The Picture and Practice of Godliness
Godliness is a subject that is rarely talked about. If you asked your neighbour what godliness is, they might look at you as if you spoke another language. But granted “godliness” is not a word used in a secular vocabulary, how often do we ourselves speak about godliness? Do we even understand what godliness really is? And if we do, could we explain it to someone else?
But even more importantly, do we have godliness? Are we godly?
Godliness is the grace and duty of following God. Of course, this brief explanation is very comprehensive. It’s almost like saying the earth includes the continents and the oceans. And yet the definition is true, we are godly if we are following God in everything.
But this explanation goes only so far to helping us understand what godliness is. We need to know what the principle of godliness is; we need a picture of godliness. We need specific guidance for the practice of godliness. We also need encouragement by considering the profit and benefit of godliness.
And this is what we will look at tonight. Paul the Apostle told Timothy “Exercise thyself unto godliness.” He instructed him to be an example of the believers. From the teaching of Paul and the exemplary life of Timothy, as far as it is revealed in God’s Word, we can learn what being godly really is, and be encouraged to pursue godliness.
- The Principle of Godliness
- The Picture of Godliness
- The Practice of Godliness
- The Profit of Godliness
I. The Principle of Godliness
Godliness is conformity to God. A godly person is a person who is like God. As Thomas Watson says, godliness is Godlikeness. Being like God is the great duty of man. We cannot be like God in all His attributes, such as infinity and eternity and omnipotence. But God calls us to be like Him in holiness. “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
The first time in the Bible we meet with the word godly or godliness is in Ps. 4:3, “But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.” The word “godly” in this verse comes from the Hebrew word hesed which means “favor” or “lovingkindness.” So this tells us that the godly person is one who loves God and is loved by God. Indeed, the Lord has set apart the godly person for Himself.
Later, in the book of Malachi we find the word “godly” in the phrase “a godly seed,” literally, a “seed of God” (Mal. 2:15). God made the Israelites “one” separate people, in order that God might have a godly seed, children who belong to God. It was so God would have those who are set apart for Him, to whom He would communicate His truth and blessings, and who would be “a witness for Him amidst the darkness of heathenism all around.” To be godly then, is to be a holy witness for God in the world.
There is one clear principle regarding godliness that must never be forgotten, and that is, godliness requires a new heart. The leading principle about godliness is the necessity of a principle of spiritual life in the soul. What else is godliness but the life of God in the soul of man? But this life of God in the soul certainly requires spiritual life to be implanted in the soul. And this takes place in the new birth. Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.” There can be no true godly exercise or godly activity without a new heart. As one writer put it, just as a person cannot run without feet, so a person cannot be godly without a new heart. If we are still unconverted, we need to pray earnestly “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Another principle regarding godliness is that a principle of real power should operate within us. Godliness is a vital principle. Paul speaks of those who only have a form of godliness, but deny the power (2 Tim 3:5). We are warned about just going through the motions of religious activities without having grace stirred up in our souls. Some people only talk about religion, but they do not walk uprightly in the sight of God. No, we must not just hold on to some forms of religion while we do not have grace in exercise in our hearts and lives. That is to have a form of godliness, without having the power of it evidently working in us. There is a real power that works in the hearts and lives of God’s people, whereby they aim for holiness.
The godly are those who fear and obey God. This is another basic principle of godliness. They love the commandments of God. They love to meditate on the word and law of God, like the Psalmist who said, “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97). They seek to be spiritually minded, and they mourn over their wandering, vain thoughts. They seek to do everything in the fear of God, living under the holy eye of God. They have awe and reverence toward God. They fear to displease Him. They are afraid of losing the light of His countenance. They fear to grieve His Holy Spirit. Like David they pray, in Ps 51:11, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.”
Godliness is conformity to God. Conformity means to come into agreement and harmony with something or someone. Godliness is conformity or harmony with God’s will. Godliness is conformity to or agreement with His Word. Godliness is conformity to or similarity to God’s character. It is conformity to His ways. Godliness is piety and devotedness to God.
We must not think of godliness only as a principle within us; godliness is something we must pursue. Paul tells Timothy “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (1 Tim 4:7). That is why the analogy of the runner was used. We need feet to run, and run we must – in the ways of God. The true believer in Christ is running a spiritual race. Those who are careless about pursuing the ways of the Lord are not godly, and they are not born again.
