Men's Ministry: Godliness

Character Trait: Godliness.

In the Greek: Eusebeian; often translated as godliness or holiness.
Definition: reverence, respect, piety towards God.
Root word:

Godliness comes from the Greek word "eusebia" and is used in the New Testament to express the idea of inner piety or spirituality. Vine defines this word as, "piety, which, characterized by a God-ward attitude, does that which is well pleasing to Him." Thayer says, "Reverence, respect, in the Bible everywhere piety towards God, godliness." And, Arndt and Gingrich says it refers to, "the duty which man owes to God piety, godliness, religion."

Biblical Definitions:
Holman Bible Dictionary
Godliness: An attitude and style of life that acknowledges God's claims on human life and seeks to live in accordance with God's will.

ATS Bible Dictionary
That which proceeds from God, and is pleasing to him. It also signifies conformity to his will, and an assimilation to his character. Godliness is the substance of revealed religion.

Easton's Bible Dictionary
The whole of practical piety; "It supposes knowledge, veneration, affection, dependence, submission, gratitude, and obedience."

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
Reverence for God and a life of holiness in the world.

According to the Scriptures:
Old Testament:
"The Lord has set apart the godly for himself" (Psalm 4:3); they are, and are to become, his holy people (Lev 11:44-45). Communion with God is to be zealously cultivated: "Let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found" (Psalm 32:6). To neglect God is to invite catastrophe: "Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless" (Job 8:13; cf. Isa 10:6).

New Testament:
Godliness is the reverent awareness of God's sovereignty over every aspect of life, and the attendant determination to honor him in all one's conduct. "Godliness" and "holiness" denote one reality (the terms are joined in 1 Tim 2:2; and 2 Peter 3:11).
Godliness depends on knowing God's revealed truth. Paul speaks of "the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness" (Titus 1:1), and of "godly sorrow … that leads to salvation" (2 Cor. 7:10). Peter declares that God's "divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him" (2 Peter 1:3). God imparts knowledge of himself by revealing his Son.
The godly person is committed to obeying God in the world: "We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will" (John 9:31). The shape of obedience is clarified by the terms to which "godliness" is joined. "But you, man of God, … pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness" (1 Tim 6:11). "Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love" (2 Peter 1:5-7)—qualities which, in turn, deepen one's "knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:8). Christ, moreover, furnishes power for the godly life: "Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" asks Peter (Acts 3:12). Without divine power, godliness becomes an empty form (2 Tim 3:5).”

By J. Knox Chamblin. Bibliography. W. Barclay, New Testament Words, pp. 106-16; J. Bridges, The Practice of Godliness; W. Foerster, TDNT, 7:168-96; W. Mundle and W. GŸnther, NIDNTT, 2:90-95.

Quotation:
“As ingredients in the recipe of a master chef, or as accomplished musicians in a fine-tuned symphony, the apostle Peter describes the proper spiritual combination of qualities that makes for a mature, fruit-bearing Christian (2 Pet. 1:5-11). Among these is the quality of godliness (2 Pet. 1:6-7).”

Question: What does godliness look like? How Do We Do Godliness?

There are two parts to godliness. First, there is the "God-ward attitude" of "reverence and respect." Second, there also is the "doing of what is pleasing" to God, as the "duty" that we owe to Him. In his commentary on Second Peter, brother Clinton Hamilton recognizes these two aspects of godliness and writes of the Christian who "develops a deep respect and reverence for God so that one begins to exhibit in one's behavior constant piety toward God" (p. 40).

Godliness as an Attitude
As an attitude, godliness is the quality of the inner person that recognizes from the various evidences, that the all-powerful Creator exits, and therefore actively seeks to develop a spiritual relationship with Him. In 1 Tim. 4:8, this inner spirituality is to be preferred over physical "bodily exercises." In verse 7 the "exercises" a godly person should engage in are those which develop further godliness. In 1 Tim.6:11 godliness is set in contrast to following after the lusts of the flesh and the world. Godliness is a mind set on spiritual matters (Rom.8:5-6).
Godliness, as an attitude, permeates all the Christian virtues that Peter lists, as it is the motivating factor behind our growth as Christians. We do not and cannot grow as Christians without first having the desire to be more spiritual, which is the attitude of godliness. In his booklet on "The Christian Graces," James Tolle writes, "Indeed, the graces of virtue, knowledge, and self-control, as well as of patience, must be hallowed and inspired by godliness, so that the thought of God is brought into them all, so that they begin and end with God" (p. 52). Godliness is required, then, for those who seek God and for those who seek to be more like the Divine Nature (2 Pet. 1:4).

