Man was originally created in God’s “image” (Gen. 1:26). When man sinned, this image was marred and tainted. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to restore this image to full perfection in man. Christ Himself is called “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). God’s predestined purpose for every believer is that he be conformed to “the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29).
The ability of man to relate to God and reflect His moral attributes is a part of what it means to be created and re-created in His image. Man is, and will always be, distinct from God. Man can never possess such divine attributes as omnipresence or omnipotence. Man can, however, reflect such moral attributes as love, goodness, holiness, righteousness, faithfulness, mercy , and patience. In this sense, a believer can become godly.
The Greek word for “godliness” speaks of an awe, reverence, and worship of God that lead to a life of obedience (Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Zondervan). The Greeks would often describe a good quality as a trait that was between two wrong extremes. Godliness was between the extremes of atheism and superstition. By giving God the place that He should occupy in his thoughts and devotions, the Christian becomes transformed to His likeness (2 Cor. 3:18).
The godly person chooses to worship and obey God. Eusebeia, the Greek word for godliness, came from attaching the prefix eu, meaning well, to the verb sebo, meaning to worship. The godly person is one who worships well.
A godly man or woman is loyal to God. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (called the Septuagint), eusebeia is used in connection with “the fear of the Lord” (Prov. 1:7; Isa. 11:2). A godly person is able to discern the temptations, trials, and enticements that draw people away to follow their own selfish passions.
The opposite of the godly person is the godless one. The latter builds his life around himself and a temporal value system. The joys of the wicked, or godless, are only momentary (Job 20:5). Their hopes will perish when they experience the judgment of God (cf. 1 Pet. 4:18). The main characteristic of Satan’s world system is godlessness. Satan’s climactic goal is to raise up a world leader in order to control all men and receive their worship (2 Thess. 2:4). God gives believers His grace to overcome the ungodly pressures on them. One day He will judge and overthrow all ungodliness.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme example of how godliness is to be worked out in a believer’s life. The Bible speaks of the greatness of the mystery of godliness (1 Tim. 3:16). Godliness is a mystery because it is too profound for man to invent; godliness can be known only by divine revelation.
Godliness, or true worship and reverence, was exemplified by the Lord Jesus, who as God the Son was made manifest, or revealed, in the flesh as a man. His life was an example of the abiding life and a true revelation of godliness (1 John 2:6).
Jesus brought to man the secret of how to truly walk with God, the benefits of such a life, and how God responds to this kind of life.
The believer does have a responsibility in developing a life of godliness. He is encouraged to pursue godliness along with other noble qualities (1 Tim. 6:11). The command to pursue godliness is preceded by the command to flee the pursuit of money.
One cannot continually say no unless he also directs his energies and pursuits in an appropriate direction. There is no doubt that a spiritual battle is involved in obeying God, for the struggle is called a “fight” (1 Tim. 6:12).
The pursuit of godliness requires discipline and spiritual exercise (1 Tim. 4:7). It is generally known that discipline is required for any significant achievement. One learns to play the piano with excellence through constant practice. One must discipline himself in order to achieve a goal.
It is amazing that many people are willing to discipline themselves to achieve less profitable temporal goals, while relatively few people catch the vision of disciplining themselves to achieve the more important spiritual goals. Without doubt, many do not sense the great profit and benefit of God’s calling (1 Tim. 4:8).
We have noted that the responsibility of every believer is to pursue godliness. We have also noted that this pursuit requires much personal discipline. Perhaps some have attempted this pursuit and become discouraged. They have tried to incorporate various disciplines into their schedules but later felt that the disciplines were inconsistent or sterile.
One can never be successful in achieving his responsibilities before God without utilizing the resources that God has graciously given him. God has given every believer all the spiritual equipment he needs. By using the divine resources, the believer is able to fellowship with God, worship God, and be transformed so as to display His moral character (2 Pet. 1:3-7).
“Life” in 2 Peter 1:3 speaks of the believer’s relationship and fellowship with God. It is the opposite of spiritual death, which is man’s separation from God. “Godliness” speaks of the reflection of God’s moral attributes in the believer’s life.
