The Resolve of a Godly Man

Forrest D. Moyer

The Psalmist wrote, “Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments ... He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is upheld, he will not fear” (Psa. 112:1, 7, 8). The blessed man of this chapter is the one whose heart is “fixed,” “established.” It is resolved to a distinct and definite purpose in life.

                All great men have been men of strong resolution. Abraham “searched for a city whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). Paul was resolved! “This one thing I do...” Jesus said, “I came to do Thy will O God.” Even in the business world, those with a firm resolution of heart are the ones who succeed.

                The Christian is no different. He, too, must be resolved to “have this mind in you which was also in Christ” (Phil. 2:5). What is the resolve of the godly person? We will consider three characteristics of the Christian and his resolve.

I. To Be Sound In The Faith.

The Christian stands for something! The word sound indicates freedom from the admixture of error. In Titus 1:13 we read, “For this cause reprove them severely that they may be sound in the faith.” In standing for something, it is necessary to oppose something. You cannot stand for the truth without standing against error.

                The Christian opposes error because he stands for the truth. The Psalmist said, “Through Thy precepts I get understanding. Therefore I hate every false way” (Psa. 119:104).

                1) The Christian stands for the authority of Jesus. He is the “head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:22). He has “all authority in heaven and earth” (Matt. 28:18). For this reason we stand against human tradition as authority.

                2) The Christians stands for the divinity of the Bible. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit and contains no error. Thus, we oppose modernism of every kind.

                3) The Christian stands for the church which Jesus built (Matt. 16:18). Because of this stand, we are in opposition to denominationalism with all of its human creeds and doctrinal errors.

                4) The Christian stands for the gospel plan of salvation that requires one to believe in Him, to earnestly repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Thus, we oppose the mourner’s bench religion and faith only.

                5) The Christian stands for authorized worship rather than rituals, innovations, and some “new” form of emotional satisfaction.

                A godly man must be sound in the faith.

II. To Be Holy In Life

A Christian not only stands for something — he is something! We are taught to “follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

                1) The godly man sets his affections on things above (Col. 3:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:11-12). He does not “mind earthly things” and is not so much interested in the “treasures on earth.”

                2) The godly man lives “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). He has pure speech (Eph. 4:29) and modest dress (1 Tim. 2:9).

                3) The godly man lives in Christ rather than living for self. He is as Paul who said, “The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

III. The Christian Is Faithful In Duty

The Christian does something; he does the will of the Father in heaven (Matt. 7:21). He is obedient to Jesus (Heb. 5:8-9) because of love (1 John 5:3). He is not a “forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work” (James 1:25). He daily seeks to obey whatever the Lord requires. Jesus said, “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I tell you?” The man of a godly resolve will do His will daily in the study of the word, in prayer, in his family and at work. He will worship in spirit and in truth “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” A Christian is sound in the faith, holy in life, faithful in duty!