PPG 89, 10/5/84; 6/22/75; 12/12/75

DOCTRINE OF GODLINESS

A. Definition.

1. Godliness is derived from the Greek word EUSEBEIA, which connotes duty and responsibility of the royal priesthood to God under operation grace. The Greek word THEOSEBEIA means reverence to God or occupation with Christ.

2. Godliness is related to our Lord’s residence in the prototype divine dynasphere, 2 Tim 3:16.

3. Godliness refers to residence, function, and momentum inside your own palace, the operational-type divine dynasphere, in fulfillment of the protocol plan of God; this is synonymous with experiential sanctification.

B. In the analogy of 1 Tim 4, godliness is compared to physical exercise.

1. 1 Tim 4:7-8, “… discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness.” Even if doctrine is your #1 priority, it still requires a lot of self-discipline for the function of operation Z.

2. Verse 8 presents the analogy that physical exercise profits for a short time. If you have a priority slot for exercise, you’re motivated to exercise. Then you exercise whether you feel like it or not. But you must be consistent for exercise to be profitable.

3. Verse 8, “...but godliness is profitable for all things.” Even though it’s true, this passage isn’t saying that godliness is better than exercise. First of all, it says that the doctrine you learn today will carry you only for a short time. This is why many of the same doctrines are repeated throughout the Bible. Even the Bible repeats doctrines! So as with exercise, repetition of doctrine is necessary. If you listen every time a doctrine is repeated, you’ll hear new things and begin to form applications of that doctrine.

4. Verse 8, “since it holds the promise for the present life and for the life to come.” Your happiness, capacity, prosperity, and ability to handle disaster and problems all come from godliness. And the only thing you have in this life that will be profitable to you forever is godliness, i.e., life in the divine dynasphere.

5. Exercise tunes up the muscles. Godliness tunes up the spiritual life. The believer needs spiritual power rather than physical power.

C. Godliness, or life in the divine dynasphere, is related to perception of Bible doctrine, Tit 1:1. There is no godliness without spiritual metabolism.

D. Therefore, godliness is profit in life, 1 Tim 6:6. “Contentment” refers to all capacities in life. The great gain of true godliness is taught here as being ultra supergrace, dying grace, and surpassing grace. Godliness is profitable for time and eternity, 1 Tim 4:8.

E. Godliness is indestructible, 2 Pet 3:11. Everything outside of the divine dynasphere will eventually be destroyed. But anything developed in the divine dynasphere you take with you forever into eternity. “Holy conduct” here refers to virtue.

F. Godliness is the Christian way of life in the protocol plan of God, 2 Pet 1:3.

G. The enemy of godliness is life in the cosmic system, 2 Pet 3:2-5. This passage refers to this enemy as arrogance and love of money. Only capacity and virtue makes pleasure wonderful.

H. Establishment and human authority is necessary for the function of GAP and resultant godliness, 1 Tim 2:2.

I. Godliness demands discipline, 1 Tim 4:7. You must discipline yourself to reach maturity.

J. Godliness is distorted by reversionism under the influence of evil, 1 Tim 6:3-5. Blind arrogance is pseudo-godliness. Reversionism under the influence of evil has a form of pseudo-godliness, 2 Tim 3:2-5.

K. Godliness is a Christian virtue, 2 Pet 1:6-7, 3:11.

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R. B. Thieme, Jr. Bible Ministries 5139 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77056 (713) 621-3740

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