The Spirit of God works these qualities into the believer as he lives under God’s authority, enjoys His presence, and worships His Person. All things that are needed in this pursuit have been graciously given to every believer by our good and powerful God.
God’s grace is the dynamic that enables us to perform every spiritual responsibility. His grace is the basis of our salvation (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 2:11). Salvation involves becoming a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). As man was originally created in the image of God, so the believer is now re-created. God’s grace does not stop here, however.
God graciously instructs us in the path of godliness (Titus 2:12). He also graciously enables us to walk and serve in that path (1 Cor. 15:10). Each moment God promises to supply the motivation and the enabling that we need (Phil. 2:13). Will you humble yourself before God and receive this grace from God right now (cf. Jas. 4:6)?
God wants us to experience more than just an outward form of godliness. He is not interested only in our external behavior. He desires us to know His power that transforms our inward attitudes. A mere form of godliness is a characteristic of the last days (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
God’s revealed truth is a tremendous reassurance to the believer who pursues godliness. We do not have to live by our own wisdom. God has revealed His truth, which is able to transform our very thinking into godly thinking. God’s truth is designed to produce godliness (1 Tim. 6:3; Titus 1:1). This will be the case as long as we remember the purpose of God’s truth (1 Tim. 1:5-6; 6:3-4).
The practice of godliness starts at home. To care for one’s mother is to practice piety or godliness (1 Tim. 5:4). One who does not first walk with integrity in his own family will never travel very far along the road to godliness.
The practice of godliness extends even to such daily activities as to how one dresses. Women are encouraged to dress modestly, not ostentatiously. Modest dress allows the focus to be on good behavior not on outward appearances. Modest dress is appropriate for a godly woman (1 Tim. 2:9-10).
Godliness starts at home and involves daily and ordinary activities. How does one live from day to day and not get bogged down in the routine? The temporary nature of this life needs to be kept in view. The reality and hope of the believer’s future home in heaven gives meaning and perspective to this present life. Only the good works done in love and the godly character that we allow the Lord to graciously build in us will endure for all eternity (2 Pet. 3:11).
God has ordained government to maintain a relative order in this fallen world (1 Pet. 2:14). The believer is encouraged to pray for authorities over him. Such prayer releases God’s wise and benevolent influence which overflows to all who seek to live in godliness (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
Godly people are not found in abundance; at times they seem to be very rare (Ps. 12:1). The King James Version sometimes uses the word “saints” to speak of godly people in the Old Testament. They are characterized by peace (85:8) and joy (132:9). They are found blessing or praising God (145:10). The godly person knows where to go in a time of trouble; he wisely turns to God (32:6).
The godly person is set apart from the world. For this reason, Scripture speaks not just of the character quality of sincerity but of “godly sincerity” (2 Cor. 1:12); likewise, the sorrow of this world is distinguished from “godly sorrow” (7:10); jealousy is greatly contrasted to a “godly jealousy” (11:2).
Is it worthwhile to pursue godliness and go against the tug of the world and our own fleshly passions? It is always profitable to cooperate with God’s wise and creative designs for man. God created man to be godly; His predestined purpose for every believer is godliness (Rom. 8:29).
God explicitly declared godliness to be “profitable” (1 Tim. 4:8). God wants to show all who faithfully pursue godliness that this pursuit is more profitable than any other. The pursuit of godliness is an investment that pays dividends not only in this life but also in the life to come. Godliness is indeed great gain (6:6).
Godliness is one of the eight qualities mentioned in 2 Peter 1:5-7. When godliness and these other qualities are present in one’s life, they ensure that one has a fruitful life (vs. 8). This truly is an amazing promise.
The promise of a fruitful life is not given in isolation. God also promised that a godly, character-filled life will make steady progress; the believer will never fall (2 Pet. 1:10). That journey will lead to the eternal kingdom of Christ.
The godly one will not merely enter this heavenly kingdom but enter with abundance, which implies God’s gracious rewards for him (2 Pet. 1:11). God not only graciously enables one to live godly but also graciously rewards the one who has lived this way. Never believe the lie that it is unprofitable to live a godly life.
May God bless you in your pursuit of godliness. May abundant profit come to your life as you await your abundant entrance into His eternal kingdom.