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What Is Godliness?
B Y D R . D A V I D J E R E M I A H

Put simply, godliness is living a fruitful, obedient Christian life. It is one of seven
qualities we are instructed to add to our faith after we become Christians. There are
sixteen references to godliness in Scripture. All of them are in the New Testament, and
most of them occur in 1 Timothy and 2 Peter. Let’s examine what it is, what it’s not, its
prerequisites, its barriers, and its potential influence in our lives. Then we’ll consider how
to grow in godliness through personal application.

Characteristics of Godliness
Characteristic #1: Godliness is the proof of our faith.
Godliness is being faithful to our calling by doing the good works for which we were saved.
First Corinthians 4:2 says, “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
Our good works demonstrate our salvation, and they help our faith continue to grow.

The initial act of faith and the proof of faith are different, but related. The book of James
explains this relationship through the example of Abraham:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on
the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works
faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called
the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith
only. (James 2:21-24)

Abraham was justified by faith alone, but his faith did not remain alone. True faith
is always accompanied by works. When he placed his son on the altar, Abraham
demonstrated absolute faith in God. His obedience did not make him righteous, but it
proved his righteousness. Godly works are the evidence of genuine faith.

Characteristic #2: Godliness is the example of our faith.

By following Christ’s example, we make Him known to a lost and dying world. Jesus
prayed these words to His Father: “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be
one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity

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that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me”
(John 17:22-23, NLT). Christians who follow Christ’s example share His values.

Our commitment to godliness becomes evident in our words, our lifestyle, our
relationships, our attitude, our faith, and our purity (1 Timothy 4:12). When we study
Scripture, we are prepared to encourage other believers. Godliness—thinking rightly and
acting rightly—is a powerful witness to those around us.

Characteristic #3: Godliness is the action of our faith.

Unless we make a choice to pursue godliness, we drift away from it like a sailing vessel
that has been loosed from its moorings (Hebrews 2:1). Even mature Christians battle the
temptation to drift. Our natural desires and the Holy Spirit’s desires are contrary to each
other, so we are instructed to follow the Spirit’s leading each day. Diligently following
the Holy Spirit’s guidance is the only way to overcome sinful desires (Galatians 5:16-17).

Have you ever heard the quip, “You have to walk the walk and talk the talk”? It’s an apt
representation of the Bible’s admonition to “walk in the Spirit.” Walk is a present-tense
verb that indicates a way of life. It requires a daily habit of continual obedience. Here are
eight specific instructions for walking our walk:
– Walk in good works—Ephesians 2:10

– Walk properly—Romans 13:13

– Walk by faith—2 Corinthians 5:7

– Walk in love—Ephesians 5:2

– Walk as children of the light—Ephesians 5:8

– Walk worthy of the Lord—Colossians 1:10

– Walk worthy of our calling—Ephesians 4:1

– Walk as Jesus walked—1 John 2:6

Counterfeit Godliness
One of Satan’s most powerful tactics is planting weeds in the Church—not literal weeds,
but false teachers who dilute the Word of God. This is the essence of Jesus’ parable about
the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:24-30. The original word Jesus used to describe
these weeds wasn’t as broad as our English word. The Greek word referred to a variety
of worthless ryegrass that resembles wheat so closely it cannot be distinguished from
true wheat until harvesttime. Through this parable, Jesus was warning His followers that
false teachers can be hard to identify. In 2 Timothy 3:5, the apostle Paul described people
“having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

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If these false teachers are so hard to recognize, how can we avoid them? Paul offers
these instructions:

If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the
words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,
he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over
words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings
of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a
means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

False teachers deviate from God’s truth in some way. Drawing from the wheat parable,
we are able to evaluate the fruit of a person’s life. Is it yielding love, joy, peace, and other
fruit of the Spirit? If not, if his life is producing streams of arguments, corruption, greed,
and other troubles, the Bible says we should have nothing to do with him.

God’s Word provides detailed explanations of heavenly wisdom, which leads to

godliness, and earthly or demonic wisdom, which leads to corruption. The following
chart compares their fruit.

