CHARACTER COUNTS: Godliness

 Have you ever put a puzzle together and the last piece was missing? Without that critical piece the work is lacking and the whole picture is less than whole.

This session points us to a quality that is the critical piece to building our own lives: godliness. Without godliness, the structure of our lives is incomplete and our wholeness is lacking. 

Godliness is the quality or state of reflecting the character of God in our will and the ways in which we live.  It is not about religious rituals, moral superiority, or trying to earn divine favor. It’s about alignment: a transformed heart and life that increasingly mirrors  the holiness, love, justice, mercy, wisdom, and truth of the Divine.  The word “godliness” (Greek: eusebeia) It comes from eu (“well” or “good”) and sebas (“reverence” or “awe”), literally suggesting “well-reverence” or proper respect. In classical Greek philosophy and culture:

•  It referred to the dutiful attitude and actions of reverence toward the gods (through rituals, prayers, and sacrifices), family, ancestors, and societal order.

•  For Platonists, it meant right conduct toward the divine; for Stoics, proper worship of God.

•  It was a civic and religious virtue—piety expressed in both attitude and behavior, maintaining harmony with the sacred and social order. 

Godliness is a profound respect and awe toward God that flows into practical living.

Often today we hear others tell us to just be who you are, that’s good enough. When God-given abilities are the subject, it’s not bad advice. But what about if we’re talking about character? Can humans being “good enough” be “good enough” to put you anywhere near an equal footing with God?   

If I am a yard dog who stays outside all the time and LOVES to wallow in stinky stuff, what are the probabilities that I will be invited indoors to jump on the couch?  Likewise if I have messy and harmful tendencies that often are hurtful to other people should I simply throw up my hands and say “Well, that’s just who I am.” Attitudes like that leave us stuck in our current state and our persistent human nature will relegate us perpetually to “yard dog.”

We are also frequently told that we should just follow your heart.  If I believe that my heart, my emotions, my feelings, are to be the guide of my daily actions then the most important thing in my life will be my own desires, not becoming a godly person.  Can you imagine a tall sailing ship having a crew in the rigging who just “did as they felt”?  There is no way such a ship could operate. 

Another piece of conventional wisdom is just live your own life. In my day this may have been phrased as "march to a different drummer." The problem is everyone marching to a different drummer doesn't result in marching, it results in chaos. It allows someone to simply become consumed with a “go along and get along” approach to life, ignoring a higher calling and pursuit of purpose.

Paul gave Timothy an excellent reason why pursuing a Godly life should be a priority. It would benefit the person in every way. One writer put it this way: In life we are weaving a garment we will wear in eternity. That garment is our character, and we will take it with us into the life to come.

The book of 1 Timothy was written toward the end of Paul’s life and challenged Paul’s “apprentice” to stand strong against false teachings and ungodly practices that had arisen in the Ephesian church. Paul urged Timothy to point some things out to those he taught. 

Paul warned against the false teachings that emphasized peripheral ritualistic issues that sidetracked the Ephesian church from its focus on godliness.

Paul teaches to stand firm against incorrect, inadequate or false teachings and gives us some good reasons to do so.

1 Timothy 4:6-8

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed. 7 But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. 8 For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Paul wanted Timothy to expose false teachings, bringing them out into the open so they could be corrected.  Paul also encouraged Timothy to nourish himself on the truths that he had been taught and came to believe about faith in the Divine. Good advice for us still.

Paul said "have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths." Pointless refers to teachings that claimed to have secret truths available only to a select few initiated into the group. The term means profane, that which is irreverence for or desecration of Holy things. It is to take Holy things and treat them as worldly things.

Silly myths were fictional stories like those told to children. In fact myth is defined as traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events, or a widely held but false belief or idea. 

Recently I have been looking into the history associated with some of these myths, and in a nutshell many of these myths are similar to one another. Much like the Roman gods are a derivative of the Greek gods, which are themselves a derivative of many of the Celtic gods, which include some of the Vedic gods, etc. 

These pantheon of gods are simple, dramatic stories derived from similar sources to recall something in a culture that was a pre-writing culture. As I like to think of it, these myths are the same as our Hollywood movies – take a believed truth and re-tell it in a what that is entertaining and with a WHOLE LOT of action/adventure to make it fun to tell around the campfires. In fact, in this sense almost all Hollywood and television movies are myths when you stop and think about it.  Other cultures then make sequels of these stories retelling them and elaborating and changing them to suit their tastes.

