You Must Have What He Is (Life) to Be What He Was (Perfect)
True godliness is the result of God's reproduction in us, made possible through faith and obedience.
Major W. Ian Thomas preaches about godliness not being about imitating God, but allowing God to reproduce Himself in us, leading to Christ-righteousness through faith and dependence on God. This righteousness restores the image of God in us, making us active in Christ's work and exalting us to kingly stature. While spiritual regeneration doesn't bring sinless perfection, our faith and obedience allow God to work in us, transforming us to be more like Him.
Text
For godliness is not the consequence of your capacity to imitate God, but the consequence of His capacity to reproduce Himself in you; not self-righteousness, but Christ-righteousness; the righteousness which is by faith a faith which by renewed dependence upon God releases His divine action, to restore the marred image of the Invisible God. It is not inactivity, but Christ-activity; God in action accomplishing the divine end through human personality - never reducing man to the status of a cabbage, but exalting man to the stature of king! "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17).
At first sight this might seem to offer to you the possibility of sinless perfection as the result of spiritual regeneration, but this is far from being the case; for it is only your faith and your obedience which allow Him to be in you now what He was then (perfect) - and you will be what He was then only to the degree in which you allow Him to be in you what He is now (perfect)!
All of the Father was available to all of the Son, because by His faith-love relationship, all of the Son was available to all of the Father, and this constituted His perfect manhood; and the availability of the Son to you will be in the degree of your availability to the Son, because of your faith-love relationship to Him!
Sermon Outline
- The Source of Godliness
- Godliness is the result of God's reproduction in us
- Not self-righteousness, but Christ-righteousness
Key Quotes
“For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“It is not inactivity, but Christ-activity; God in action accomplishing the divine end through human personality” — Major W. Ian Thomas
Application Points
- Faith is the key to God's availability to us, and our faith-love relationship with Him determines the degree of His availability.
- We must have faith and obey God in order to allow Him to be in us what He was then (perfect).
- Our capacity to imitate God is not the source of godliness, but rather God's capacity to reproduce Himself in us.