What is Godliness?

Lately, we've been seeing a lot of things happening in the world that are indeed quite disturbing. I don't want to go through those things. That's not my purpose today. But I do want to quote a scripture in 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 11. 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 11. Peter is describing how things are happening and people don't believe. And there's going to be a day of judgment. And then in verse 11 he says, therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, at the end all this will pass. But here is an important statement. What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? In holy conduct and godliness. And I think we have a reasonably good understanding of what a holy conduct is. But today I want to focus on the word godliness. Do we have a full understanding of what godliness is? How can we be truly godly of what it is? Because it says what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness. So today, brethren, I want to work on and strive to give you a deeper understanding of what truly is to be godly. I will look at definitions and I will proof check it against the Bible. And then I will be looking at how does godliness fit into the process of our Christian growth.

Now what made me get into this study, and in fact I did this study quite a few years ago, is when I read in the English Bible godliness, it kind of is self-explanatory to be like God or similar to God. And I never really had many questions about it. But a few years back, like a decade or a bit more ago, God gave me the responsibility of caring for the Portuguese brethren. And then when I read in the Portuguese Bible this word, it said piety. And every time I saw this word, this Greek word, in Portuguese, I saw the word piety. Now, in my mind, maybe in your mind there is no difference, but in my mind there is kind of a difference between piety and godliness. And I didn't fully understand or comprehend what did Paul, and in this case Peter, were referring to godliness, to piety, in the scriptures, in the New Testament. Now, to me piety, coming from a Catholic background, it's kind of a religious look and feel or approach. Kind of you look Santa-monious and you look very religious, maybe how you hold your hands. That's my personal Catholic background that kind of gives me that perception. On the other side, the word godliness to me means be like God or similar to God. And to me those two, let's call it interpretations, didn't gel. There was a disconnect. And so I decided to do a study on this Greek word, Υόςαβαία. Υόςαβαία. And I looked at Strongs, which says it's similar to God, holy, well-worshipped, well-religious. And it kind of didn't really help me. And by the way, I'm not quoting you the exact wording in the Strongs or in Barnes, I'm just giving you the concept of meaning. Then I looked at Barnes dictionary and it said the duty or responsibility that we ought to God. Then I looked in Phaers and it said venerable, respectful. And piety towards God and similarity towards God. And then Vines said, defaulted, an attitude towards God, which is doing what is pleasing to God. Now these definitions are very nice, but they actually didn't help me. Maybe I'm a bit technical, but to me that was not really explaining to me what I should be doing. Maybe to you it does, but not to me. So I kept thinking, what did Paul mean by using the word, eu sabaya? Then I looked at Dictions. And Oxford dictionary says dedication, faith, religion. Oh well, that helps a lot. That didn't help me at all.

I had this dilemma because it is possible that I or we may have an incorrect understanding of what God is all about. Maybe with my Catholic background it's kind of between inverted commas, a bit of a show off. I don't mean it's show off, I don't mean that people mean to, but it comes across to me, me being a technical type person, I don't feel comfortable with that, personally. I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying it's my personal feelings. So, are we being affected or impacted by some other tradition that we came from? Maybe it's Catholic, maybe it's Protestant, maybe it is evangelical, whatever it is. And we bring that in and we think, well, this is what I need to be to be godly. And is that really correct?

So then I looked at Roger's Thesaurus. Now there I actually got something which was actually quite meaningful to me. And it said, it first starts with what the others say, which is a religious mentality, that doesn't really help me much, devoted, faithful, interesting. Obedience to our duties, a faithful servant. Now it's telling me something that I had not grasped before. And then the believing servant, loyal. So, I kind of start seeing that it's a devotion, a faithfulness. Yes, it is compassionate and mercy and care for others. But instead of being an external appearance, it's an internal religious conviction. Of faithfulness, loyalty, dedication, based on genuine love towards the duties that God tells us to do. Alright, so now it started making a little bit more sense, because it is more of an internal change than an external appearance. Now, another one that helped me was the Seventh Collegiate Dictionary of Webster's, which showed godliness or piety. It's a faithfulness to our natural duties or obligations. For instance, with our parents. And then it says, an obedience to our religious duties, devoted. And then it says, it gives an emphasis to faithfulness, to obligations, which are considered as natural and fundamental or basic. And a fulfillment or a keeping of those determined duties for that faithfulness. So, I'm going to summarize what I got from the dictionaries. Is that godliness, I see it as a dedication, a faithful, constant, rigorous commitment to our responsibilities and duties, which are natural and necessary towards God. It's the faithful execution of those duties. And that makes God pleased.

