The Election Count – Part 22
- Does God cut off the righteous with the wicked? NO.
- Do Christians have a promise of the life that now is, in godliness? I think so, but..
- What does a promise of life mean? What benefits does it include?
- What does godliness mean/entail? How is it obtained?
If you will, I’ll explain my thoughts, including my confusions.
Promise of the life that now is
There are 53 instances of “promise” in the NT. Nearly all of them refer to the promise of Abraham; the promise of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the resurrection, the promise of eternal salvation.
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
And I see only two promises mentioned in the NT that could be said to apply to the life on this Earth or in this world.
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
I began teaching you what I believe this means and how it applies. But as I haven’t studied it out thoroughly, and I don’t understand it completely, I should be very careful promising you something that God does not.
One issue is that this is the only time this is said. So, is there a 2nd witness? (You need 2 or 3 witnesses.)
That doesn’t mean that this is wrong. “Godliness has promise of the life that now is.”
But what does that mean? How does it apply? Does that mean YOU have promise of the life that now is, if you have godliness? And does it mean that you have the benefits of that promise NOW, while in this time, in this present evil world, and in this carnal body of sin?
Or does it mean that you will have these benefits after His return: in the Millenium? These could be millennial promises. For example:
Luke 18:29-30 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, 30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Presumably, “the world to come”, is the new earth created after the millennium, but “this present time” is not right now, but on this Earth, which will be the same Earth that Jesus reigns on for 1,000 years in the millennium. So, in the millennium, this man will have all these things. It’s a millennial and an eternal promise. That fits for me. Maybe it is not the true interpretation, but I’m not sure how else you could understand or believe this verse.
So, it is possible that “the life that now is” in 1 Timothy 4:8 is to be understood similarly: that is, that the millennium is where we would receive the promise of life? I guess it could be. Though I’m not convinced at the moment that that would fit for Christians.
So let’s see the other instance of “promise” in the NT that could be said to apply to this life.
Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise😉 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
It sounds to me like Paul is not just quoting the law, he is saying this promise is still active today.
But again, what does it mean? How does it apply? How to you obtain this promise? There is a promise here, but what are the conditions, and what exactly and where and when are the benefits seen? Again, I don’t know for sure. I can tell you what I think, but I don’t know enough to give you the conditions of that promise, and guarantee you that any child will live long on the Earth.
It says obey your parents “in the Lord”. So do the children have to be “in the Lord”/saved to receive the promise? Or do the parents have “in the Lord” / saved, for the children to receive this promise?
Does this apply to today, or to the millennium, or to eternity? The Millenium is a possibility. That is definitely living on the earth, but then, is that living LONG on it? Isn’t the millennium just one day?
Can this be an eternal promise? Is eternity living long on the earth? Maybe on the new earth. But not on this one.
Or is this a promise to the here and now of this present evil world? If a saved child obeys and honours his saved parents, does he have a promise to live long on this earth? Does he have a promise to not be murdered or get sick and die young? Does he have a promise to not be kidnapped, or raped? Have these things never happened before to a saved obedient child? I don’t know if I can tell you for sure that that is a promise from the Lord.
Rather, this is a promise that the child will obtain salvation. So then in that case, if a child who has saved parents (in the Lord), and he obeys his parents, he will have eternal life, salvation. That actually kind of fits for me. And that fits the promise that by beating the child with the rod, we deliver him from hell.
Proverbs 23:13-14 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
And it fits with this:
1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
If a child has one saved parent, and they honour and obey their parents (who are in the Lord), they have a promise of life – eternal life. Not that they have obtained salvation by works, but that they have obtained the election by birth, and by receiving the promise as Isaac. They are a godly seed.
Malachi 2:15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. …
So, I think I’ve talked myself into it, that this is an eternal promise. A promise of salvation. A promise of election. Not a promise of long life (80+ years) in this present evil world.
But I don’t know for sure. How much obedience is required to receive the promise? I’m just not sure I can’t fully define the promise and say exactly how it will work for you or for your children.
But it is a promise. A promise from the Lord. And the Lord cannot break His promises.
Whether we understand this promise fully or not, there is given to us a promise of life. And there are precious few of those in Scripture. So Children, obey your parents (in the Lord).