Godliness as Duty
Godliness also has its fruits. There must be the "doing" of what pleases God. We must be careful, though, not to mistake the actions of some as actions of godliness. Morality alone is not godliness as it may not be motivated by piety and reverence for God. Displays of "spirituality" or "religion" also may not be actions motivated by the desire to please God.
In the New Testament godliness is a product of following the truth. This is an important point! Godliness is always a result of obeying the truth. Vine comments on several verses on this line of thought and says, "In 1Tim. 6:3 `the doctrine which is according to godliness' signifies that which is consistent with `godliness,' in contrast to false teachings; in Titus 1:1, `the truth which is according to godliness' is that which is productive of `godliness' in 1 Tim. 3:16, `the mystery of godliness' is `godliness' as embodied in, and communicated through, the truths of the faith concerning Christ..." Thus, one is godly and acts godly upon obedience of the truth, and where there is no obedience of the truth there can be no true godliness or spirituality!

The Fruits of Godliness
Instead of a false "form of godliness," there are true fruits of godliness that would manifest themselves. Usually, we consider one who is godly to be spiritually minded and to live in such a way as to exhibit this spiritual-mindedness in one's life.

Question: What would this consist of?

1. A godly person seeks God on His terms. Cornelius was called a devout man because he sought to please God (Acts 10:2). The word "devout" is a form of the word for "godliness." That Cornelius was "devout" can be seen in his response to the preaching of the gospel by Peter (Acts 10:44-48).
2. A godly person worships God "in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24). Whenever one follows God's will on how to worship Him, then one is being godly. Worship is our attempt to give something of ourselves to God. It is the "fruit of our lips" (Heb. 13:15) and the presenting of our bodies as a "living sacrifice" (Rom. 12:1). Worship is our inner piety expressing itself to God in praise through our physical bodies.
3. A godly person shows respect and reverence for God by studying and obeying His Word. Oftentimes we are told that our response to God's word is directly related to our relationship with God. For example, Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (Jn. 14:15). To respect God means we must respect His Word! Spiritual growth naturally results, as one becomes a product of the word (1 Tim. 4:13-15).
4. A godly person is one who acts properly, reacts properly, and leaves no doubt in anyone's mind that he/she is a child of God. God is seen in this person from the inside out and from the outside in.
No wonder godliness is a part of the spiritual combination that is important for Christians to cultivate. We simply cannot be faithful children of God without godliness.”

Above excerpts were taken from "Bible Insight"; edited by Carey Dillinger.

Adding to Our Faith Godliness:
2 Peter 1;5,6; “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness”

The Root of Godliness:
Titus 1:1; “PAUL, A bond servant of God and an apostle (a special messenger) of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) to stimulate and promote the faith of God's chosen ones and to lead them on to accurate discernment and recognition of and acquaintance with the Truth which belongs to and harmonizes with and tends to godliness,”

Why Godliness?
1 Timothy 4:8; ”or while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” ESV.

Building a House: “… know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit…”

REMEMBER!
In order to be successful, a builder must know the fundamentals of house building, what materials to use and very importantly how to interpret blueprints so that in the end one will build the house he has been contracted to build. Not any old house will do.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:9-11; “You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.“

REMEMBER!
Our chief blueprint to study and build to is Jesus Himself. This speaks of what kind of foundation we must lay. This is the only foundation that will endure.

Scripture: Luke 6:48; “he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

Question: How do we build godliness into our lives?

It must be stated that godliness is cultivated as an inside condition of the heart and must be present to legitimized our external conduct. Godliness of the heart makes our moral actions godly.

- Enter the Discipleship Training Program -

1. We Pursue Godliness by Pursuing Him
1 Timothy 6:11; “But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these things; aim at and pursue righteousness (right standing with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the loving fear of God and being Christlike), faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart.” AMP.

Godliness is about finding out what pleases the Lord and doing it gladly. Ephesians 5: 9,10; “for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”

One of the primary ways Jesus pleased the Father was by seeking what pleased His heart through prayer then obeying by the grace God provided.

Quotations:
“Prayer - secret, fervent, believing prayer - lies at the root of all personal godliness.”; William Carey.

Psalm 32:6; "Let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found".

