Godliness
1 Timothy 4
“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.”
The bible can be likened to a compass that points to true north; it teaches us about God and about us and about how Jesus had sacrificed himself to save us from the wrath of God. When we live lives that are consonant with the truth of what the bible teaches, we live godly lives.
The Spirit warns that the devil will try to wean us away from the bible and feed us lies and deceptions, myths and “old wives’ tales”. He will do so by infiltrating our ranks, compromising people who cling to their own agenda rather than submit to the authority and truth of Scripture.
In Paul’s time, one worldly view of true spirituality is to stay away from things that will contaminate us: certain foods, and sex, even sex within marriage. Paul however is very clear that this runs contrary to the truth as revealed in the bible, that God created the world and found it good. So even when we are trying to be godly (in our eyes), we become ungodly because we live contrary to the truth of Scripture that tells us “everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer”. As Jesus clearly taught, things entering our lives do not contaminate us; rather, it is the evil in our hearts that contaminates and so Paul tells us to respond to the things of the world with thanksgiving, in the context of our relationship with God. Christianity is not ascetic and isolationist; rather, it draws us into joy, thanksgiving, love, peace and fellowship.
Today, however, the world has completely owned the word “godly”. We understand “godly” to be one who is pious, devout and committed to the practices of their religion. Furthermore, “godly” is now rarely something that is desirable. The modern church is more focused on evangelism, worship (the activity), prayer and bible study—organisational activities rather than life.
Yet Paul tells us “Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” and “Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers”.
Godliness—true spirituality—is living out the truth of Scripture, living life mindful of the God that is revealed in Scripture, consonant with all that Scripture teaches us about what this God has done and continues to do, humbly accepting his grace, mercy and compassion as revealed in Christ, and being joyful in the light of our pardon, our adoption and the gift of the Holy Spirit who now resides in us.
“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”