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
I think when it says “the life that now is”, it means this life. That is, not the eternal life; not the next life; not the resurrection. That to me would be the life that “is to come”. To say that “the life that now is” is millennial or eternal, doesn’t fits for me. Because as a Christian, I don’t expect to be in the millennium with “this life that now is”; with this body, this nature, that I have now. I don’t believe I will have the life that now is, in the millennium. I believe in the millennium I will have the life that is to come; eternal life in the resurrection. So, I believe this promise does apply to the here and now. BUT, I still don’t know for sure how to obtain this promise. Who can obtain it? Who is worthy by their own godliness, to obtain this promise? When am I godly enough? How much godliness is enough?
Also, what are the benefits of this promise?
Assuming this does appertain to THIS LIFE, in this present evil world, I think the benefits of this promise simply are: life. I THINK the promise of the life that now is, is just solely life. It is being alive, with the necessary things of food and clothing. It is simply, life.
Matthew 6:31-34 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
This is not to the unsaved who are “living godly”, of whom it is said that they “having form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”. This promise of food and clothing is to those that seek the heavenly things (salvation) first. For them, I think, the necessary things of the flesh for today will be added.
If this promise of the life that now is truly applies to this life, then that is all I believe the promise is. Life, food, and clothing for TODAY.
No riches for tomorrow are promised. But only the necessary things for today.
I don’t believe that this is a promise of a prosperous life. It is not a life free of hardships or troubles. It is not a promise that you won’t suffer persecutions. But rather, you will suffer persecutions.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
The promise of life that is in godliness is a promise through persecutions. Not that you won’t ever die, but that you may in fact be given that mercy of death, and possibly the great reward of dying for Christ.
The promise (if so be there is one) is that a Christian, with godliness, will have life, food and clothing through persecutions, for as long the Lord desires him to continue preaching the gospel. The Lord delivers the godly through persecutions, and Himself does not persecute the godly in His wrath. The Lord saved Noah, “a preacher of righteousness”, from the flood, the destruction of the old world.
Maybe that is how you obtain this promise (if indeed there is one): seek and preach His righteousness. Seek and preach the Kingdom of God: Christ in you. Seek and preach the mystery of godliness:
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
The mystery of godliness. Seek it, and hold it, and preach it. Then maybe you obtain godliness, which… has the promise of the life that now is.
So maybe this is what we should define as godliness, rather than “living righteously”, or not sinning.. very often.
What I thought to teach you was what I thought I understood: that the godly don’t suffer randomly. They suffer for a singular reason: they suffer for the cross of Jesus Christ. They suffer the afflictions of the gospel. And they Lord delivers them out of all of them, until He is ready to let them die and come home.
But can I be sure of this? Can we say that every Christian preaching the gospel has been so cared for and delivered though persecutions? I want to believe that, and say that, but I don’t know. I could be wrong.
And I could be wrong entirely. Look at it this way… It could be a promise of the eternal life that now is. What does that mean? Well, we have eternal life already. At least, we have a part of it. We have the Holy Spirit, “which is the earnest of our inheritance”. And now already, in this life, we have a joy, a peace, a love, a brotherhood, a family, all spiritually, now, in this life.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
2 John 1:12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
So maybe godliness has promise of this sort of life. The spiritual joy and gladness with the brethren, in the church, of which life and joy we will have in eternity, but we only have a piece of now.
So, there IS a promise here that pertains to this earth, this life. Whether carnally (simply life) or spiritual (joy and peace in Christ). But I don’t understand this promise fully, so I want to be careful not to give a promise that God does not. But I am not wrong to preach that it is true. It is true. There is a promise of life in godliness. There is a reason to get godliness. To put it on. To be godly. I believe God expects it, and rewards it.
However it works and however it is obtained, there is a promise of life in godliness. That is true.
And so you should pursue godliness.
The promise of the life that now is, which is in godliness, may not be what I think. It may not be protection and food and clothing. But, if not, if there is no promise to this current fleshly carnal life, then this promise is BETTER than I propose or suspect.
The benefits may not be what we think or what we want. We may get the opposite of what we desire; that is, MORE sufferings. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions.”
It may not be what you want, or what I want.
But if I am wrong, and on my advice, you pursue godliness in search of a reward of life, then I haven’t led you wrong. I’ve led you to an even better place. A greater reward than of the here and now.
You may not be happy with me now, but you will be at the end.
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
There is a promise here. A promise that, I believe, applies to this life. But I don’t quite understand how to achieve it, or what exactly the benefits are. But this is a promise that we should pursue.
And while I could be totally wrong here, I am not leading you wrong. Because I’ll tell you this: there is nothing else worth putting your hope in. There is no other promise of deliverance. The strength of man and the weapons of man are vain things for safety. There is no other promise of the “life that now is”. (whatever that means). So Seek the Lord. Seek God. Seek godliness. For therein is a promise of life.