And that faithfulness is to our duties of love and care, is similar to God's faithfulness that he has towards us. So, now I started to see, I start seeing it a little bit better. But my question is, what does the Bible say? Because I've done a little bit of research, a little bit of understanding about the word. I got to a meaning, but what does the Bible say? And now let's look at 1 Timothy chapter 5, and we start in verse 3. 1 Timothy chapter 5, and we're going to start in verse 3. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 3. 2 Timothy chapter 5 verse 3.

Honor widows who are really widows. Now that makes sense to us, right? What it really is, is they were widows, they were young, and maybe they could still get married, but they are real widows, they're older, and those are real widows, and we need to honor them.

And then in verse 4, and if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first show piety at home. Now the interesting thing is the word piety is the same Greek word, the usa baya. And to repay their parents for this is good and acceptable before God. So it could have been translated to show godliness at home.

Now she was really a widow, and I'm not going to go into that, but I just want to see that and show you that the word is sabaiah. Sabaiah gives a very simple concrete example of what it means. Because when you show piety around, you are being faithful to your actual duties around. Those duties are to look after your elderly parents, and specifically those that are widows. And that execution of duty is along the line of loving care and compassion towards them.

So, yeah, we have a person, a son, a grandson, a daughter, a grandchild, or whatever, fulfilling those duties which are necessary, which are requirement, and it says, for this is good and acceptable before God. It was this is pleasing to God. The same thing as godliness which is pleasing to God. So, we can see that godliness is being faithful in our responsibilities to God. Therefore, we are doing what is pleasing to God based on love, compassion, and basically just love, care, concern. And we can also say it's the exercise of those duties.

You know, it's not doing it once, it's the exercise. If you're looking after your widows, your mothers, your parents, and it says that is acceptable to God, because in a sense you repay them, as it says there in verse 4, not to repay, for instance, to God, but it shows our gratitude when we do the right things that God wants us to do. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 4, probably in the same page of your Bible, or maybe just one page behind. 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 6 through 8 and 9.

I'll be a part of it. Verse 6 through 9. If you instruct the brethren in these things, you'll be a good minister. So he's giving various instructions to Timothy. He'll be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith, and of a good doctrine, of the good doctrine, which you have carefully followed. But reject, profane in old wives' tables, and exercise yourself in Godliness. Now he uses the word exercise in Godliness.

Interesting, that there he goes into an analogy in verse 8 that says, bodily exercise profits a little. Yeah, bodily exercise, you do exercise, whatever it is, running, walking, profits a little. And if you don't exercise, the muscles forget that and they become lame, and it is as if they actually die. Not that they die, but they just lose that vitality. So it says, bodily exercise profits a little, but Godliness is profit for all.

And therefore we need to exercise Godliness. We need to exercise this faithful act of doing what God wants us to do in love, in care. And that means we have to have self-control to do what we are told to do. We need to know what we should be doing. We need to have the right values. So that leads us to doing the right things, putting to practice and exercising what we know we need to do in the direction of outgoing love for others.

In the direction of outgoing love for others. And it says, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. So there is a reward for that. And this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. So we are talking about a subject here that is part of what is called a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. Okay, now we got a little bit better understanding what is Godliness. Now how does that fit in our Christian growth?