“Exercise thyself unto godliness.” The word “exercise” in the Greek is the word from which we get our word gymnasium. Paul is comparing the exercise of godliness to the athletic exercise which took place at the gymnasium. The people who go to this a place take their exercise seriously. They are straining every muscle. They are giving everything they have physically to their pursuit of physical fitness. So should it be with believers. They are to put forth effort in their devotion to God. They are to give everything mentally and spiritually in seeking godliness.
The word “exercise” brings before us the need of discipline. As athletes train themselves, or seek training, so, we need spiritual discipline and training for the exercise of real godliness. We are to apply our minds. We are to give ourselves to the work of practical godliness, and put forth energetic effort in seeking after holiness. We should pray that the Lord would train us spiritually and that through constant spiritual exercise we may be strengthened in the lively exercise of grace. God calls us to watchfulness, to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation. We cannot expect to live godly lives without diligence. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23).
Another essential point to make about godliness is that it does not earn eternal life. We cannot merit salvation no matter how strong our efforts are. We are saved by the merit and righteousness of Christ alone.
But another equally important point is, that while godliness does not merit life, there is no life in our soul without godliness. If there is saving grace in our heart at all, then it will show itself in godliness and spiritual endeavors. If grace does not manifest itself in effort, then it is because we do not have grace in the first place. This shows us the great necessity of godliness.
Godliness is the evidence that a person is in Christ. It is the evidence of true and saving faith. To a godly person, Jesus is precious to them; He is the foundation of their acceptance with God. They are not relying on their own merit or godliness. They “lay aside their own wisdom, strength and merit, and they desire all from Christ, by the inward aspiration of faith” (Godet). And yet, while they rest on Christ alone for salvation, they are to exercise themselves to godliness – because this is invariably how grace reveals itself.
II. The Picture of Godliness
We know that a picture is worth a thousand words. You can have the principles laid out clearly before you, but still the lesson may be merely a mental conception, without being deeply impressed. Therefore, we need to expand on the subject and find a concrete form of the truth we are considering. We find that concrete figure – a real-life person – in the man that Paul is writing to. Timothy gives us a picture of godliness.
We meet with Timothy in Acts 16, during Paul’s second missionary journey, when he revisited the congregations that were established earlier.
Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek. (Acts 16:1-3)
Here we are informed that Timothy’s father was a Greek, that is, a Gentile, a non-Jew. Perhaps he died while Timothy was very young, because we do not hear about him anymore afterwards. His mother Eunice was a Jew, and it appears that she and Timothy’s grandmother Lois taught him the ways of the Lord (2 Tim. 3:14). Timothy was already a disciple by the time Paul came again to Lystra. This tells us he was probably converted under Paul’s ministry during his first trip to Lystra. He calls Timothy “my own son in the faith.” (1 Tim 1:2). Timothy was a spiritual son of Paul.
Paul reminds Timothy how he was taught as a child from the Word of God. This is a great help to godliness. Parents should teach their children from the Scriptures and pray that God would turn the “water of teaching” into the “wine of salvation.” The Scriptures alone give us saving knowledge – revealing to us Christ, the Savior of sinners and salvation through Him.
When Paul comes back to Lystra, he selects Timothy to go with him in his preaching to the Gentiles. He sees in Timothy a man who is prepared to serve the Lord. He considers Timothy to be a godly man.
The first thing we are told about Timothy’s character is that he was “well-reported of by the brethren.” This means he had a reputation for righteousness, in other words, he was known to be godly. (This is an essential qualification for office-bearers, to be “of good report.”)
When Paul writes to Timothy later, he instructs him to commit the teaching of God’s Word to “faithful men who shall be able to teach others.” This tells us that Timothy himself was faithful – otherwise Paul would not have chosen him to be his fellow-missionary. Being a godly man, Timothy was faithful in his commitment to the Gospel. He was trustworthy, and people – like Paul – could rely on him.
Self-denial is a part of godliness, which was evident in Timothy’s readiness to join Paul. His selflessness was apparent again when, as soon as Timothy takes up the missionary-apprenticeship, he subjects himself to circumcision. This was not a requirement for salvation, and Paul made it clear that those who said so were preaching another Gospel. But Paul circumcised Timothy, a half-Jew, to avoid needlessly causing offence to the Jews who were still in need of further light. This tells us that Timothy was not only faithful, but he was also self-denying; he would do what was necessary to prevent others from stumbling. Are we so devoted to God that we are willing to avoid giving needless offence, especially to weaker Christians?