May 9 2021
The Election Count – Part 22
Downloadable Word document:
The Election Count – Part 22
The Election Count – Part 22
If you will, I’ll explain my thoughts, including my confusions.
Promise of the life that now is
There are 53 instances of “promise” in the NT. Nearly all of them refer to the promise of Abraham; the promise of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the resurrection, the promise of eternal salvation.
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
And I see only two promises mentioned in the NT that could be said to apply to the life on this Earth or in this world.
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
I began teaching you what I believe this means and how it applies. But as I haven’t studied it out thoroughly, and I don’t understand it completely, I should be very careful promising you something that God does not.
One issue is that this is the only time this is said. So, is there a 2nd witness? (You need 2 or 3 witnesses.)
That doesn’t mean that this is wrong. “Godliness has promise of the life that now is.”
But what does that mean? How does it apply? Does that mean YOU have promise of the life that now is, if you have godliness? And does it mean that you have the benefits of that promise NOW, while in this time, in this present evil world, and in this carnal body of sin?
Or does it mean that you will have these benefits after His return: in the Millenium? These could be millennial promises. For example:
Luke 18:29-30 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, 30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Presumably, “the world to come”, is the new earth created after the millennium, but “this present time” is not right now, but on this Earth, which will be the same Earth that Jesus reigns on for 1,000 years in the millennium. So, in the millennium, this man will have all these things. It’s a millennial and an eternal promise. That fits for me. Maybe it is not the true interpretation, but I’m not sure how else you could understand or believe this verse.
So, it is possible that “the life that now is” in 1 Timothy 4:8 is to be understood similarly: that is, that the millennium is where we would receive the promise of life? I guess it could be. Though I’m not convinced at the moment that that would fit for Christians.
So let’s see the other instance of “promise” in the NT that could be said to apply to this life.
Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise😉 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
It sounds to me like Paul is not just quoting the law, he is saying this promise is still active today.
But again, what does it mean? How does it apply? How to you obtain this promise? There is a promise here, but what are the conditions, and what exactly and where and when are the benefits seen? Again, I don’t know for sure. I can tell you what I think, but I don’t know enough to give you the conditions of that promise, and guarantee you that any child will live long on the Earth.
It says obey your parents “in the Lord”. So do the children have to be “in the Lord”/saved to receive the promise? Or do the parents have “in the Lord” / saved, for the children to receive this promise?
Does this apply to today, or to the millennium, or to eternity? The Millenium is a possibility. That is definitely living on the earth, but then, is that living LONG on it? Isn’t the millennium just one day?
Can this be an eternal promise? Is eternity living long on the earth? Maybe on the new earth. But not on this one.
Or is this a promise to the here and now of this present evil world? If a saved child obeys and honours his saved parents, does he have a promise to live long on this earth? Does he have a promise to not be murdered or get sick and die young? Does he have a promise to not be kidnapped, or raped? Have these things never happened before to a saved obedient child? I don’t know if I can tell you for sure that that is a promise from the Lord.
Rather, this is a promise that the child will obtain salvation. So then in that case, if a child who has saved parents (in the Lord), and he obeys his parents, he will have eternal life, salvation. That actually kind of fits for me. And that fits the promise that by beating the child with the rod, we deliver him from hell.
Proverbs 23:13-14 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
And it fits with this:
1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
If a child has one saved parent, and they honour and obey their parents (who are in the Lord), they have a promise of life – eternal life. Not that they have obtained salvation by works, but that they have obtained the election by birth, and by receiving the promise as Isaac. They are a godly seed.
Malachi 2:15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. …
So, I think I’ve talked myself into it, that this is an eternal promise. A promise of salvation. A promise of election. Not a promise of long life (80+ years) in this present evil world.
But I don’t know for sure. How much obedience is required to receive the promise? I’m just not sure I can’t fully define the promise and say exactly how it will work for you or for your children.
But it is a promise. A promise from the Lord. And the Lord cannot break His promises.
Whether we understand this promise fully or not, there is given to us a promise of life. And there are precious few of those in Scripture. So Children, obey your parents (in the Lord).
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
I think when it says “the life that now is”, it means this life. That is, not the eternal life; not the next life; not the resurrection. That to me would be the life that “is to come”. To say that “the life that now is” is millennial or eternal, doesn’t fits for me. Because as a Christian, I don’t expect to be in the millennium with “this life that now is”; with this body, this nature, that I have now. I don’t believe I will have the life that now is, in the millennium. I believe in the millennium I will have the life that is to come; eternal life in the resurrection. So, I believe this promise does apply to the here and now. BUT, I still don’t know for sure how to obtain this promise. Who can obtain it? Who is worthy by their own godliness, to obtain this promise? When am I godly enough? How much godliness is enough?