Now there is another reference that I left last, which I believe is quite significant. I really liked this reference and it comes from a book called a Biblical Theology of the New Testament by Roy B. Zuck. It's published by Moody and it says, Paul saw, it was a bayah, in other words, piety, Godliness, as a bridge between faith and good works. And align that, a bridge between faith and good works. Now that really made me think, a bridge between faith and good works. That's interesting, particularly when the world says, oh, you need faith, you don't need works. Maybe that's important, why Satan doesn't want us to understand what Godliness is all about. Because it's that link between faith and good works. And then he says, the good works proceed from genuine faith. Right. And that link is Godliness. It's Godliness. So, let me put it in simple terms. The way I then started meditating about this, it said to me, faithfulness starts in faith. Right? Why do we have faith? We have faith in God because he doesn't lie. Because he's faithful. When he says he will do it, he will do it. So, faith, faithless, they go together. And therefore, because of that, as we are or want to be like God, as we want to be like God, we want to execute or complete our duties and commitments to God. And thereby, we produce fruits. And the fruits of that service to God is good works. So, what we have, let's call it, is a chain or a progression from faith through what we need to know what God wants. For us to have that knowledge of values, then to have the self-control to go through that, sticking to it, through godliness, meaning that we exercise that faithfulness execution of what we need to do, in the direction of love for fellow men and to God.

This is what Peter says in 2 Peter, which is a signbook we started at the beginning. 2 Peter, so let's go to 2 Peter. And I call this section, I don't need, I did not initiate that statement. I heard it from one of the ABC instructors. But I call that section, God's life insurance policy. God's life insurance policy. You know what I mean, life insurance policy? When something happens, you got the life insurance, then bang it. Now God's spiritual life insurance policy is right, yeah! And it starts in chapter 1, verse 5 through 7. But also, for this reason, giving all diligence. In other words, make all effort. Really exercise this, really make an effort. Add to your faith virtue. Faith is trust, is confidence, you believe in God because it does not lie, it's faithful. You have trust in it. Add virtue, which is the value system, is the moral standards of what God wants you to do. According to God's laws, according to God's principles, so add virtue. To virtue, add knowledge. How do you add knowledge? By studying God's Word. To understand better what God wants you and I to do. Because God's Word is the foundation of all knowledge. Then, once we know that, to knowledge, self-control. In other words, the capability to control ourselves and do what we know we need to do. When it's hard. Then, from self-control, perseverance. That means stick to it. Keep going with it. Keep going with it. Persevere. Even though you don't feel like doing it. And from perseverance, godliness. The Iseless Bridge. Godliness. Because it's a faithful, devoted commitment in the direction of love. Of doing what we know what to do. Because what we know what we do is the virtue. Is what we study, the knowledge. And now we have self-control and we're persevering. But in the direction of outgoing love for others. Because yes, you and I have to persevere in overcoming ourselves and many other things. But, yes, specifically focusing in the direction towards others, love towards others and love towards God. Because then it says, to godliness, brotherly love or brotherly kindness. And to brotherly kindness, godly love or agape.

So we see, godliness is this bridge. It's that link between those early stages starting from faith to the final stages ending up in love. Which means good works. Now, let's continue reading. Verse 8.

Now, what is Peter emphasizing in this letter? Well, if you just keep your fingers there and go quickly to the last verse of the book. It says, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him be glory of now and forever. Peter is emphasizing that we need to grow in grace and knowledge of Christ. And Yah is saying, if you have these acts, these activities, these process of grace towards others through godliness. Because God is gracious towards us, right? To be like God, this is in the direction of love towards others. Then we grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

In fact, at the beginning of the book, it says in verse 2, 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 2, grace and peace will multiply to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. So, you can see the theme of the book is quite, in one of the themes of the book, is quite focused in growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We can see that at the beginning. We can see Yah giving us a formula, which I've called it God's life insurance policy. And then, in a conclusion, emphasizes the same point. Now, look at verse 10. It says, therefore brethren, be even more diligent, in other words, exercise this, to make your call and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. Do you know what that means? That means, if you practice these things, this so-called process from faith through this bridge that covers all these first stages to outgoing love, to brother and to God, if we do that, it says, we'll never stumble. I'm going to put it in different words. It says, if we do these things, you and I will never leave the church. In other words, you'll have eternal life. Therefore, at God's eternal life policy, it's a guarantee that you'll have eternal life. So, when people say, all you need is faith, not so true, right? No. Faith and words are not opposed. They're actually linked through godliness, through that grace of God that we want to be like God and that we want to practice that, faithfully exercising it all the way to the end, being faithful to the end. And therefore, if we do that, read verse 11. If we do that, for sale and entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That way, you will get in abundantly without any doubt in the kingdom.

