WHAT A BLESSING it is to have and enjoy good health. Most children and youth have good health, though there are exceptions. But inevitably, age, injury, and disease take their toll. To have good health in advanced years is a great blessing, one to very much be enjoyed. One aspect that contributes greatly to this is good physical habits of diet, exercise, and sleep. As important as this is, it is only the health of the body, and that alone is not also health for the soul and spirit.
Paul addresses this in his instructions to the young Timothy. “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.” (1 Tim. 4:8) He adds, “This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.” (1 Tim. 4:9) Paul is more than fond of Timothy, his “true son in the faith.” Paul ends this first letter to him with a charge to adhere to all he has been taught. “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.” (1 Tim. 6:20-21) We don’t have to wonder if Timothy grew into the man of godliness that Paul mentored. The early church historian Eusebius records that Timothy lived a long life of godliness. He became the first bishop of the church at Ephesus and is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox church.
Godliness is a frequent theme in the N.T., used most often by Paul and Peter. It is not something to be grasped for personal power, though it is a great source of power. Both of them strictly eschew any idea of an actualized self being the origin of such power. An example. Peter and John have performed a miracle, the healing of the beggar at the Beautiful Gate in Jerusalem (cf. Acts 3:1-10), but he says “Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” (Acts 3:12) Similarly, at Lystra Paul, with Barnabas, heals a man lame from birth. The crowds begin to worship them, but Paul cries out “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you.” (Acts 14:15) Even Jesus, most godly of all, denied this personal privilege: “Being in very nature God, he did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.” (Phil. 2:6)
Scripture describes godliness, or being godly, as exhibiting various characteristics of behavior that are consistent with a divine nature, specifically God’s nature. This is the power that produces well-practiced habits based in belief in God that become the consistent source of our force of will. A person who is god-like is never false in motivation, but exercises “godly sincerity.” (2 Cor. 1:12) They express strong human feelings consistent with God’s emotions, having “godly sorrow,” (2 Cor.7:11) and “godly jealousy.” (2 Cor. 11:2) They seek truth narrowly defined by the bible, having “nothing to do with godless myths.” (1 Tim. 4:7) They understand that such truths teach us “to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.” (Tit. 2:12) In fact, says Peter, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.” (2 Pet. 1:3)
Paul’s advice to Timothy comes from his own authentic struggle to understand ontology—the nature of being. It is a struggle we all face as we try to understand the meaning of life. This is the universal struggle of all mankind. The four basic questions of life—“Where did I come from, who am I, what is my purpose, what happens when I die?” —are all metaphysical questions. These are questions that have answers that are above and beyond physics, which can only describe physical properties of matter and energy, and, dimly, the constructs of time. Their answers lie outside of what physics can explain. As such, they become a mystery, but not mysteries without answers.
Paul’s previous criteria of understanding was informed by the theology of his religious tradition and instruction, but that was radically changed by his experiential conversion to becoming a follower of Jesus. (cf. Acts 9:1-19) His experience transcended known physics; his new reality became founded in divinely revealed cosmological truth. He infers this in his letter to Timothy: “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.” (1 Tim. 3:16) In the clearest vision of his understanding of the answers to the confusion of his life satisfied by answers from beyond this realm, Paul says “The Son is the image of the invisible God, in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible; all things have been created through him and for him.” (Col. 1:15-16)
The invisible has become visible, and our questions of origin, identity, purpose, and destiny are answered from above and beyond. We came from God, our identity is found in him through Jesus, our purpose is to glorify him, and we will join him in an eternal afterlife when this confusing time is over.
This is understood, received, appropriated, and implemented only by faith—reason alone cannot achieve this state of being. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Heb. 6:19) Our god-likeness begins with creation: “God created mankind in his own image.” (Gen. 1:27) It is made complete in Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Heb. 12:2) This knowledge and gift has a challenge. God says, “Be holy, because I am holy.” (Lev. 11:44), and Jesus likewise summons us to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) This is a high calling, but it is not too far above us nor too far beyond us, for the Spirit of God dwells within us. The likeness of God has become our new nature.
Paul’s advice to Timothy guides us also. “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them. Watch your life and doctrine closely.” (1 Tim. 4:15-16), knowing that “godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Tim. 6:6)
Q. Am I an authentic image-bearer of the visible God?