Timothy was not perfect. From reading various parts of Scripture, we get the impression that Timothy was somewhat timid and subject to fear. Probably he had a diffident personality, the very opposite of self-confidence. He seemed to be a sensitive man as well, and Paul was “mindful of his tears” (2 Tim. 1:4), probably when Paul left Timothy at Ephesus, where Paul urged him to remain. Paul found it necessary to exhort Timothy to “endure hardness [hardship], as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3). Paul advised the Corinthians to treat Timothy in such a way that he would be “without fear” (1 Cor. 16:10). In his second letter to Timothy, Paul encourages him that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Usually when specific instruction or encouragement was given in the epistles, it was for a particular reason, and it was suitable to the need of those to whom Paul (and others) wrote. We learn from this that Timothy was subject to like passions with ourselves, and therefore he needed the Scripture encouragements and promises – just as we do. Finding strength from the promises of God’s Word is essential to godliness.
Perhaps we can also learn from Timothy that godliness shows itself in humility. If timidity was a character flaw – or at least a personal infirmity – Timothy was humble enough to admit it. We have no doubt that he would readily take Paul’s advice and admonition. He would be grateful to those who accommodated his infirmities. He would humbly esteem others better than himself.
Timothy was a godly man. But being godly does not mean you feel you have attained perfection. Being godly does not even mean you feel godly. Perhaps the principle of godliness makes a person feel they are ungodly – at times. Probably people who have the most godliness do not think they are very godly. And certainly, the godliest people are those who are aiming for godliness and striving with all their heart after godliness.
Timothy was a man who endured persecution for the cause of Christ. He was willing to visit and accompany Paul who was in prison in Rome, when the apostle wrote his epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and the Philippians (Col. 1:1; Philem. 1:1; Phil. 1:1). Thus, as was said of Onesiphorus, he was not ashamed of Paul’s chain. But not only did he visit prisoners for Christ; he himself was put in prison for the faith. In the letter to the Hebrews Paul says, “Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you” (Hebrews 13:23). So, it appears that Timothy was in prison with Paul and afterward set free, probably just after Paul was liberated.
Timothy was faithful but he was not sinless, and therefore he was given instruction about godliness. The godly man or woman is still a sinner and most certainly feels the need of grace and the need of instruction. Paul exhorts Timothy to “flee youthful lusts” and later in 1 Timothy 6:11 he counsels, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things,” such as the love of money, “and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
Now remember, godliness is every believer’s duty – not just Timothy’s. All of us are required to pursue holiness. We must all “exercise ourselves to godliness.” Let us now see how Timothy was to practice godliness, and how all believers are to practice godliness today.
III. The Practice of Godliness
What does it mean to be exercised in the way of godliness? It requires diligence, watchfulness, prayer, and effort. There is no place for sloth. By definition, Christians are not lazy. If you see a spiritually lazy Christian, you can say either he is a spiritually sick Christian, or not a Christian at all. We cannot achieve spiritual wellbeing without spiritual labor.
Godliness requires the use of means. Just as athletes have their proper training courses and exercises, so believers have their proper activities that promote godliness. God has appointed the means of grace for the exercise of godliness. There are providential dealings that God uses to train believers so that their souls may be exercised to godliness. Every child of God needs moral correction and we are not to be weary of receiving spiritual discipline. It is good for our souls; it tends to the exercise of godliness.
When we rise in the morning, we must tend to our devotions diligently. To be godly is to be devout; it involves going about our devotions in secret with the intention of being godly. We are to think about the duties that we will engage in throughout the day, and pray for the grace to bear fruit according to the occasion. We must pray earnestly for grace and that God would keep us from falling into temptation.
Throughout the day, we are to pray for divine keeping. We are to keep our minds as much as we can on profitable things. As we are sinning continually, we need to rely on the merit and intercession of Christ constantly. When we are very busy with thoughts about our work, as soon as our minds are free, we should swiftly bring them back to spiritual things. As the apostle says, “To be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
At the end of the day, we are to go to our room and think over the events of the whole day, especially how our hearts have been exercised, where our thoughts have gone, what sins we have committed, and confess them before God and pray earnestly for His pardon, and for grace and resolve not to commit those sins again.
When we lie down at night, we must keep our minds on “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). And we should pray that if we die that night the Lord would take us into His care in everlasting blessedness with Himself forever.