For this reason, verse 12, I will not be neglectful, says Peter, or negligent, to remind you always of these things. In other words, he's saying, I'm going to be repetitive and I'm going to be repeating myself, keep doing these things. Yes, I think of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth, yes, I think it is right as long as I am in this tent, it was as long as I am in this physical body while I have life in this tent between inverted commas, this temporary dwelling that it is our life. And that reminds us the Feast of Tabernacles, we in temporary dwellings, our bodies temporary tent. Right. It's not eternal life in this body. God never promised eternal life in this body. So, but he says, I remind you as long as I am in this tent to stir you up by reminding you. Therefore, he's saying, remember. And look in verse 15, therefore, I'll be careful to ensure that your ways have a reminder of these things after I die. And indeed, he has, he's written it down here for us. Brethren, God is faithful. God doesn't lie. You read that in Romans 3, verse 3 and 4. You know, God gave the oracles to the Jews. And even if they don't keep them properly, God is faithful.

And what did God promise? What did God promise to us? What is the promise to us that we need to remember that is faithful? Turn with me, please, to Ephesians chapter 1, verse 4 and 5. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 4 and 5.

Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before he means love, having predestined us to sonship as sons by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. God has predestined that all mankind, that's what it is, us. He chose us, all mankind. He didn't choose dogs, cats, elephants, lions for that. He chose mankind, us. And yes, he's calling a few of us now. He'll call the others later in his own time. But he has predestined, he has decided this is the promise that he has for mankind for every man and woman and child. There will be sons who have a sonship, who will be sons by through Christ, sons of the Father. That is the will of God according to his good pleasure. That is the will of God. That is the promise that that will happen. And that's why he gave his son, his only begotten son for you and I. That's why. Why? To make you and I a son of God. That is the promise. And therefore we believe him, and because of his loving kindness and grace that he has for us, we learn this value of standards, the conduct, we persevere, we have self-control, and we imitate him. In other words, we are Godly. We imitate him in the outgoing love for others like he has for us. I think it's very plain. I don't think I had that understanding of what Godliness was until I really did a bit more study. And I think it's important for us to understand what Godliness is. Now look at verse 9. Having made known to us the mystery of his will. This is the mystery. The will doesn't get it. Fact. You've got the majority of people, oh, I love Jesus, or whatever it is. They don't get, they don't understand God's plan of salvation, and basically don't understand it because they don't keep God's all he dies which represent God's plan of salvation. Full stop.

That is God's great mystery. Therefore, let's go back to Peter, where we started. But we're going to read again the beginning of 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1. We're going to start in verse 2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Now look at this. As his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Now, think about the sermon that we have today. The sermon that we have today says God is a God of impossibilities. And we looked at a number in the sermon that are a number of impossible things. Let me tell you, it's impossible for you and I to be sons of God by ourselves. Impossible! There's nothing you and I can do it to achieve, to overcome, to jump that chasm. I heard a minister of God mentioning once, it's like you standing at one edge of the Grand Canyon. Have any of you stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon? I see some children lift their hands up. Glad you've done it. And now you can understand what I'm saying. Think about it. You stand at the edge and you see the other edge right there on the other end. Can you see the other edge right there on the horizon? You see that? Now you take a little bit of spice and you run and you jump! Are you going to get to the other side? Exactly. No. It's impossible, humanly impossible to get from a human being to a son of God. It is impossible for you and I. But God is a God of impossibility. He is sent as his son and he is paying for our sins. And he is giving us the tools to make it. It's like saying, he is giving us the wings and whatever it is and the engine. And you can go on the other side and you have this little propeller plane that you put on your back and you've got wings and you go, and he gets to the other side. And then you can, if you are not afraid. But you see, you need extra tools. The first is you need fresh sacrifice to forgive you because we all sin. We did. But secondly, we need some spiritual tools. And that's what it says here in verse 3. He is the divine power as given to us all things that pertain to life and Godness. God's divine power gives us all the spiritual tools to make it across the chasm. You and I can't do it by ourselves. We need God's Holy Spirit. That's what he is divine power. And this divine power gives us all things. In other words, self-control and love and kindness and gentleness and faithfulness. You know, those fruits of the Spirit, those nine elements, and many others God's Holy Spirit give us. It gives us wisdom, gives us understanding, gives us discernment, gives us many other attributes of the Spirit. And the main one you and I know is love. The main gift of God's Holy Spirit is love. It's not speaking tongues. It's love. Love for others. And there are three because he talks about 1 Corinthians chapter 12, talks about these are spiritual tools that we get our gifts of the Holy Spirit. But then he says, let me tell you something bigger in chapter 13, 1 Corinthians 13. And then he says, love. Love never fails. Love does this. Love does that. And then he says, there are three. Faith, hope and love. But the greatest is love. That is the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit. Knowledge will pass away. All the other things will pass away. But love never fails. Will endure forever. Never pass away. Now God's Holy Spirit gives us these tools.

