourselves from worldly believers we will be vessels of honor. This is a fundamental truth that many believers find difficult to hear. Paul dealt with this same issue in the Corinthian church.

(9) I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; (10) I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. (11) But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (12) For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? (13) But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves. I Corinthians 5:9-13 NASB

What a fascinating passage! Paul had written a prior letter to the church at Corinth, a letter that has not survived, in which he told them not to associate with immoral people. Apparently the Corinthians thought he was talking about associations with immoral non-Christians. Paul has to straighten them out. He was not talking about separating from immoral, covetous, and idolatrous unbelievers. If that were the case we believers would all be forced to leave the planet.

God intentionally places His honorable vessels in the midst of those unbelievers as witnesses to the love of Christ. Godly believers are to be lights in a dark world. In fact, Paul says in verse 12 that he, and therefore we, are to have nothing to do with judging those that are outside the church (unbelievers). We are to leave that judgment to God (verse 13). Believers are to be about the business of rescuing sinners held hostage, not passing judgment on them.

Paul’s command to break fellowship was in reference to ungodly believers and professing believers (so-called brothers) within the church whose manner of life was scandalizing the name of Jesus. Do not even eat with them, he says. The Greek verb translated “associate” is in an intensive form. The literal sense is – “do not under any circumstances, at any time, or for any reason, have anything to do with immoral and worldly believers. Don’t get mixed up with them!”

Paul’s yeast analogy immediately preceding this passage tells us that the intent of his command is to protect the purity of the church because “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (verse 6). If the church does not remain pure, it can not effectively witness. And, in order to comply with Paul’s instruction, we must make judgments regarding those that are within the church (verse 12). Do they exhibit and pursue godly behavior or are they enamored by the culture and amusements of the world?

You and I have no choice but to make evaluations regarding the individual believers that we choose to associate with, both personally and publicly. There is no way around it. It is essential that we separate ourselves from Christian friends, acquaintances, and public figures who have succumbed to the charms of the world. This process will play out differently for each one of us but it must take place for any believer desiring to be useful to God. It is a cost of measuring up.

Of critical importance in this process is an understanding that in order to make these evaluations regarding other believers we must be certain that we have first judged our own hearts. Consider what Paul says next in verse 22.

Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. II Timothy 2:22 NASB

The word translated “lusts” simply means desires. We tend to think of the word “lust” in a sexual sense but this word can refer to desires for anything, in this case desires brought about by selfish immaturity. It could be desire for power, for money, for celebrity, for nice stuff, pretty girls, or fast cars. You could condense it all into the single category of “anything that is not centered on knowing Jesus.”

The key thought in this verse is expressed in the phrase “from a pure heart.” How do we flee youthful lusts? We must join the ranks of those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. How do we pursue godliness or, as the text breaks it down, righteousness, faith, love and peace? Again, we must join the ranks of those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. So the million-dollar question is: how do we secure a pure heart?

The Word of God gives us the answer. Consider this elegant passage – verses 9 thru 16 from Psalm 119:

How can a young man keep his way pure?

            By keeping it according to Your word.

With all my heart I have sought You;

            Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

Your word I have treasured in my heart,

            That I may not sin against You.

Blessed are You, O LORD;

            Teach me Your statutes.

With my lips I have told of

            All the ordinances of Your mouth.

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

            As much as in all riches.

I will meditate on Your precepts

            And regard Your ways.

I shall delight in Your statutes;

            I shall not forget Your word.

How can a young man keep his way pure? The eight verses that answer this question contain seven descriptive synonyms for the Word of God – Your  word, Your commandments, Your statutes, the ordinances of Your mouth, Your testimonies, Your precepts, and Your ways. The actions associated with God’s Word are – keep, seek, treasure, teach, tell, rejoice in, meditate on, and delight in. There is no mystery here. We keep our hearts pure by studying and knowing God’s Word.

