What is a Godly Man?

It is perfectly normal, and even encouraged, that the natural man find an identity that makes him peculiar or set apart from his fellow peers. However, for the son of God, Christ is the only identity that should exist. It does not matter race, age, culture, or background, all saints should identify and be unified by holiness.

See the study guide:

Domestic Evangelism - focuses on home being the training ground, and your influence on those in your territorial sphere of influence.

Unbelief - Rejection of the truth. When faith brings you to a place of belief and you reject it. To know what you hear is the truth, but you refuse to apply it to your life.

St. Matthew 13:58

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

17:20

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Acts 14:2

2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.

Hebrews 4:6, 11

6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: (it was: or, the gospel was)

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (unbelief: or, disobedience)

Ego – Pride and high mindedness.

1 Corinthians 11:1

1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Many years ago, the Lord said our training ground for ministry is our homes. This is true for men, women and children. Upon salvation, our first line of ministry is to those in our immediate household. The measure then extends from there into all of our territorial spheres of influence; which will include the job, the neighborhood, the church, etc.

There is a hard-heartedness in men who find it difficult to embrace the teachings of Christ. At some point, I thought it to be a matter of simple unbelief. However, it soon became obvious to me that there was an underlying root cause for this unbelief. It was ego - the way men tend to view their own personal identity. The dictionary defines ego as one’s sense of self-importance or personal identity. Nevertheless, you will not find the word ego in the bible; it simply calls it pride and high-mindedness.

I have watched many men over the years, whose ego or pride, has capped off their ability to please God; either in ministry or in their private lives. Steadfastness against the Word of God. The Word is an offense, and there is a refusal to submit to it. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

EGO AT HOME

If the home is our training ground, then it would be fruitful to examine your relationship with your spouse, children, mother, father, or whoever inhabits your immediate surroundings. If you are not married, you may live with friends or relatives. These relations are where your first testing takes place. Do you really care about how people view you? Your most earnest desire should be to reveal Christ to the people around you. A tell-tale sign of ego is the avoidance of confrontation. Confrontation is seen to be a challenge to the personage of a man, hence a blow to the ego.

However, to evade confrontation will result in destroyed relationships. It seems submission is a great offense to many men. It makes them feel vulnerable and weak to submit to another, even if it is unto God. God will reveal any mind that is not like him, ask yourself this question; if God decided to make a provision for my sin, would I delight in his decision? One of the first realities you must face is whether you actually care about how other people see you.

This is truly an acid-test. It is very easy to dismiss others’ opinions of you, if you do not have a heart-felt motive to reveal Christ to those with whom you live or associate. I use the term heart-felt, because it is so easy to state in a public forum that you want to minister to and save as many souls as possible; but you easily neglect to walk in the character of Christ among those who are closest to.

Your verbal testimony is one of salvation, but your walk is one of confusion to the people in close observation. If married, what does your wife think of you? Maybe you have never asked her. Well, even if you haven’t, that does not mean you don’t know her true feelings or opinion of you. You hear it in disagreements and in her disposition or even the gestures she makes. She wants to talk, but you hate talking; because those conversations always seem to point out things you’re not doing, or things you’re not doing right. Therefore, talking equals confrontation or challenge in your mind.

This is a tell-tale sign of ego which will eventually destroy loving relationships. To listen to the things in her heart just might damage the view you have of yourself. I laid the question at the feet of our Lord, and the response I received was astounding. “I am despised of men; my brothers are ashamed of me.” This is, to say the least, a horror story. He is referring to the brothers in the Body of Christ. They despise Him. But why do they despise Him? That is the question begging to be answered, if the brothers of the Lord are to come to the fullness of what it means to be a son of God.

Colossians 4:5-6

5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

6 Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Character: is the distinctive nature of an individual reflected in mental and moral qualities.

It is certain that a godly man must have character; and Jesus Christ is the example of godly character for the Body of Christ. But now, let us take a close look at those character traits which seem to repulse some of His brethren. Obedience to God goes beyond simply obeying instruction, but it is to feel as He feels and to think as He thinks; it means I prefer righteousness. However, obedience will be an issue if the things we are pleasured in are contrary to His Word. While men may savor ego, God abhors it. Therefore, it is crucial for us to be passionate about humility and servitude and walk in the same.