And continuing here in verse 4, For by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises. You and I have had extremely great and precious promises. What are they? To be in the kingdom of God, to be sons of God, to start reading things like Revelation 21 and 22 about the new heaven and new earth and things that are beyond imagination that God wants to give you and I. Joy everlasting. And that's when he says, Exceedling great and precious promises. That through these, What are these? These tools, these special attributes, these special gifts of the Holy Spirit that he gives us. In other words, love, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, weakness, etc. That you may be partakers of what? The divine nature. You see, back to that example of you standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, the divine nature is on the other side. You can't cross that chasm unless you have God's help, crushed blood and God's Holy Spirit to help us cross it. Partakers of the divine nature have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust of this side of the canyon that is just corruption. Therefore, we have to be diligent. Look at it in verse 5. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence. Take 5 virtual knowledge and then we went through. Can you see? We have to go through this step. The problem is, if you don't believe, faith, if you don't believe, and then you doubt, and then you don't put it to practice, don't exercise it, don't use God's Holy Spirit to cross that chasm, then we read in Hebrew 6 those that turn back. You can't turn them back again because they just don't want to go back.

You see, God's Word is faithful. There's no doubt. And now I think we can see why Satan wants us to have a misunderstanding of what Godliness is because it's that bridge from faith to good works. It's that exercise in absolute faithfulness of moving towards being Godly. And that's why of being like God, which is Godliness, that's what it is, of genuine Godly love. Now, look at 2 Timothy 3, verse 5. 2 Timothy 3, verse 5. 2 Timothy 3, verse 5.

I know it's talking about people of the swelled in the last days, perilous times, and concluding on that section where it says people are lovers of themselves. And then look at verse 5. Having a form of Godliness, but denying its power. Can you get it now? You have this apparent artificial appearance of devoted, of Godliness, your eyes and away, you look at things. Oh, I'm so religious. Oh, Jesus, Jesus, I love you. It's an apparent form of Godliness, but they deny its power because the power comes through God's Holy Spirit, and the power is using God's Holy Spirit to actually get across that chasm, get across the Grand Canyon, to get across and use that from faith to good works, particularly when you don't feel like doing it.

I'm going to now put it in a different way. I'm going to put it in a very different way. You know what knowledge is? Now knowledge is... Yeah, you've got a lot of knowledge. Google is knowledge, but it's not wisdom. There's a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom is taking the knowledge and working it out and seeing, okay, this is wise and this is not wise.

It's part of discernment, it's part of evaluating and saying, this is fake and this is not. So there's a lot of knowledge out there. Bible says knowledge shall increase. Of course it has. Google is there. It's given it to you. Knowledge has increased. Right. But, wisdom has not. Wisdom has not. Now, you may know something. You may have knowledge. You may have wisdom. You may say, this is the right thing to do. But did you do it? That's different. You see, there's knowledge, there's wisdom, which in a sense it's higher. There's knowledge, and there's wisdom. And then, it's doing what is right. When you don't feel like doing what is right.