Paul points out that these myths are pointless and silly, just as most Hollywood action/adventure movies, or even the syrupy romance movies, are ultimately pointless and silly. The only things they really teach you is that the external appearance is more important than the internal character. The stories of such fables are designed to impact behavior (don't be a bad guy like Sauron, be a good guy like Frodo) and to entertain (Ohh! That story you told around the campfire last night was so thrilling! I wish I were Achilles!) They have no authority other than what humanity gives to them. The mythology of humanity is nothing more that the Hollywood storytellers creating sequel after sequel glorifying the “heroes of humanity.”

Paul calls for training ourselves, a Greek word borrowed from athletics. Literally it referred to physical training but was also used figuratively of mental and spiritual training. Can you become an elite athlete in anything just by thinking and dreaming about it? Can you become a godly person just by attending a weekly entertainment show and just thinking and wishing about it? 

What do you DO to become an elite athlete?  WORK A LOT. What do you DO to become a godly person?  WORK A LOT! The Divine produces holiness in us through exercising the intentional, focused effort and discipline of the believer in living out the faith through the power of the Holy Spirit by whatever term is used, e.g. Great Spirit, Source Energy, etc.

The Greek term for godliness refers to the manifestation of Divine character in the believer’s life. In contrast to false teachings, true godliness comes through living by the guidance and principles found provided by the Divine. 

Stop and think about it. Think for a moment of the best, most moving and godly movie that you have ever seen...Let's use The Ten Commandments as an example. As moving as that movie is could you ever learn GOD's message ONLY by watching that movie? Or one of its modern sequels? No, because a movie can not possibly put on screen, or into a story for that matter, all of the accurate external features of a story.  Neither can it stimulate the internal thoughts that reading, digesting, thinking about, and discussing with others can bring to a narrative.  Divine living can NOT come from the outside in, it MUST come from the inside out.  Paul reminded Timothy that sound teaching promotes godliness. Some held to an outward appearance of godliness but inwardly lacked true godliness.

1 Timothy 4:9-11

9 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. 10 For this reason we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. 11 Command and teach these things.

Godliness to some in Ephesus was something you do. Basically demonstrating how pious one was by what one did NOT do; living a harsh, grim, life to show that one was really better than those who didn’t.  For example, and I am making stuff up, sleeping on a bed of nails, never marrying to devote only to your spiritual self, fast to near starvation and you will see God.  Many of these ascetic practices were a way of altering lifestyle, and even physicality to result in a feeling that was interpreted as being closer to God.

But godliness is much more beneficial than something you DO. Asceticism, the practice of self-discipline and abstention from sensual pleasures, may have a useful place in spiritual discipline, but it is NOT the ONLY spiritual discipline practice that builds a well rounded result. Can you imagine ONLY doing "right armed biceps curls" as your ONLY form of body building? What about the legs, the lungs, the left arm!? 

We labor and strive Paul says. The two terms are similar in meaning. To labor is to work hard, to be wearied with great toil. To strive is to struggle, literally to compete for a prize. It was the word used for athletic competition. It pictures the runner stretching out reaching for the finish line. Both words indicate great effort and energy expended to reach a desired goal. 

The desired outcome is growth toward spiritual maturity in this life (during the race) and our glorification at the end of the age (in the winner’s circle) —what Paul referred to as “the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God.”

Pause for a moment and note that in the term "our glorification" the word our is not the object, but rather the subject. Glorification is the object and it is Divine glorification that we strive to be with, not OUR glorification as if IT were the prize to be achieved. Lets state it this way, It is not so much "I want to be the first victor at the finish line" as much as it is I want to be sure to get to the finish line and not drop out of the race before I conquer this race."

The modern use of hope most often refers to a wish or desire, often without expending effort. In Greek, the term for hope involves expectation rather than wishful thinking. It is the longing for something that is certain. It is a solid expectation based upon truth. "If I run the race I may/will get to the finish line. If I wish to win the race without doing anything, the probabilities of reaching the finish line approach zero." Trust in the Lord, the living God, is firmly placed; it is never wishful thinking. Hope in God’s Word is also as sure as hoping in the Lord Himself. 