To exercise godliness, it helps greatly to have godly friends. It helps further to have a godly mentor. Timothy found that in Paul. We must not look to man for spiritual safety, but God may use a godly man or woman to aid our spiritual improvement.
Godliness is a principle of life in the soul; but that is not all. Godliness manifests itself in the everyday life of a person, and it must take a practical form. That is why we showed you a picture of godliness in the person of Timothy, not on canvas, but from the pages of God’s Word. The principle and picture of godliness should lead us to the practice of it. Paul was very practical, and he knew that Timothy would follow his instruction as to how exactly he should exercise himself to godliness. So, he directs Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). Timothy should prevent people from despising his youth, not by verbally asserting his authority, but rather in the way of proving by his conduct that he was a man who could be trusted to authoritatively communicate God’s Word.
So, Timothy must be an example “in word.” What he says should be consistent with godliness. “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col 4:6). Every day we should pray, “Set a watch O Lord, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips” and strive to bridle our tongues. We should think, and even pray, before we speak. We should ask ourselves, is what I am about to say going to be helpful to others? Will it glorify Christ?
Timothy must be an example in “conversation.” This word nowadays is used to refer to our talk, but in the King James Version of the Bible, it used to refer to our behavior. So, the word “conversation” means “a person’s conduct.” Yes, our behavior should be seemly and appropriate. We must avoid anything that is unbecoming or indelicate or crude or offensive. Our conduct should be suitable to the profession of Christ.
Timothy was to be an example of love. We are to walk in love – to put away bitterness and resentment. We should exercise the love of purpose and labor for the good of others. We ought to show the proof of our love by giving to others, not by speaking evil of others, but “by love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13).
Then, Timothy is to be an example “in spirit.” This refers to our attitude. Our whole way is to be an example of godliness. Our thoughts and purposes should manifest a godly spirit. It is a spirit of devotion, a prayerful spirit that we should cherish. As Matthew Poole reminds us, there should be a spirit of “zeal, and warmth of spirit, truly inflamed with the love of Christ, and for his glory.”
Again, Timothy is to be an example of faith. And we should follow that example, by cleaving to God’s Word, believing the promises. We should prove in our life that we believe God will do as He said, not being downcast as if Christ is not on the throne, but be living and acting in hope. We are to be living our lives in the light of eternity, and look with expectation to the future blessedness.
Finally, Timothy was required to be an example in purity. We are to shun the immoral ways of this generation. We should be chaste in “heart, speech and behavior.” Timothy was exhorted to treat “the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity” (1 Tim. 5:2). We must refrain from familiarity and flirting with the opposite gender, and abstain from any behavior and any clothing that would lead to impure thoughts and feelings. We must avoid all suspicions of impurity in our words and conduct. We must all seek holiness of body and mind, and even more so when society seems intent on depriving Christians of their chastity through all its sensual advertising and filthy attractions. We must “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (Rom. 7:1).
IV. The Profit of Godliness
The profit and benefit of godliness is declared in these words of the Apostle, “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1Tim. 4:8). The promise of life refers both to the present life and the future life of believers in eternity. In fact, the promise of life includes everything that makes up a person’s wellbeing – now and forever. It is life in the fullest sense which is suitable to the person’s condition. As one writer has put it, “By life is meant one’s proper being and well-being, whatever goes to make up a well-conditioned and happy state of existence” (Fairbairn).
The life that now is includes our state of existence on the earth. God promises to those who are godly that He will meet all their needs in this world. We have not only souls but bodies; God created both and He will provide for both. He will meet all our earthly needs as long as He would have us live in this world. If He clothes the lily of the field, He will certainly clothe and feed His dear people. The fifth commandment contains a promise of long life and prosperity, as far as it shall serve for God’s glory and their own good, to those who keep this commandment. The fourth petition is a prayer for the good things of this life – “Give us this day our daily bread.” And Jesus promises us, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).
If the Lord promises temporal mercies, He will certainly give us our spiritual needs. He meets all our spiritual needs here below. The promise of this life surely includes all that we need during our life on earth. And that includes spiritual blessings, such as forgiveness, grace, strength, light and wisdom, guidance and protection. Doesn’t this promise of the life that now is tell us that if we are godly, we will enjoy our lives, so to speak, much more than those who are ungodly do? To be godly is to be without a gnawing conscience. It is to be without the passions that consume a person’s mental well-being – not to mention endless regret. It is to experience what life was really meant to be, seeing the goodness of God in every area of life. To be godly is to admire God’s wisdom and Providence. It is to enjoy the meaningfulness of relationships, in the family, and in the Church. It is to enjoy God Himself in all our earthly enjoyments. Friends, this is life! It is life to the full! And the way to experience it is through godliness.
