The bible has some great advice when it comes to creating a Godly character. When one is raised with the morals from the Bible, they can develop into their own so well. It is never too late to learn about our religion, and work on improving ourselves.
Put simply, godliness is living a fruitful, obedient Christian life. It is one of seven qualities we are instructed to add to our faith after we become Christians. There are sixteen references to godliness in Scripture. All of them are in the New Testament, and most of them occur in 1 Timothy and 2 Peter. Let’s examine what it is, what it’s not, its prerequisites, its barriers, and its potential influence in our lives. Then we’ll consider how to grow in godliness through personal application.
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Bible Verses About Being A Man Of Integrity
Characteristic #1: Godliness is the proof of our faith.
Godliness is being faithful to our calling by doing the good works for which we were saved. First Corinthians 4:2 says, “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” Our good works demonstrate our salvation, and they help our faith continue to grow.
The initial act of faith and the proof of faith are different, but related. The book of James explains this relationship through the example of Abraham:
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. (James 2:21-24)
Abraham was justified by faith alone, but his faith did not remain alone. True faith is always accompanied by works. When he placed his son on the altar, Abraham demonstrated absolute faith in God. His obedience did not make him righteous, but it proved his righteousness. Godly works are the evidence of genuine faith.
In the Bible, God is portrayed as the ultimate source of everything good. The concept of Godly man may be defined as “a man that fully exudes the character qualities and attributes of God”. The following Bible verses about godly man will help you know more about God’s nature, what makes a godly man and how you should pray like a godly man.
1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV / 79 helpful votes
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
1 Timothy 3:2 ESV / 61 helpful votes
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
Micah 6:8 ESV / 57 helpful votes
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Hebrews 4:12 ESV / 45 helpful votes
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
1 Timothy 6:11 ESV / 37 helpful votes
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
Philippians 4:13 ESV / 37 helpful votes
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
1 Peter 3:7 ESV / 35 helpful votes
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Genesis 2:18 ESV / 33 helpful votes
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
1 Peter 3:15 ESV / 32 helpful votes
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
2 Timothy 3:16 ESV / 29 helpful votes
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Isaiah 41:10 ESV / 29 helpful votes
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 119:105 ESV / 29 helpful votes
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
John 3:16 ESV / 28 helpful votes
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Genesis 2:24 ESV / 28 helpful votes
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Romans 12:1 ESV / 27 helpful votes
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV / 27 helpful votes
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Genesis 1:27 ESV / 27 helpful votes
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Colossians 3:19 ESV / 26 helpful votes
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
Matthew 19:5 ESV / 26 helpful votes
And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
John 1:1 ESV / 24 helpful votes
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / 24 helpful votes
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Joshua 24:15 ESV / 24 helpful votes
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
1 John 2:27 ESV / 23 helpful votes
But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
1 John 1:9 ESV / 23 helpful votes
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Characteristic #2: Godliness is the example of our faith.
By following Christ’s example, we make Him known to a lost and dying world. Jesus prayed these words to His Father: “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me” (John 17:22-23, NLT). Christians who follow Christ’s example share His values.
Our commitment to godliness becomes evident in our words, our lifestyle, our relationships, our attitude, our faith, and our purity (1 Timothy 4:12). When we study Scripture, we are prepared to encourage other believers. Godliness—thinking rightly and acting rightly—is a powerful witness to those around us.
Characteristic #3: Godliness is the action of our faith.
Unless we make a choice to pursue godliness, we drift away from it like a sailing vessel that has been loosed from its moorings (Hebrews 2:1). Even mature Christians battle the temptation to drift. Our natural desires and the Holy Spirit’s desires are contrary to each other, so we are instructed to follow the Spirit’s leading each day. Diligently following the Holy Spirit’s guidance is the only way to overcome sinful desires (Galatians 5:16-17).