Paul describes the Divine as the Savior of all people. God desires all people to receive salvation through repentance and faith many, however, will choose to remain “yard dogs”. As Jesus in his taught, many will hear or learn of the Gospel, but not all will take it to heart and live by it internally. Only those who have given their attention to the Divine, who know the basics of God’s Teaching and internalize it so that it becomes the guiding force of their life will reap the benefits of their choice. Paul was emphasizing that only the Divine (not celibacy or asceticism) can save people, i.e. redeem people FROM their human nature and TOWARDS their Divine nature . It is the internal work of the Divine and not the external work of humans that results in salvation.

Paul tells us to command and teach these things. To command someone is to give directions and/or instructions with the expectation that they will be obeyed. To teach someone is to lay a foundation of the truth upon which people could grow spiritually and make their own correct decisions. Timothy was to both give verbal instructions with the expectation that they would be obeyed,  Much like doctors dispense advice, which is just about as willingly obeyed as gospel advice. And Timothy was to lay a foundation of truth to teach about God's Gospel.

1 Timothy 4:12-16

12 Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. 13 Until I come, give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. 14 Don’t neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. 15 Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.

The issue was not Timothy’s age but his spiritual maturity and the authority of the gospel that lay behind his teachings. Timothy was likely somewhere in this late teens to early twenties when he started with Paul or about thirty at the time of this letter.  Whatever his age, he was apparently unusually young for a pastor or rabbi at the time. Paul encouraged Timothy to be an example in the areas of speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. To give your attention means to be concerned or care about something and to be in a high state of alertness.

With all the chaos surrounding false teachers and false teachings in the Ephesian church, Paul encouraged Timothy to focus his energy upon three things:

First, Timothy was to focus on public reading of Scripture. While many tend to think of this as "performance reading aloud in public", i.e. reading aloud on the street corner forcing everyone to hear. But public reading can be as simple as reading your scriptures silently in public, or quietly having a read and discuss session in a public setting.

Second, Paul encouraged Timothy to focus on exhortation. Exhortation is "incitement by means of argument (logical debate), appeal (emphatic request), or admonition (urgent reminder). Note that logical debate does NOT necessarily mean heated argument.  It merely means presenting your rationalizations in a logical manner for discussion.  An emphatic request doesn’t have to be a dramatic appeal to the emotions, it can be a heartfelt invitation for participation.  Urgent reminder doesn’t have to be a do-it-now ultimatum, it can be something as simple as “remember I would love to have you come and participate in our studies. Such appeals reach the hearer’s consciousness.  And consciousness (awareness) may lead to learning.

Finally, Paul encouraged Timothy to focus on teaching, which also would have enabled believers to stand firm in their faith and in standing against false or erroneous teachings.

Paul said don’t neglect the gift. To neglect is to be careless or unconcerned about something. The term for gift can refer to a favor bestowed, a benefit given, or an ability granted. God had gifted and called Timothy to preach and teach the Word of God to the Ephesian congregation. He had an obligation to fulfill his calling by exercising his gift with passion and diligence, particularly so that false teachers and false teachings would not disrupt the newly founded community of the Ephesian church.

Those who endure to the end of a race are more likely complete the race.  Duh.  Those who pursue godliness until the end of their lives are more likely to complete the steps of salvation (just a word for being rescued from harm). 

1. Recognizing a need to be reconciled with Divine Light, Source, Universal Energy, God (God is easiest to type), etc. (See the need for being reconciled with Creator)
2. Recognizing that God provided an Anointed one to exemplify the results of choosing to live in the dark (ignorance of God) and to teach a way of life that results in spiritual growth and the restoration of the light body with the light source. (Recognize the solution)
3. Making the determination and confessing the need to stop giving in to your human nature and seek to increase and strengthen your godly nature. (Make the effort).
4. Have FAITH that the teachings of step 2 will be achieved. (Trust and act upon your faith)
5. Continue to grow, learn and make course corrections for the remainder of your life. (Live, Learn, Know, Understand, exercise Wisdom)

Once you have recognized the need, the solution, and have determined to put your efforts into living a life focused upon right-use-ness, you are truly saved from the harm of wandering around in the darkness of ignorance or immature spiritual beliefs, and instead live a lifestyle of rescued from ignorance. 

