Growing - godliness

2 Peter 1:6, “…and in your perseverance, godliness,”

Here Peter tells us that if we have increasing faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, and perseverance that we will be godly. All are prerequisites for what Strong’s concordance says is reverence, respect, piety towards God. But please note this is not an act of piety, or pretending to be pious. This is learned respect from interaction with the Father.

Think on perseverance again for a moment. Self-control is a big supplier of the perseverance, but so is surrender or dying to oneself. To truly persevere as Christ persevered we have to have confronted and destroyed false doctrines. We have to have come to the place where we have a deep understanding of our own weakness, and in this understanding developed a reliance on God.

One of the best depictions in the bible of a man coming to godliness following perseverance is Job in Job 42:5-6. Job lost everything. His friends had advice. He had doctrines he relied on. He had piety that he relied on, but in verse 5 & 6 is the moment Job stops relying on everything but God. He said, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eyes sees You; Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Perseverance is the place of opportunity to see God with our spiritual eyes, and perhaps even in person. It is this place of seeing God in His full glory, and where we are humbly in respect of Him. This respect for God at or near the end of perseverance's increase is the beginnings of what will be a growing godliness.

Imagine a multileveled department store. Back in the day the elevators had an attendant. They would announce what the floor contained as you arrived at it.

“Second floor… men’s wear.”

“Third floor… lingerie.”

Fifth floor… welcome to godliness. Here we have new vision and the kingdom of God.

Godliness is where I believe kingdom eyes are opened. We have learned at this point that it is not about our anxiety, our troubles, our complications or difficulties. No, godliness is an act of the heart and character of the soul that truly acknowledges and understands that EVERYTHING is His and about Him. Godliness is Christ having the rightful place in our heart. It means that I am seeking to be Christ-like.

T Austin-Sparks wrote, “His righteousness, His character, His likeness, what He is in Himself: make it your business to bring that in first.” Allow godliness to grow in the character of your soul and then you will “find the Lord right there in all His sovereign rule on your behalf.”

All godliness to grow and watch the brotherly kindness it supports.