The Way of Godliness—Heavenly Wisdom The Way of Corruption—Earthly Wisdom

Teaches Christ’s death and Resurrection
(2 Timothy 2:8)
Pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full
of mercy and good fruits, without partiality
and without hypocrisy (James 3:17)
Submits to God, draws near to Him
(James 4:7-8)
Speaks profane and idle babblings that spread
like cancer (2 Timothy 2:17-18)
Bitter envy, self-seeking, boastful, deceitful
(James 3:14)
Unrighteous, sexually immoral, wicked,
covetous, malicious; full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. Whisperers,
backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud,
boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving,
unforgiving, unmerciful (Romans 1:29-31)

Lovers of self and money, boasters, prideful,

Not quarrelsome, gentle, able to teach,
patient (2 Timothy 2:24)
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers,
without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God, having a form of
godliness but denying its power
(2 Timothy 3:2-5)

Always learning but never able to come to the

Corrects unbelievers humbly
knowledge of the truth; corrupt
(2 Timothy 2:25-26)
(2 Timothy 3:7-8)

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 The Way of Godliness—Heavenly Wisdom The Way of Corruption—Earthly Wisdom

Follows sound doctrine and godly examples

with purpose; lives with faith, longsuffering, Deceivers who are deceived
love, perseverance, persecution, affliction (2 Timothy 3:13)
(2 Timothy 3:10-11)

Secretly brings in destructive heresies,

Thoroughly equipped for good works
through knowledge of the Scripture (2
Timothy 3:16-17)
blasphemes the truth, exploits others with
deceptive words; walks according to the flesh,
despises authority, presumptuous, self-willed,
not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries; entices
unstable souls; lewd, slaves of corruption
(2 Peter 2)

Produces works of the flesh: sexual immorality,

Produces the fruit of the Spirit: love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
(Galatians 5:22-23)
impurity, lustful desires, idolatry, sorcery,
hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of
anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
envy, drunkenness, wild parties
(Galatians 5:19-21, NLT)

Some characteristics of earthly wisdom are obvious—things like sexual immorality,

sorcery, and murder. But other characteristics like gossiping, being headstrong, and
holding grudges, are subtle. Walking in godliness requires that we guard against worldly
wisdom in our own lives and in our churches. Second Timothy 3:6 commands us to
withdraw from every professing Christian who strays from sound doctrine.

Prerequisites to Godliness
Prerequisite #1: We cannot live godly lives without receiving salvation through faith in
the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
By our standards, non-Christians do good deeds. However, it’s impossible to meet God’s
standard of righteousness without professing faith in Christ. “We are all infected and
impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags”
(Isaiah 64:6, NLT). Trusting in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ is the only way to
wash our filthy rags clean. After we do that, godliness is one of the seven qualities we can
add to our faith that will make us fruitful and effective as Christians (2 Peter 1:6-7).

Prerequisite #2: We cannot live godly lives without God’s grace.

In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul explained, “The grace of God that brings salvation
has appeared to all men” (2:11). Grace is the vehicle of salvation, and it imparts godliness
to us. Godliness teaches us that “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious
appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (verses 12-13, emphasis added).

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Prerequisite #3: We cannot live godly lives without the Holy Spirit.
When we trust in Christ, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13),
which enables us to walk according to God’s will rather than our own (Galatians 5:16).
Willpower cannot prevail against temptation. Finding our identity in Christ is the only
way to “crucify the flesh,” and living in the Spirit is the only way to reap the fruit of
godliness (Galatians 5:22-24).

Barriers to Godliness
Barrier #1: Our humanity keeps us from godliness.
According to Galatians 5:17, “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you
wish.” What is the flesh? The flesh is everything you are … minus God. It is everything
you were before Christ became your Savior—everything that distracts you from thoughts
of heaven and Christ’s return (Philippians 3:19-20).

Barrier #2: Our culture keeps us from godliness.

The Christian life isn’t compatible with the world in which we live. The world strives for
glory, but our model is servanthood. The world puffs up with pride, but our response is
humility. Intolerance and hatred fuel the world’s conflicts while patience and love govern
our relationships. The better we understand this contrast, the closer we will walk with
the Lord. We must not be “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of [our] mind, that [we] may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
God” (Romans 12:2).