Let’s state it this way.  Being saved and stoping your progress achieves nothing, or at best very little. To use an analogy, you may be in the “stadium with God”, but you may be in the “nose bleed section”. Putting energy into spiritual maturing is to continue to “be in the game” and is what gets you “out of the stands” and “onto the field”.  At the conclusion of the game you may just find you are closer to the “winners stand” than you imagined, because all the while you were in the game, others saw how you played and determined that they too would like to play the game as you do.  

THIS is godliness DEMONSTRATING the goodness of God to others.  Developing your character to the point of being as alike to the character of the Divine and demonstrating that character to others REALLY counts.

Paul’s Catalog on Character

GODLINESS

Respect for God that affects the way a person lives.

The term “godliness” appears most frequently in Paul’s writings. Paul encouraged Timothy to pursue “godliness” in an active manner (1 Tim. 6:11). By so doing, Paul challenged Timothy to develop a true respect for God and to live his life based on that respect. 

Paul emphasized the value of godliness by contrasting it to physical training (1 Tim. 4:8). Whereas physical training has benefits for this life, godliness benefits us both in this life and in the life we next flow into. Peter likewise encouraged his readers to add to their lives godliness as a way of living.

Godliness reflects a life devoted to and characterized by deep respect for and commitment to God. This concept is integral to living out one’s faith authentically and consistently.

HUMILITY

The personal quality of being free from arrogance and pride and having an accurate estimate of one’s worth.

The Bible provides the best example of what it means to have humility (Matt. 11:29; 1 Cor. 4:21; Phil. 2:1-11). Jesus preached and taught often about the need for humility. He urged those who desired to live by kingdom-of-God standards to practice humility (Matt. 18:1; 23:12). The person with humility does not look down on others (Matt. 18:4; Luke 14:11). 

While God resists those who are proud, He provides grace for the humble (Jas. 4:6). Paul believed that quality relationships with other people hinged on the presence of humility (1 Cor. 4:21; Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:25). 

Biblical humility is often associated with a proper understanding of one’s place before God and a heart of servanthood and dependence on God.

CONTENTMENT

A deep sense of satisfaction and peace regardless of external circumstances, rooted in one’s relationship with God.

Psalm 23:1 expresses a profound sense of contentment and trust in God’s provision. 

Proverbs 19:23 links contentment with reverence for God and a peaceful state of being. 

Paul explained that his contentment was rooted in his relationship with Christ. 

Contentment is deeply connected to trust in God’s provision and sovereignty. Learning to be content in all situations is part of growing in faith and reliance on God (Phil. 4:12-13). Practicing contentment involves focusing on gratitude, recognizing God’s blessings, and adjusting one’s expectations and desires to align with biblical principles. 

Building a relationship of trust with God through prayer, reading Scripture, and relying upon God’s promises helps cultivate a sense of contentment.

GENEROSITY

Freely giving good things to others, both material and immaterial, without expectation of repayment.

Love, i.e. Agape, (a Greek term for the highest form of love–unconditional and intentional needs meeting that seeks the best for others) is a component of generosity.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 emphasizes the importance of being openhanded and generous. 

Jesus teaches about the importance of giving to the needy without seeking recognition (Matt. 6:1-4). Genuine generosity is characterized by a sincere heart (2 Cor. 9:6-7). Believers are encouraged to cultivate a generous spirit in all areas of life. 

Generosity fosters unity and mutual support. It addresses social inequities and upholds the church’s mission to reach out to those in need. Generosity is all about the posture and condition of the heart. Generosity is all about Love.

INTEGRITY

Faithful support of a standard of values, encompasses wholeness, truthfulness, and moral uprightness.

Terms that occur in parallel with integrity suggest its shades of meaning: righteousness (Ps. 7:8); uprightness (Ps. 25:21); without wavering (Ps. 26:1); blameless (Ps. 101:2). 

Several Old Testament characters are designated persons of integrity: Noah (Gen. 6:9); Abraham (Gen. 17:1); Jacob (Gen. 25:27); Job (Job 1:1,8; 2:3); and David (1 Kings 9:4). 

Integrity involves moral and ethical consistency. It means being whole and undivided in one’s values and actions, embodying sincerity and honesty. Integrity requires consistency between what one believes and how one acts. It means living according to one’s values and principles, even when challenging. 

Integrity reflects the character of God and is crucial for living a life that aligns with His standards.