Godly Correction

by Philip Carle

Godly Correction

 

The people of God are to take on the nature of Christ.

We see in scripture the nature of Christ likened to a lamb (in His gentleness and love) and also like a lion (in His wrath and judgment).

The gentleness of a dove or lamb must be established in us and made a part of us before we can manifest God’s wrath against sin.  If we try to exercise God’s wrath against sin without His gentleness, it will be ungoldly and a product of our carnality.  The fruit of this will be wounds, hurt and destruction of our brethren the Lord’s people.

 

The Lamb/Dove nature:

 

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

 

I Peter

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

 

In Revelation, Christ is spoken of as “the Lamb”.

 

Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

________________

 

The Lion nature:

 

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

 

Isa_31:4 For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

 

Jeremiah 25

36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture.

37 And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

38 He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.

 

Hosea 5:14 For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.

 

Hosea 11:10 They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.

 

Hosea 13

4 Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no savior beside me.

5 I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.

6 According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.

7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:

8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.

 

Revelation 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

 

Revelation 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

 

Revelation 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

 

1/27/15

Until you are able to weep over the erring one” (your brethren with faults) and intercede for them with a truly broken heart, you cannot have a righteous anger toward their sin.  Rather your anger will be a work of the flesh (gal. 5), will defile you, will be a stumbling block to them and will displease the Lord.

 

Until you are able to love a brother or sister tenderly in spite of their faults, you are not able to correct them righteously.  Your correction will not be righteous or godly.  Also your correction will not help them, but will hinder them instead.

 

If you focus on the faults/sins of others without the love and gentleness of Christ in your heart and spirit, blindness will grow in your spirit until you could be more guilty than they and not even know it.  This could lead to greater sin like self-righteousness and despising others.

 

Romans 10:3  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Philippians 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

 

I Thessalonians 4:8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit.

 

If the faults and sins of others frustrate, irritate, aggravate you etc. (works of the flesh), you are at fault as well as they and are in no condition to help or correct them.  You must get your eyes off them and their fault/sin and start searching your own heart.  Judge yourself now by the word.  Study the word prayerfully.  Don’t shy away from it when it begins to expose darkness in you, but search for those areas diligently and when they are revealed by the light of the word, humble yourself before the Lord, confess your sin and ask His forgiveness (repent).  By faith, overcome it.

 

A carnal spirit is not righteous or godly and cannot do good.

How do we know if we are carnal?

 

I Corinthians 3

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?