2. We Embrace Him by Embracing His Word
Individuals can be trained via godly teaching; 1 Timothy 6:3; “But if anyone teaches otherwise and does not assent to the sound and wholesome messages of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and the teaching which is in agreement with godliness” is that which results in godly lives.

Quotation:
“Meditation upon the Word of God is one of the most important of all the means of grace and growth in spirituality, yea there can be no true progress in vital and practical godliness without it. Meditation on Divine things is not optional but obligatory, for it is something which God has commanded us to attend unto.” A.W. Pink - Gleanings in Joshua, Moody, 1964, p. 40.

3. We Reject Godlessness and Apply Truth
1 Timothy 4:7; “But refuse and avoid irreverent legends (profane and impure and godless fictions, mere grandmothers' tales) and silly myths, and express your disapproval of them. Train yourself toward godliness (piety), [keeping yourself spiritually fit].” AMP.

Our pursuit of godliness necessitates a renunciation of ungodliness; any behavior or attitude contrary to Christ’s nature. Titus 2:11,12; “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”

We employ a type of fasting or self denial by putting away our carnal desires and all their fleeting self willed agendas, to make room for His godliness. As one in training we endeavor to keep our focus clear of distractions and our body & spirit committed to the rigors of a disciplined life. Even our diet is brought under strict consideration. In this case, He - the Bread of Life, is our food. Anything less, and we become sick, weak and unable to finish the course. Godliness is both a denying of self and a taking hold of Jesus, the ‘Author and Finisher of our faith’.

Quotation:
“The abstinence is not to be an end in itself but rather for the purpose of being separated to the Lord and to concentrate on godliness. This kind of fasting reduces the influence of our self-will and invites the Holy Spirit to do a more intense work in us.” A.W. Pink - Gleanings in Joshua, Moody, 1964, p. 40.

Responsibility to God:
Responsibility is a big word with lots of associations. We have work responsibilities, family responsibilities, physical & spiritual responsibilities. We thrive on them, loath them at times, both avoid them and seek them out.

Question: How does God see our responsibility to add to our faith godliness?

Godliness has a name, and the Name is Jesus.
1 Timothy 3:16; “And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory.”

Jesus has laid the ground work for our sanctification. We have been thus called to this; 1 Thess. 4:3,4; “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, … That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor;”

This process of sanctification includes adding to our faith godliness. Our pursuit of godliness must involve “determined effort”; 2 Peter 1:3-5. God has called us to “His own glory and excellence”.

2 Peter 1:3-5; “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness”

A “determined effort” necessitates a ‘determined path’ and ‘determined goal’. Jesus Himself is that path and goal, not merely as an example to mirror but more than that; relational, as a mentor. We must be intentional about adding to our faith godliness through building relationship with Him.

John 14:6; “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

There is a Price - Godliness and Ungodliness:
“Godliness in both respects (knowledge of God and holiness of life) is jeopardized by the propagation of falsehood: "If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain" (1 Tim 6:3-5). Accordingly, "the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness"; Romans 1:18.
Godliness is costly: "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted"; 2 Tim 3:12. Hope of eternal life enables them to endure. "The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment" (2 Peter 2:9; 3:11-12). "Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Tim 4:7-8). Seeing this life in light of the next encourages "godliness with contentment" (1 Tim 6:6-7).” By J. Knox Chamblin.

Responsibility to Family:
Ephesians 5:25; “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” Godliness is definitely implied in this statement.

Responsibility to the Lost:
Ephesians 5:1,15-17; “Walk in Love. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God… Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Question: Will godliness strengthen our testimony and make us more fruitful witnesses?

We are torch bearers. The salt of the earth. If our hearts are far from Him then our lives will not bear His image with any repute so as to draw the unbeliever out of his darkness. We are walking testaments of the gospel. Godliness authenticates our testimony. Our lack of it may obscure the legitimacy of our claim. More than our actions however, our passion and love will reveal His reality.

Ephesians 5:1; “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

John 13:35; “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Responsibility to Lead & Mentor
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
1 Peter 5; ”The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.” KJV. The level of self control in our lives will either empower or deplete our leadership.

Question: How does godliness make us better leaders and mentors?

Paul’s words to Timothy say it all. “…set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:1-16.

Our Mission:
What then is our primary mission according to scripture?
Aspire to be conformed to the image of Jesus through diligent pursuance of godly knowledge that demonstrates godly love.

Titus 2;12-14; “… to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Seek God. Know God. Show God.