Godliness or Christ-likeness (Point 3/5)

 

 

Godliness or Christ-likeness (Point 3/5)

3. Believers must keep transforming hearts though truth and grace.

Jesus, in the days of His ministry is not distracted by popularity or mass approval, nor is His main purpose to provide food to feed the hungry. He does not use His supernatural powers to decimate His enemies. His ultimate purpose is to transform the hearts of people according to the truth and by grace.

In John 6:1-14, Jesus feeds 5000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread bringing unprecedented popularity to Himself. Following the miracle, they want to make Jesus king because of what He did. Jesus, seizes the opportunity and teaches about godliness and the bread that came from heaven. Nevertheless, all 5000 abandon Jesus because He speaks about godliness and refuses to accede to the people’s requests for more bread.

In John 7:3, Jesus’ brothers encourages Him to display His prowess at the feast of the Pentecost, a time where all Jews gather so that He can lead a revolution to free Israel from Roman rule. Jesus knows that military power cannot liberate and free the people to live abundantly, which only truth and grace can. Without conforming to their demands, Jesus goes up to the temple and teaches about truth and godliness.

In another occasion when Jesus heals a man at Bethesda, He seeks him out later on and warns him not to return to sin, lest a worse thing may happen to him (see John 5).