Training Time

1 Timothy 4:8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”   

Paul tells Timothy to train in godliness like a person would train physically.  An athlete would not wait until the day of the race to begin training; neither can a believer wait until a crisis to practice godliness.

Paul goes on to say that practicing godliness promises blessings in this life and in the life to come. 

The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines godliness as: Reverence for or devotion to God, producing a practical awareness of God in every aspect of life.

Examples of godliness in the Old Testament

Enoch: Genesis 5:23-24 “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”

Noah: Genesis 6:9 “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.”

Obadiah: 1 Kings 18:3-4 “So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devoted follower of the Lord. Once when Jezebel had tried to kill all the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put fifty prophets in each cave and supplied them with food and water.)”

Examples of godliness in the New Testament

Simeon: Luke 2:25 “At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel.”

Anna: Luke 2:37 “Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.”

Nathaniel: John 1:47 “As they approached, Jesus said, ‘Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.’”

Jesus Christ: John 8:29 “And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”

What we need to know about Godly living

Jesus Christ is the beginning and end of godliness. 1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.”

The example and the power for godly living come from Christ. Hebrews 5:7 “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God”

2 Peter 1:3 “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.”

Godly living demands self-discipline: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”

Sorrow for sin is a sign of godliness. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.”

The benefits of godliness

Its value is in both this world and the next: 1 Timothy 4:8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

Its present blessings: Deuteronomy 4:40 “If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

1 Timothy 6:6 “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.”

The promise of future blessing: Titus 2:11-13 “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.”

2 Peter 3:11-12 “Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.”

Godliness does not guarantee escape from suffering: Psalm 12:1 “Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth!”

2 Timothy 3:12 “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

2 Peter 2:9 “So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.”

We need to follow the example of Christ and train ourselves in godliness.  We have great examples in Scripture of men who lived godly lives in a fallen, sinful world.  We, like them, must rely on the strength and power of our Savior to sustain us and equip us for godly living.

All Scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated.