The words “godly” and “godliness” actually appear in the Bible for transformation. And when those words do appear they are pregnant with meaning and our life into one brief paragraph, he focuses on godliness. He tells us that God’s grace “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives” (Titus 2:11-13).
God cares enough to find a way to communicate with us when we are in the wrong. Knowing what actions are required of us means little without the will to do those actions. We have stories of people who had direction from God and yet chose their way. Careless efforts to correct another’s errors often lead to the same errors. It is an error when we attempt to take over God’s role in a situation.
God’s way of living usually contradicts the world’s way. If you want to live godly, you must be ready to say and do what seems strange to the world. You must be willing to give when others take, to love when others hate, to help when others abuse. By giving up your servants to serve others, you will one day receive everything God has in store for you. Godliness has a price steward before God will reward you.
Godliness in the context of this write-up is to be good, burdened for others, meek, humble, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, wise, patient, loving, joyful, and gracious. The godly person is moral, benevolent, and zealous because of his devotion to God. And his life takes on a dimension that reflects the very stamp of God.’
The carnal mind is dead set against the wisdom and counsel of God, as revealed in his Word, and therefore is emphatically described as being at enmity against God (Rom.8:7). It is so impertinent that it considers the practice of godliness, demanded by God in His Word, as pure madness and foolishness (2 Kings9:11;1 Cor. 1:18). Indeed, it regards the desire to live a holy life… as no better than prudishness, legalism, and hypocrisy. The carnal mind will never accept bending, yielding, and subjecting all things to the service of God to give priority to the practice of true godliness.
The Bible begins to give us some clues about godliness in its earliest pages. Genesis 5:21-24 tells us about Enoch, the father of Methuselah. In a very short three-verse summary of Enoch’s life, Moses describes him as one who “walked place in his great “Faith Hall of Fame” in chapter 11, but he describes him as “one who pleased God. “Here, then, are two important clues: Enoch walked with God, and Enoch pleased God. It is evident from these two statements that the polestar of his very existence. Enoch walked with God, he enjoyed a relationship with God, and he pleased God. We could accurately say he was devoted to God. This is the meaning of godliness. The New Testament word for godliness, in its original meaning, conveys the idea of a personal attitude toward God that results in actions that are pleasing to God.
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul emphasizes godliness. We are to pray for those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. We are to train ourselves to be godly. We are to pursue godliness; the word “pursue” indicates unrelenting, persevering effort. Godliness with contentment is held forth as great gain; and finally, godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Godliness is no optional spiritual luxury for a few quaint Christians of a bygone era or some group of super-saints of today. It is both the privilege and duty of everybody to pursue godliness, to train him to be godly, and to study diligently the practice of godliness.
Modern society longs for peace of mind. Here is clear-cut instruction on how to attain this: if we love God and obey His laws, we will have great peace. Trust in God, who alone stands above the pressures of daily life and gives us full assurance.’ Just as children imitate their parents, we should follow God’s example. Our love for others should be of the same kind, a love that goes beyond affection to self-sacrificing service. The following are characteristics of Godly people (Matthew 5:3-12)
Broken spirit (v.3): They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after the giver and sustainer of life. The kingdom of grace belongs to such people and the kingdom of glory is for them. It
Penitent spirit (v.4): “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (New American Standard 1977). The people described here are those who are filled with godly sorrow which worketh true repentance, watchfulness, a humble mind, and those who continually depend on God for mercy and constantly seek the Holy Spirit to cleanse them of their sins. Such mourners shall be comforted by God.
Mild-tempered, gentle spirit (v.5): “God blesses those who are humble(meek), for they will inherit the whole earth” (New Living Translation). The meek are those who quietly submit to God; who can bear insult silently, or return a soft answer; and who, in their patience, keep possession of their souls. Meekness promotes wealth, comfort, and safety, even in this world. This is translated into a blessing by God.
Thirsting spirit for righteousness (v.6): Righteousness here represents all spiritual blessings. This is the faithfulness of God. Our desires for spiritual blessings must be earnest. Though all desires for grace are not grace, such a desire as this is a desire of God’s raising, and He will not forsake the work of his own hands. Righteousness exalts!
Compassionate and merciful spirit (v.7): We must not only bear our afflictions patiently, but we must do all we can to help those who are in misery. We must have compassion on the souls of others, and help them; pity those who are in sin, and seek to snatch them as brands out of the fire. Mercy must be our message and lifestyle. Be merciful!
Pure in spirit (v.8): As God cannot endure to look upon their iniquity, so they can only see the Lord in purity of heart. Seeking the Lord and seeing Him require holy living; free of covetousness, greediness, and self-centeredness. Let your cry be, “Create in me such a clean heart, O God.”
Spirit of wisdom and mediation (v.9): They love, desire, and delight in peace; and study to be quiet. They keep the peace so that it is not broken, and recover it when it is broken. The peace-makers are blessed, and the peace-breakers are cursed. This principle is applicable in all situations and circumstances, just like two sides of a coin or like word and opposite.
Salt to preserve and light to shine (Matthew5:13-15): “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” Salt gives flavour and zest to food, and it also serves as a preservative.
It is expected of us to give flavour and zest to the world and to preserve the truth. Being the light of the world is discarding the darkness in and around us, it means fighting darkness due to evil and sin often caused by ignorance, prejudice and selfishness. A godly person lights up the dark areas of life. A godly person’s light must shine and darkness will not be able to comprehend it. A teacher and keeper of the truth (Matthew 5(6)