Barrier #3: Our enemy keeps us from godliness.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against
spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Satan and his
demons rule this present world, and they rule our hearts until we uproot them by placing
our faith in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of our lives. Satan’s army will stop at
nothing to deceive us (Revelation 12:9), murder us (John 8:44), tempt us (Matthew 4:3),
lie to us (John 8:44), and accuse us (Revelation 12:10). If we’re not being attacked, we
must be doing something wrong because we’re not a threat to the enemy’s plans.

The Influence of Godliness

Growing in godliness has the power to influence every area of our lives by shaping our
souls into conformity with God’s good and perfect will. We can expect spiritual growth to
affect our relationships with authority, with our peers, and with money.

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Influence #1: Godliness influences our relationships with authority.
The Bible instructs us to pray for all men and, specifically, for “all who are in authority”
(1 Timothy 2:2).

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority
except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore
whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist
will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1-2)

Earthly rulers derive their authority from Almighty God. If we don’t like the way they
rule, that is more reason to pray for them! We should pray for their wise and peaceable
rule, also for their salvation.

Influence #2: Godliness influences our relationships with others.

When we employ heavenly wisdom and exemplify its characteristics, we grow in unity
with other believers. We serve. We give. We love. We choose humility—avoiding
anything that detracts from worship (1 Timothy 2:10)—keeping God at the center of our
worship and praise.

Some relationships may be broken by our devotion … and that’s okay. Insincere believers
mislead immature believers, taking advantage of their weak morals and ignorance. The
Bible tells us to turn away from these impostors (2 Timothy 3:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:13-
15). Believers must guard against any teaching that glorifies self and denies Almighty
God. It’s less damaging to break off a relationship with one or two false teachers than to
allow their teaching to flourish.

Influence #3: Godliness influences our relationship with money.

Our relationship with money says a lot about our relationship with God. True godliness
means trusting God to provide for our needs while being content with what He supplies
(Matthew 6:24-34; Philippians 4:11-13). When we have faith in God’s presence and
provision, we experience the peace of knowing we have everything we need. The Bible
says, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). Being satisfied with
what we have is one mark of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.

Contentment is not the unattainable achievement of elite Christians; it is God’s

expectation for every believer. In fact, its opposite, the love of money, is a form of
idolatry. Some people believe the Bible teaches that money is evil, and that’s not true.
Scripture says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10,
emphasis added). It is not wrong for Christians to have money—even a great deal of it—
as long as that money does not have them. According to Paul, the real problem is greed.
Materialism leads to sin, but godliness prompts us to flee from discontentment.

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For the Christian, anticipating the world to come helps us keep our priorities in
proper perspective.

Growing in Godliness
Spiritual fitness requires daily training in the same way physical fitness requires regular
exercise. Paul says to “exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a
little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and
of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). As Christians, we should devote ourselves
to spiritual fitness with the same enthusiasm body builders devote to working out at the
gym. The best time to begin is right now!

Personal Application
1. Which characteristic of heavenly wisdom comes most naturally to you? Do you
find it easy to be a peacemaker? Are you passionate about teaching? How could
you use your strength to encourage others toward godliness?

2. If someone followed you around for a week, what would your habits and
attitudes tell them about your walk with God? Are there activities that need to
be cut from your routine?

3. Godliness promotes unity in the Church and seeks reconciliation. Is there

someone you need to forgive? Or is there someone from whom you need to
seek forgiveness?

4. How do you respond to authority? Is there a source of authority in your life—

in your family, your church, your government, etc.—that you struggle to
accept? How will you commit to praying for that person or organization?

5. Life is full of distractions. What is distracting you from pursuing godliness and
anticipating heaven? How could you shift that priority into a healthy perspective?

6. Study the characteristics of heavenly wisdom. In what area do you struggle the
most? Take a few moments right now to ask God for His wisdom. Ask Him to
help you grow in that area.

7. How would you describe your relationship with money? Are you characterized
by contentment, or do you find yourself yearning for more? Generosity is one
of the best ways to break the bondage of greed. Are you faithfully giving
to your local church? How could you express faith in God’s provision through
principled, sacrificial, joyful giving?

8. According to 2 Peter 1:3, God’s divine power is an inexhaustible resource that

gives God’s people everything they need for an obedient, godly life. Spend
some time in prayer, thanking God for providing access to His awesome power.
Ask Him to illuminate any barriers that are keeping you from experiencing His
power and ask Him to help you overcome them.

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