Have you ever heard the quip, “You have to walk the walk and talk the talk”? It’s an apt representation of the Bible’s admonition to “walk in the Spirit.” Walk is a present-tense verb that indicates a way of life. It requires a daily habit of continual obedience. Here are eight specific instructions for walking our walk:
- Walk in good works—Ephesians 2:10
- Walk properly—Romans 13:13
- Walk by faith—2 Corinthians 5:7
- Walk in love—Ephesians 5:2
- Walk as children of the light—Ephesians 5:8
- Walk worthy of the Lord—Colossians 1:10
- Walk worthy of our calling—Ephesians 4:1
- Walk as Jesus walked—1 John 2:6
Bible Verses Describing A Godly Man
One of Satan’s most powerful tactics is planting weeds in the Church—not literal weeds, but false teachers who dilute the Word of God. This is the essence of Jesus’ parable about the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:24-30. The original word Jesus used to describe these weeds wasn’t as broad as our English word. The Greek word referred to a variety of worthless ryegrass that resembles wheat so closely it cannot be distinguished from true wheat until harvesttime. Through this parable, Jesus was warning His followers that false teachers can be hard to identify. In 2 Timothy 3:5, the apostle Paul described people “having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
If these false teachers are so hard to recognize, how can we avoid them? Paul offers these instructions:
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, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. (1 Timothy 6:3-5)
False teachers deviate from God’s truth in some way. Drawing from the wheat parable, we are able to evaluate the fruit of a person’s life. Is it yielding love, joy, peace, and other fruit of the Spirit? If not, if his life is producing streams of arguments, corruption, greed, and other troubles, the Bible says we should have nothing to do with him.
God’s Word provides detailed explanations of heavenly wisdom, which leads to godliness, and earthly or demonic wisdom, which leads to corruption. The following chart compares their fruit.
| The Way of Godliness—Heavenly Wisdom | The Way of Corruption—Earthly Wisdom |
| Teaches Christ’s death and Resurrection (2 Timothy 2:8) | Speaks profane and idle babblings that spread like cancer (2 Timothy 2:17-18) |
| Pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:17) | Bitter envy, self-seeking, boastful, deceitful (James 3:14) |
| Submits to God, draws near to Him (James 4:7-8) | Unrighteous, sexually immoral, wicked, covetous, malicious; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness. Whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful (Romans 1:29-31) |
| Not quarrelsome, gentle, able to teach, patient (2 Timothy 2:24) | Lovers of self and money, boasters, prideful, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:2-5) |
| Corrects unbelievers humbly (2 Timothy 2:25-26) | Always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth; corrupt (2 Timothy 3:7-8) |
| Follows sound doctrine and godly examples with purpose; lives with faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecution, affliction (2 Timothy 3:10-11) | Deceivers who are deceived (2 Timothy 3:13) |
| Thoroughly equipped for good works through knowledge of the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17) | Secretly brings in destructive heresies, blasphemes the truth, exploits others with deceptive words; walks according to the flesh, despises authority, presumptuous, self-willed, not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries; entices unstable souls; lewd, slaves of corruption (2 Peter 2) |
| Produces the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) | Produces works of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful desires, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties (Galatians 5:19-21, NLT) |
Some characteristics of earthly wisdom are obvious—things like sexual immorality, sorcery, and murder. But other characteristics like gossiping, being headstrong, and holding grudges, are subtle. Walking in godliness requires that we guard against worldly wisdom in our own lives and in our churches. Second Timothy 3:6 commands us to withdraw from every professing Christian who strays from sound doctrine.
Bible Verses About Finding A Godly Man
Prerequisite #1: We cannot live godly lives without receiving salvation through faith in the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
By our standards, non-Christians do good deeds. However, it’s impossible to meet God’s standard of righteousness without professing faith in Christ. “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6, NLT). Trusting in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ is the only way to wash our filthy rags clean. After we do that, godliness is one of the seven qualities we can add to our faith that will make us fruitful and effective as Christians (2 Peter 1:6-7).
Prerequisite #2: We cannot live godly lives without God’s grace.