When you don't want to do it, I'm tired today. I don't feel like doing it. Or, you can say, well, I did it yesterday. I'll just do it tomorrow. I won't do it today. When there's a need today. Do you know what that is? Character. Character. You've got knowledge, you've got wisdom, and then you've got character.

Character is doing what you know is right and doing it. And what you and I call that? Godly, righteous character. That's what God wants us. Isn't that kind of like godliness? Godly, righteous character? In the direction of love towards others.

Brethren, there is a very powerful scripture in 1 John 3 verse 22. 1 John 3 verse 22. Because we just read earlier on that if we have Godliness, we're doing something that is pleasing to God. Now look at 1 John 3 verse 22. Now whatever we ask, we receive from God because we keep His commandments. Now many people believe in God but don't keep His commandments. So they're kind of handicapped. Unless God is merciful and still gives it to them. But you know, does not have a full stop after that. You see, whatever we ask God, we receive from Him because we keep His commandments full stop.

No. Continues. It says, and we do those things that are pleasing in His sight. There's great power in that. So when we read in 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 5, they have a form of Godliness. They deny the power. One of the things they deny in the power is doing the things that are pleasing to God. And therefore, we saw that Godliness is one of those. And so they deny that power. Yes, they deny the power of God.

So they spread it, but they also deny doing what they know they should be doing. And so if we go back to Timothy, there's another application of Godliness, which I just briefly want to touch in 1 Timothy chapter 6. 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 3. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with Godliness, the doctrine that is according to, that is in parallel to, which is, accords, which is, it's in line with verse principle of Godliness.

But he says, if people don't consent to that, he says in verse 4, That person is proud, knowing nothing. Oh, can we talk about humility? Interesting, isn't it? That person is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over. It's like it hits you between the eyes, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, uses rings of man, of corrupt minds, and destitute of truth, who suppose that Godliness is a means of gain. Godliness, in the way they interpret, like devotion, just, well, I'm the pastor, and I'm starting a church, and I get a lot of money with that, and whatever it is.

It's a means of gain, and if it's not just money, it might be power. Oh, I'm power, because I'm the pastor, and everybody's going to listen to me. From such, withdraw yourself. Verse 6, now Godliness with content is great gain. That Godly, righteous character, doing the right thing, faithfully doing the right thing, in the direction of love, which is pleasing to God, with us just being happy, even though maybe we have to go through days that are not right.

That are not so nice in the meantime, but being content. That is real gain. Genuine, internal happiness. So, reverend. So, disputing about words, you can read also in 2 Timothy 2, verse 14. He says, but be diligent to be approved of God. That's 15. 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 15. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God. A work who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, but shined, profined, and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Like cancer.

Brethren, let me look at one final scripture, which is in 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 16. 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 16. And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. Great is the mystery of godliness. But what is this mystery? Well, it tells us what it is. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed in the world, received up in glory. Christ was manifest in the flesh. He came in the flesh. He was justified. God's Spirit, He was justified. He did nothing wrong. Angels saw it, and they couldn't believe it, that He did it. Christ is being preached to the world, to Gentiles as well. The world believes Him, and He was received up in glory. The mystery of godliness is demonstrated by the example of Jesus Christ of humility. As you know, in Philippians 2, verse 5, have this mind as it was in Christ, and then it gives that how He humbled Himself and came and He emptied Himself, is demonstrated by His humility based in love towards us, His faithfulness to do the commitment that He had to do to come as a human being and dying for us, having cost His life in sacrifice so that you and I can cross the chasm, that grand spiritual Grand Canyon, to have the divine nature of God. And that's what you and I have to have, that godliness, to be like God, that holy, righteous character, and be faithful till the end. So piety or godliness, based in love, is a constant faithfulness to our duties as a Christian to act like God does in grace. It is that exercise of those duties in meekness and love. It's part of our development of character, holy, godly, righteous character. And the final direction is brotherly love and godly love. In reality, brethren, I think it is important for us to practice godliness and to really understand what godliness is all about. Thank you.