But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
Summary: If we are to pursue godliness, we need to understand what that means and what we are to run toward.
But you, man of God … pursue… godliness.
The Greek word Paul used is “eusebeia,” a word that means “reverence, respect, … piety toward God, [and] godliness.”* When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to begin with, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name… “ (Matthew 6:9).
To “hallow” the Lord’s name is to show the ultimate respect — to honor God’s name as holy. Reverence, respect, and piety are all wrapped up into godliness when we honor God as holy. Godliness, then, is not a one-time ‘tip of the hat’ to God. Godliness is a way of living, a way Paul says we should pursue.
How do we pursue an attitude like godliness? Paul provides a clue in 1 Timothy 3:16 —
“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.”
Paul is telling us that the source of true godliness is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus, in turn, explains the secret to godliness this way:
“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19)
It is often said that“Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” A Christian version of this saying might be, “Imitation is the highest form of respect.” Another way of saying this is “Imitation is the highest form of godliness.
If we can learn to imitate Jesus’s love for the Father, and imitate the Father’s love for all people, we are pointed in the right direction. If we actively pursue godly love (agapē), we are pursuing godliness.
Application: Strive to love as God loves.
Food for Thought: How is Christian godliness different from following the Old Covenant laws?
*”G2150 – eusebeia – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 24 Jul, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2150/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.
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