Studying the Bible is a lifetime endeavor that requires time, effort, and commitment but it is as critical to our spiritual lives as eating is to our physical lives. Without the nourishment of the Word of God we will not keep a pure heart and without a pure heart we will not be honorable vessels. A commitment in time and effort to the study of the Word of God is a cost of measuring up. The necessary resources are out there. Acquire some good study tools, put down the TV remote, and make the commitment.

A devotion to the Word of God is, in fact, the pivot point about which both principle one and principle two revolve. We can succeed at neither without it.

PRINCIPLE NUMBER TWO: Pursue godliness in community with believers who ‘speak the truth in love’ to one another.

Paul tells us in verse 22 of his ‘large house’ analogy to “pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ” In other words, pursue godliness in community with like-minded believers. Please understand, God does not demand perfection from any of us. But what He does demand is a desire for the things of Christ, a desire for holiness and godliness. That is the quality that we need to look for in our Christian friends and associates. Seek out the people who hunger for Jesus and His Word. Consider this quote from John MacArthur’s sermon “An Honorable Vessel.”

I don’t want to hang around people even in the church who are defiled. I don’t want to hang around people whose life style is a dishonor to Christ. Even though they may be brothers and sisters, I don’t want to be around people whose language doesn’t honor Christ. I don’t want to be around people with bitter critical tongues. I don’t want to be around people whose commitment to God is shallow and cheap. I don’t want to be influenced by people who tolerate evil in their lives and name the name of Christ. I don’t need that. I want to be around people who lift me up, people who pull me up, people who set a standard of holiness for me.

Be diligent in seeking out the fellowship and encouragement of those who are actively pursuing a greater knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you don’t know what that looks like, consider the examples of the four godly men I presented in part 1 of this series. Their writings and the writings of others such as William Newell, Vernon McGee, and D. Edmund Hiebert, have all been of great value to me in understanding what it means to seek and to know more fully our Lord and Savior. 

The communal pursuit of godliness is a part of the divine plan of Christ for His church. Consider Ephesians 4:15-16:

¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.¹⁶ He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:15-16 NLT

My son, Patrick, is a pastor in St Louis. I love the statement he makes regarding this passage – “All believers are expected to participate in speaking the truth in love, just as all are expected to receive such loving truth with humility. In this way we mature together as a community into vessels for honorable use.” 

‘Speaking the truth in love’ brings us back to the pivot point of these two principles – the Word of God. We all have a responsibility to each other to be conversant in the truths of God’s Word. No one has the market cornered on Biblical knowledge and wisdom. We can all learn from each other. In addition, our unique life experiences provide each of us with different perspectives on the truth of God’s Word and the love Christ has displayed in our individual lives. Interaction around the Word of God with other godly believers brings about a depth of understanding and insight that is not otherwise possible. Our failure to spend time in God’s Word amounts to nothing less than disloyalty to our fellow believers and an abandonment of the responsibility that we each share in the building up of the body of Christ.

These are two fundamental principles attendant to the pursuit of the godly lifestyle to which our Lord has called us. One requires a separation from, the other requires a joining to, both require a devotion to knowing Jesus and His Word. Both require a cost in time, diligence, and commitment.

America is replete with Christians who have become self-satisfied, complacent, and useless waste receptacles in the household of God. I am begging you – don’t become a useless believer. Pay the cost required. Appropriate the godliness that has been granted to you. Be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful to the Master. There is no desire more noble, nor calling so great.

I will close this series with a quote from H.A. Ironside’s “Addresses on the Second Epistle of Timothy” (pub. 1947). This is a portion of his commentary on verse 19 of chapter 2. It is the verse that begins Paul’s ‘large house’ analogy.

We are commanded to depart from iniquity, or lawlessness, to depart from self-will, and this includes all forms of ungodliness and worldliness. “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from lawlessness,” depart from having his own way. This will settle many questions for young Christians. So many young Christians say, “Is it wrong to do this?”, “is it wrong to do that?” That is hardly the question for you as a Christian to ask. Rather, one should inquire, Is this something that is profitable? Is it something that will help to make my Lord more precious to me? Will it draw me closer to Him? Every Christian should have the desire to please the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 KJV