The promise connected with godliness includes the promise of everlasting life, the glorious inheritance above. This is “the life to come.” Physical exercise gives you good health, but godliness gives the hope of a better resurrection. To be godly is to have the assurance that you will be delivered from all sin and misery, finally and forever, to be with the saints and holy angels, in the presence of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever and ever. Those who are godly on earth will spend eternity in heaven singing the praises of God and worshiping Him forever. They will be satisfied with indescribable delights, filled with unspeakable pleasure in His presence. This is life as never before experienced! It is beyond our imagination and comprehension.
This promise of life is inseparably connected with godliness. We do not merit life by our godliness. But we cannot enjoy life without godliness. In the way of godliness, we experience blessedness. Again, “to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Only when we are spiritually-minded can we expect to have this life and peace that godliness brings.
Christ purchased the grace of godliness for His people. He gives it to them; it is why He died for them. And when they exercise it, they have the evidence that He died for them in particular.
So, we are encouraged to seek godliness. We are motivated to exercise it, to strain after it, and to strive energetically for godliness, by the love of Christ drawing us. Let us pray, meditate, repent, and obey the Lord, and serve Him.
A child of God may be ready to say, “But I feel weary already. How am I going to put forth such effort?” Remember Jesus said, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Are you willing? Are you willing to exercise yourself to godliness as the Lord strengthens you in His ways? If you are a child of God, you will desire to be godly, and you will see the need to be constantly exercised in regard to godliness. To encourage the child of God, if the subject is making you feel burdened by the duties and efforts needed, consider this also: to be godly includes resting on the Lord – looking to Him for His gracious help. To exercise godliness includes shunning sin and keeping our thoughts from evil thoughts which result in guilt on the conscience, trouble of heart, and hesitancy in expecting the blessing. By avoiding God’s displeasure in a course of sin, and by pursuing holiness and seeking to do God’s will and His will alone, we will have peace – we will enjoy comfort in our souls! There is wonderful profit from godliness! Those who exercise themselves to godliness will find it profitable in every area of their life!
This is a confirmed truth, as the Apostle says, in the verse following (v. 9): “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.” You can depend on it. This statement is reliable. It is a promise of God’s infallible Word. It has been proven true in the lives of countless Christians. They have tested the proposition; they have experienced the promise. Godliness has promise – and God’s people have certainly experienced the promise of the life that now is, and that which is to come. It is worthy of all acceptation. So, embrace it. Hold it close to your heart. Whatever you forget, do not forget the promise of life through godliness. Hold it fast, believe it, and live by it.
And abide in Christ. Constantly lean on the Beloved. We need to draw our strength from Him by faith, because being godly is by His grace from beginning to end, from the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Conclusion
In closing, I have a question for you. Have you ever seen a physically fit person who did not exercise? Not likely. Neither will you see a thriving believer who is not laboring after spiritual fitness. We must be spiritually industrious. We are to exercise ourselves unto godliness.
Here is another question, even more essential. Are you godly? Do you love God? Do you love holiness? Are you and I running the race set before us? Do we pursue godliness?
Or do we just hoist the sails and hope for the best, just coasting along, thinking everything is fine? As Thomas Boston points out, you can reach hell that way, but you will certainly not reach heaven. The only way to reach heaven is by pursuing holiness and by vigorous aiming to be godly. Do we use the means diligently? Spiritually speaking, we need to get out the paddles and row, we must roll up our sleeves for strenuous work and put forth labor – we must exercise!
We have described the picture of godliness this evening. The question now is, are we ready to practice it?
One final question – if we do not merit the promise of life by godliness, how can we obtain this promise? The promise of life is in Christ. If we desire life we must go to Christ by faith. “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 1:1). Let us seek to be found in Him – flee to Him, trust in Him, and we will enjoy this life.
Friends, let us give ourselves to the work. Let us put forth strenuous effort in spiritual exercise. “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” (1 Tim. 6:11-12).
Speaker: Rev Jett Smith
Congregation
Text: 1 Timothy 4
Date: 17 December 2025
Series: 2025 New Zealand Youth Conference