It is of utmost importance for us to see the distinction between a godly man and a natural man. A natural man is allowed to determine what he will believe and do. However, a son of God acknowledges that he has no life of his own. Actually, his sole reason for being on earth is so that Christ can use his body to express himself through it. There must be no soulful interference with the life of Christ.

Obedience: taken from the Oxford Dictionary, obedience means compliance with an order, request, or law; or submission to another’s authority.

John 8:29

29 And he that sent me is with me: The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Jesus boasted in the fact that He always obeyed the Father. But he is a man: a man who finds it necessary to always obey His Father. However, in the world this concept of a man always obeying his father is not appealing to men. In fact, to some, this is a concept that would not even be considered. With manhood comes the right to make one’s own decisions; to follow one’s own dreams; and to establish one’s own set of values.

So there is nothing about this blind obedience to a father that is appealing to the natural man. I am chuckling right here, because this is another opportunity the Lord is taking to reveal the vast difference between men and sons of God; the difference between the world and the kingdom of God. This is another opportunity to see the Body of Christ through the eyes of God.

Let us look a little closer at obedience for the sons of Adam versus the sons of God. In the world of men, sonship is determined solely by the chemical DNA found in their genes. Other than having the same DNA match, each child can be totally diverse in character and social behavior.

Obedience is obtained by the father creating a set of values, and the laws to implement and enforce those values. Sons are physically taught to respect the lawgiver, accept his value system and keep his laws.

When the child grows into adulthood, he is allowed to establish his own set of values, make his own rules, and walk in his own preferred behavior. The disposition of the mind is reflected in the actions of the flesh.

Distinctive: the qualities of a person or thing; certificate of qualification. The Oxford Dictionaries.

The scriptures listed below show the distinction between the sons of Adam and the sons of God.

1 Corinthians 3:1

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:45-48

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

However, in the Kingdom of God, sons are birthed by and into the Spirit of God. In other words, they are born again. They are made one with God, by the physical joining of the soul to the Holy Ghost. They are made the righteousness of God, which is an expression of His value system. Their laws are not only found in the book they read, but it is also written on the tablets of their hearts.

They do not grow up into a mind of self government. They see themselves as branches connected to a vine, realizing they can do nothing of themselves. They simply mature and become strong in their faith. In doing so, there is no desire to abandon the will of their Father, because they are not living according to what they are taught in school or in the world.

They are living and walking in the Spirit, in the divine nature of the Father. His desire is their desire, His will is their will, and His emotions are their emotions. This is the manifestation of a true son. In the world of men, disobedience to the lawgiver is perfectly normal when the son reaches a certain age, called manhood.

He is allowed to deviate from the will of his parents and establish his own moral codes by which to live. He is allowed to redefine and restructure his life according to his own design. He determines his own purpose and pursues his own dreams. The son of the lawgiver cherishes this time in his life. They can’t wait to become a man, so that they might cast off the restraints and restrictions of their lawgiver. The term, ‘I am a man,’ is precious and cherished above all else. The comfort of the Lord is sufficient to empower a man to remain in submission to God.

But in the Kingdom of God, there is never a lawful casting away or laying aside of the Word of God.

The sons are the laws of God made flesh. Disobedience is a rejection of one’s birthright. Sadly, if a son should die in disobedience, the response of the Lord would be as follows:

Luke 13:27

27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

A godly man is one whose identity is found in Christ Jesus. He is the man who is not offended by the character of our Lord. He reckons his body as dead to sin and all forms of pride. He has no ego to protect. He has but one aspiration, and that is to please the Father.

John 3:6

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:17

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:21

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2 Corinthians 3:3

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

John 15:5

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

He is alright with that. Because he does not resist his created purpose. He is comforted by the Comforter. With this comfort comes contentment and rest from his own labors. The joy of the Lord is his strength and he delights in the ways of God. He is a son of God.