Return to Index.

Godliness
February 15, 2020

Since the start of 2020 we’ve been taking a deeper look into a passage from second Peter looking at 2 Peter 1:5-8 , “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Last week we looked at patience and today, we will look at godliness.

Godliness is translated from the Greek word eusebeia and it means piety, godliness, holiness. For those who like to look through concordances, it is Greek word 2150 in Strong’s Concordance. Godliness is another jewel we add to our spiritual crown as we spiritually grow. Without godliness, we will not finish our race of salvation, we will fall short of the finish line. We may think that godliness is something that only a person of God can have. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul warns of a false form of godliness in the end times, a time when people are into self-love and hate the people who are truly good. These are people who will seem enlightened, religious, and righteous, yet it is all phony. They may come across as religious, but they are not very religious at all.

2 Timothy 3:1-7
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Godliness is a concept that is discussed in multiple passages in the New Testament. It is even alluded to in the Old Testament. The very first Psalm tells us the a person is blessed if they do not do what the ungodly do. We can learn that godliness and ungodliness are opposites. There is no in between. We are either godly or ungodly. It is up to us to choose which path we will follow. Those who choose to be godly are described as being like a tree planted by the river, that bears fruit, that will never wither and always prosper. This is very similar to the description of the tree of life described in Revelation 22:1-2. “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” God is aware of His righteous people and will preserve them. The ungodly will die.

Psalm 1:1-6
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Living a life of godliness also includes knowing that any and all things we do is done through the power of God and Jesus Christ for the glory of God and Jesus Christ, it is never for our glory. This lesson is on display early in the Book of Acts when Peter and John went to the temple and came across a man with a physical disability whose only means of support was begging. The man tried to beg money from Peter and John and instead was healed. He was so happy that he walked with them into the temple. Everyone knew this person and everyone was amazed and unsure how it happened. Peter reminded everyone that there was nothing holy or special about them that caused this man to walk and instead directed glory and praise to God and Jesus Christ.

Acts 3:1-14
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

We live a life that is a great mystery to many other people, and it’s not one that is very easy for other people to comprehend. Our beliefs can cause us to sometimes be isolated because we follow a life that is very closely aligned to the way the first-century church lived their life in the Bible. To most today, that can make us seem strange. Godliness itself is a mystery as Paul points out 1 Timothy 3:16. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” People, even religiously minded people, do not understand godliness. They don’t understand that many religiously appearing people are faking godliness. They are frauds. They don’t understand that God became flesh and dwelt among us as the person Jesus Christ and at his resurrection was adjudicated to be innocent, even though from the very beginning, Satan sought to accuse Jesus. In the church, we have to understand godliness because our salvation depends on exercising godliness on a daily basis, and the godliness that we must have is not some optic image that we put on for show for other people to see. It is a fundamental part of our faith and belief system.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
Copyright and Legal Information
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information