In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul explained, “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (2:11). Grace is the vehicle of salvation, and it imparts godliness to us. Godliness teaches us that “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (verses 12-13, emphasis added).
Prerequisite #3: We cannot live godly lives without the Holy Spirit.
When we trust in Christ, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13), which enables us to walk according to God’s will rather than our own (Galatians 5:16). Willpower cannot prevail against temptation. Finding our identity in Christ is the only way to “crucify the flesh,” and living in the Spirit is the only way to reap the fruit of godliness (Galatians 5:22-24).
Barriers to Godliness
Barrier #1: Our humanity keeps us from godliness.
According to Galatians 5:17, “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” What is the flesh? The flesh is everything you are … minus God. It is everything you were before Christ became your Savior—everything that distracts you from thoughts of heaven and Christ’s return (Philippians 3:19-20).
Barrier #2: Our culture keeps us from godliness.
The Christian life isn’t compatible with the world in which we live. The world strives for glory, but our model is servanthood. The world puffs up with pride, but our response is humility. Intolerance and hatred fuel the world’s conflicts while patience and love govern our relationships. The better we understand this contrast, the closer we will walk with the Lord. We must not be “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind, that [we] may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).
Barrier #3: Our enemy keeps us from godliness.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Satan and his demons rule this present world, and they rule our hearts until we uproot them by placing our faith in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of our lives. Satan’s army will stop at nothing to deceive us (Revelation 12:9), murder us (John 8:44), tempt us (Matthew 4:3), lie to us (John 8:44), and accuse us (Revelation 12:10). If we’re not being attacked, we must be doing something wrong because we’re not a threat to the enemy’s plans.
What Does The Bible Say About A Godly Man
Growing in godliness has the power to influence every area of our lives by shaping our souls into conformity with God’s good and perfect will. We can expect spiritual growth to affect our relationships with authority, with our peers, and with money.
Influence #1: Godliness influences our relationships with authority.
The Bible instructs us to pray for all men and, specifically, for “all who are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:2).
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1-2)
Earthly rulers derive their authority from Almighty God. If we don’t like the way they rule, that is more reason to pray for them! We should pray for their wise and peaceable rule, also for their salvation.
Influence #2: Godliness influences our relationships with others.
When we employ heavenly wisdom and exemplify its characteristics, we grow in unity with other believers. We serve. We give. We love. We choose humility—avoiding anything that detracts from worship (1 Timothy 2:10)—keeping God at the center of our worship and praise.
Some relationships may be broken by our devotion … and that’s okay. Insincere believers mislead immature believers, taking advantage of their weak morals and ignorance. The Bible tells us to turn away from these impostors (2 Timothy 3:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:13-15). Believers must guard against any teaching that glorifies self and denies Almighty God. It’s less damaging to break off a relationship with one or two false teachers than to allow their teaching to flourish.
1 Peter 4:8 ESV / 23 helpful votes
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Hebrews 1:3 ESV / 23 helpful votes
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV / 23 helpful votes
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Matthew 6:33 ESV / 23 helpful votes
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Hebrews 13:4 ESV / 22 helpful votes
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV / 22 helpful votes
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Matthew 6:14-15 ESV / 22 helpful votes
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV / 22 helpful votes
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV / 22 helpful votes
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESV / 21 helpful votes
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV / 21 helpful votes
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
1 Timothy 4:12 ESV / 20 helpful votes
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV / 20 helpful votes
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Matthew 5:28 ESV / 20 helpful votes
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Proverbs 31:10 ESV / 20 helpful votes
An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 ESV / 19 helpful votes
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
John 16:13 ESV / 19 helpful votes
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Matthew 6:9-13 ESV / 19 helpful votes
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Psalm 23:1-6 ESV / 19 helpful votes
A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. …
Galatians 1:10 ESV / 18 helpful votes
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV / 18 helpful votes
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
Proverbs 27:17 ESV / 18 helpful votes
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 18:22 ESV / 18 helpful votes
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.
Proverbs 1:1-33 ESV / 18 helpful votes
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, …