1 Timothy 4:8 (ESV) — for while bodily training is of some value, godliness
is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for
the life to come.
NOTE: If godliness
is of such value, we need to define it concretely. The word godliness in
English seem to come from the words, God and like and ness -- God-like-ness.
"Ness," the ending is the state of the original adjective. Therefore,
godliness would mean the state of being like God. We can immediately eliminate
those attributes that only apply to God, such as omniscient, omnipresent, all
powerful, creator, and sovereign. But there are others, un-achievable in the
extreme, and yet goals that we should strive: holy, a servant, loving, just,
perfect, long-suffering, compassionate, joyful, patient, and so on. The best
example of those god-like-ness adjectives is found in the life of Jesus on
earth. We can't be God, but we can strive to be like Jesus in our desire to
display godliness.
The New Bible
Dictionary translates the word differently, "(God) requires an active
obedience to his revealed will and a personal devotion that surpasses
lip-service, mere trepidation, or bare admiration." And in the Greek, the
word seems to emphasize the behavior of the individual.
I think my
definition, living like Jesus, and the NBD definition of active obedience and
personal devotion are saying the same thing. We need to have a real, devout,
and personal relationship with God that involves changed lives.
PRAYER: Father, I
pray that as the IDGs start up, that people will be committed to the idea of
application, and to the idea of accountability. Unless we are sold out on these
concepts, we will never reach the goal of godliness and never understand its great
value.
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