Living Godly in Christ Jesus

Paul was writing this to Timothy, a fellow servant and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, who had spent enough time with Paul to become intimately acquainted with Paul’s teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, and love, etc. But this was not just for the sake of knowledge, but that he might follow after Paul’s example of what it looks like to be a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ. For Paul modeled for Timothy and for all who knew him and for all who have read his teachings what faith in Jesus Christ is truly all about.

And this was in the context of Paul speaking about what it will be like in the last days, which they were in, even then. And he described how people would be lovers of self, lovers of money, arrogant, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, and without self-control, etc. They would be those who were always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth because they opposed the truth, because they were people of depraved minds who preferred their sins over God and over obedience to God.

We are to live the opposite of that by faith in Jesus Christ. For by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord we are persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin, by the grace of God, and to now follow him in obedience to his commands, in the power of God. Sin is to no longer have control over our lives, but now obedience to our Lord and to his commands is what we are now to live by, as led and empowered by the Spirit of God within us.

And when that is the faith in Jesus that we go by, which is biblical faith, we, too, will follow after the example of Paul’s witness and testimony for Jesus Christ. But please let me state here that many people today are taking some of Paul’s teachings out of context, and they are trying to prove that Paul was someone who had a sinful addiction, and he was someone who “struggled” with sin in much the same way as many addicts do today. But that is out of context and it is just not biblical. Paul was a righteous man who obeyed God.

And that is why he could say to Timothy and to others to follow his example of teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, and love, etc. For Paul not only stressed holy and righteous living in his teachings, but he lived what he taught. He lived for the Lord to do his will even if it cost him his life or his reputation. And he was persecuted severely for his testimony for the gospel of our salvation, even to the point of near death many times while teaching the truth, because so many people rejected Jesus Christ and his gospel.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

So all of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to live by the standard taught to us in the passages of Scripture noted above (and below). And if truly this is how we are living, and our desire is to live godly in Christ Jesus, and if we are following after the example of Jesus, and the example of Paul, in the things that they did and said for the glory of God, we, too, will be hated, persecuted, mistreated, rejected, and cast aside as unnecessary and as unwanted, just like trash to be thrown away and forever forgotten.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

His Tender Mercies

An Original Work / January 26, 2014
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fear not! I’m with you.
Be not dismayed!
God watches o’er you.
Trust Him today.
He’ll lead and guide you;
Give you His aid.
He’ll love and keep you
With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.
He’ll lead the way.
Trust in His love;
Believe that He cares.
He will not leave you.
Faithful He’ll be.
His tender mercies
Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him
Throughout the day.
Tell Him your heartaches.
He’ll heal always.
Rest in His comfort.
He is your friend.
Your faith He’ll strengthen,
True to the end.


Living Godly in Christ Jesus
An Original Work / October 26, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Please consider this teaching about Paul’s life: