Godliness - A Forgotten Christian Virtue
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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Physical training is of some value, but training in godliness much more
so. Myron (ca. 460-450 BC), "The Discus Thrower" (Discobolus), found at
Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli, now in the British Museum.
Larger image. |
"Godliness"
is not a synonym for "boring." Our culture caricatures godliness as
boring. But Jesus certainly wasn't boring. His wit is evident, his sense of
humor well developed. Paul's life didn't seem boring. Rather godliness should
be seen as good, clean-living enjoyment of life and of God -- healthy,
balanced, God-oriented living.
The word "godliness" comes from a Greek stem seb-,
which meant originally "to step back from someone or something, to
maintain a distance," then "to have awe at something, especially
something lofty and sublime."1 This stem is combined with eu- ("abundance, fullness of") to
form eusebeia, which means in classical Greek, "awe, respect for the
divine, for the social order."
In the New Testament, the word is used in the sense of,
"awesome respect accorded to God, devoutness, piety, godliness."2 The word group appears as a verb, an adjective, and an adverb.3 Paul also contrasts for us the opposite of godliness (asebeia):
"godless, ungodliness, impiety."4
Godliness and Ungodliness in the Pastoral Epistles
Let's look at the occurrences of this word group in the
Pastoral Epistles5 to get a feel for it, for it occurs here much more often than anywhere else in
the New Testament.
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1 Timothy
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1:9
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We also know that law is made ... for lawbreakers and
rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious....
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2:2
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[Pray] ... for kings and all those in authority, that we
may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
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2:10
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... But with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess
to worship God (godliness, KJV, theosebeia).6
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3:16
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Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is
great.
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4:7-8
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Have nothing to do with godless myths and old
wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical
training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things....
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6:3, 5-6
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If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to
the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching
... who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But
godliness with contentment is great gain.
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6:11
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But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
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6:20
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Turn away from godless chatter....
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2 Timothy
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2:16
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Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in
it will become more and more ungodly.
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3:5
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"... Having a form of godliness but denying
its power.
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3:12
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In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in
Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
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Titus
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1:1
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... And the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance
with godliness.
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2:12
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It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness
and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly
lives in this present age.
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Godliness and Lifestyle
The spread of false doctrine at Ephesus is producing
ungodliness, ungodly behavior, unrighteousness.7 So Paul is very concerned that the Christians in the church at Ephesus are
practicing godliness in their everyday living. He isn't dealing in some kind of
theoretical theology. Rather, he is adamant that healthy doctrine produces
healthy behavior. Unhealthy teaching produces a kind of lifestyle that is only
a "form of godliness," a kind of outward religion and
religious belief, but one which lacks its real essence and power (2 Timothy
3:5).
Fearing the Lord and Godliness
The idea that best expresses the idea of godliness in the
Pastoral Epistles is the Old Testament expression, "to fear the Lord,"
which was almost a synonym of "believer" under the Old Covenant.
Someone who fears the Lord does not live in terror of God, but has a healthy
respect for God and seeks in both heart and in action to "love God"
and not be offensive to God.
I have friends who have grown up in the church, who have even
graduated from seminary, but who joke about God and holy things in a way that
demonstrates a profound disrespect. I did that myself for a while when I was
young, until God brought me up short.
Our respect for God shows not only in the way we joke, but
by how we live. Godly people live in such a way as to please God. Ungodly
people don't really consider or care what God thinks about their way of life.
Hypocrites lead double lives -- one for others to see, alongside a secret life
that is unseen -- except by God.
Godliness as an Attitude of Seeking to Please the Lord
Paul exhorts us:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of
God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing8
to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform
any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his
good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2)
Godliness has this attitude:
"So we make it our goal to please him,
whether we are at home in the body or away from it." (2 Corinthians 5:9)
"Live as children of light ... and
find out what pleases the Lord." (Ephesians 5:8, 10)
Godliness and Love for God
Godliness is not just avoiding sin in order to escape punishment.
It is avoiding things which we know don't please God, because we love him more
than we love sin, more than we love our own way. Godliness fulfills the first
great commandment:
"Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength." (Mark 12:29-30, quoting Deuteronomy 6:4).
This is why godliness can only be the fruit of love for God
-- not an outward obedience or legalism, but an inward seeking of God in love.
Examples of Godly Living
What does godliness look like in action? Consider in 1
Timothy 3 the qualities one is to look for in an overseer or deacon.
"Now the overseer must be above reproach, the
husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable,
able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not
quarrelsome, not a lover of money...." (1 Timothy 3:2-3)
"Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of
respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain...."
(1 Timothy 3:8)
What are the qualities of a godly life? The spiritual fruit that
comes from a pattern of yielding again and again to the Holy Spirit within us.
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against
such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)
Godliness comes from seeking to please God, from submitting as
a way of life to the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit, as well as to his
occasional rebuke.
Godliness, Training, and Discipleship
Do we sometimes fall short of these qualities? Oh, yes! But
when we do, we repent, ask forgiveness, and get up to follow our Lord once
again, washed in the forgiveness of God (1 John 1:7, 9).
And so we come back to Paul's teaching to Timothy about
walking in the Spirit, using the example of disciplined athletes who see
themselves in training. He uses the athletic analogy9 of "going to the gym" to make his point:
"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."
(4:7b-8)
"Train" (NIV, NRSV) or "exercise" (KJV)
is gymnazō, "to train, undergo discipline"10 (from which we get our word "gym" or "gymnasium"). The root
is gumnos, "naked." Greek men used to exercise in the nude.
The noun form of the word, gymnasia, "training" appears in
verse 8.
The idea of physical training is to so practice something
that you get good at it in two ways. First, your muscles become stronger.
Second, you develop muscle memory so that your throwing, for example, becomes
accurate and repeatable. Physical training may have some value, 11Paul says, but spiritual training, training in godliness, is of value both in
this life and the next.
Are you a top spiritual athlete? Not yet, perhaps, but you
are a disciple in training, learning how to love and please God -- learning how
to be godly.
Leadership Lessons from 1 & 2 Timothy
Copyright © 1985-2009 Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
joyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.
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