Also, what are the benefits of this promise?
Assuming this does appertain to THIS LIFE, in this present evil world, I think the benefits of this promise simply are: life. I THINK the promise of the life that now is, is just solely life. It is being alive, with the necessary things of food and clothing. It is simply, life.
Matthew 6:31-34 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
This is not to the unsaved who are “living godly”, of whom it is said that they “having form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”. This promise of food and clothing is to those that seek the heavenly things (salvation) first. For them, I think, the necessary things of the flesh for today will be added.
If this promise of the life that now is truly applies to this life, then that is all I believe the promise is. Life, food, and clothing for TODAY.
No riches for tomorrow are promised. But only the necessary things for today.
I don’t believe that this is a promise of a prosperous life. It is not a life free of hardships or troubles. It is not a promise that you won’t suffer persecutions. But rather, you will suffer persecutions.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
The promise of life that is in godliness is a promise through persecutions. Not that you won’t ever die, but that you may in fact be given that mercy of death, and possibly the great reward of dying for Christ.
The promise (if so be there is one) is that a Christian, with godliness, will have life, food and clothing through persecutions, for as long the Lord desires him to continue preaching the gospel. The Lord delivers the godly through persecutions, and Himself does not persecute the godly in His wrath. The Lord saved Noah, “a preacher of righteousness”, from the flood, the destruction of the old world.
Maybe that is how you obtain this promise (if indeed there is one): seek and preach His righteousness. Seek and preach the Kingdom of God: Christ in you. Seek and preach the mystery of godliness:
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
The mystery of godliness. Seek it, and hold it, and preach it. Then maybe you obtain godliness, which… has the promise of the life that now is.
So maybe this is what we should define as godliness, rather than “living righteously”, or not sinning.. very often.
What I thought to teach you was what I thought I understood: that the godly don’t suffer randomly. They suffer for a singular reason: they suffer for the cross of Jesus Christ. They suffer the afflictions of the gospel. And they Lord delivers them out of all of them, until He is ready to let them die and come home.
But can I be sure of this? Can we say that every Christian preaching the gospel has been so cared for and delivered though persecutions? I want to believe that, and say that, but I don’t know. I could be wrong.
And I could be wrong entirely. Look at it this way… It could be a promise of the eternal life that now is. What does that mean? Well, we have eternal life already. At least, we have a part of it. We have the Holy Spirit, “which is the earnest of our inheritance”. And now already, in this life, we have a joy, a peace, a love, a brotherhood, a family, all spiritually, now, in this life.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
2 John 1:12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
So maybe godliness has promise of this sort of life. The spiritual joy and gladness with the brethren, in the church, of which life and joy we will have in eternity, but we only have a piece of now.
So, there IS a promise here that pertains to this earth, this life. Whether carnally (simply life) or spiritual (joy and peace in Christ). But I don’t understand this promise fully, so I want to be careful not to give a promise that God does not. But I am not wrong to preach that it is true. It is true. There is a promise of life in godliness. There is a reason to get godliness. To put it on. To be godly. I believe God expects it, and rewards it.
However it works and however it is obtained, there is a promise of life in godliness. That is true.
And so you should pursue godliness.
The promise of the life that now is, which is in godliness, may not be what I think. It may not be protection and food and clothing. But, if not, if there is no promise to this current fleshly carnal life, then this promise is BETTER than I propose or suspect.
The benefits may not be what we think or what we want. We may get the opposite of what we desire; that is, MORE sufferings. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions.”
It may not be what you want, or what I want.
But if I am wrong, and on my advice, you pursue godliness in search of a reward of life, then I haven’t led you wrong. I’ve led you to an even better place. A greater reward than of the here and now.
You may not be happy with me now, but you will be at the end.
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
There is a promise here. A promise that, I believe, applies to this life. But I don’t quite understand how to achieve it, or what exactly the benefits are. But this is a promise that we should pursue.
And while I could be totally wrong here, I am not leading you wrong. Because I’ll tell you this: there is nothing else worth putting your hope in. There is no other promise of deliverance. The strength of man and the weapons of man are vain things for safety. There is no other promise of the “life that now is”. (whatever that means). So Seek the Lord. Seek God. Seek godliness. For therein is a promise of life.
By Pastor • Christian Life • 0