The great gain of godliness

“Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1Timothy 6:6)

“Godliness is profitable in all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1Timothy 4:8)

These two texts assure us that to live God’s way is not only the right way to live, but also that it is the best way to live, both for the here and now and also for the hereafter. We are not told that godliness is popular, that it is easy, that it is attained without effort, that it is instantaneous, that we won’t have troubles, that we will become rich or that we won’t have enemies. But we are told that godliness is possible for anyone who really wants to live a godly life. In 2 Peter 1:3,4 we read these words: “His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.....whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature....” By sending His Son as a sacrifice to blot out our sins and sending His spirit to indwell us, God has provided the means whereby sinful men and women can become new creations and live godly lives. How, then, may we become godly people?

Repent of our sinful ways and have a born again experience (John 3:5-7).

Receive a new nature (2 Peter 1:3,4). Be humble, prayerful and obedient to the Lord, maintaining a good conscience towards Him and towards men (Acts 24:16).

Accept God’s Word as the rule for our lives (John5:24).

Our main ambition must be to please God at all times (John 8:29) and to seek His will for our lives (Matthew 7:21, Hebrews 5:9).

We must recognise that God is working in our lives, sometimes through difficult situations, to produce godly character (Philippians 1:6, 2:13, Hebrews 12:9,10).

We should make godly friends and follow their example (Philippians 3:17).

We must remember that the Lord Jesus is coming again unexpectedly, suddenly, and we should live in expectation of this momentous event (1 John 2:28, 3:2,3).

Here are some of the “great gains of godliness”:

We can enjoy peace of mind, quietness, and an assurance of God’s acceptance (Ephesians 1:6, Isaiah 32:17,18).
We can live a meaningful, fulfilling life (Psalm 73:24).
We can have comfort in trial (Nahum 1;7).
We can have confidence and calmness in death (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
We can have the assurance of eternal life (1 John 5:13).
We can have assurance of a future resurrection to immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
We can enjoy the rich friendship of fellow believers (Psalm 133:1).

Let us make it our ambition to become the men and women God wants us to be, and so enjoy the “great gain of godliness”.

This article was written by Pastor Geoffrey Davies. He is a frequent contributor to this column. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he pastored a church for over twenty-five years. Since 1983 he has travelled widely, continuing his ministry of encouragement and Bible teaching. Click here for Previous Messages from Pastor Geoffrey Davies.