The exegesis of Godliness found that:
Godliness is:
The Fear of God
Awe in the presence of God
Submission/surrender to His authority
Active recognition of Christ's Lordship
The Love of God
Love for the character of God
A Lived Response
A lived/active/practical response to God's grace
In the 2nd Peter Theory, the term εὐσεβείᾳ/Eusebeίa/Godliness, is used in context following ὑπομονῇ/Hupomonē/Endurance. Endurance taught us that, for many bad habits, we don't want to stop them. The only way we can gain mastery over them is to find another person whose opinion is so important to us that we are willing to do what we don't want to do in order to please that very important person. This entails Enduring suffering. We also saw that we suffer because some problems are imposed upon us by others. We need an important someone to suffer for in order to Endure them as well.
We found at the previous level of Endurance, that, in the midst of our suffering, God will comfort us. This Comfort makes us feel better and draws us closer to Him. This Comfort encourages us and gives us Hope that we can Endure the suffering 'successfully'. Enduring suffering in this way deepens our relationship with God.
As we live thru the trials of Endurance, we come to the issues of Godliness. We find ourselves drawn to God, but we also become aware that God is Much, Much more than we are. As we become aware of the 'real' God in our lives, the Fear of God is born. Because of our sin, our Fear of His holiness distances us from Him. Yet, this distance is bridged by His loving grace. This Fear of God, while important, stands opposed by our budding Love of God.
The tension produced by these opposed forces makes us confront the realities of Who He is and our relationship with Him. We come to acknowledge His power and perfection, and appreciate Him strongly at the same time. Standing in the tension of this relationship, we become aware that He is greater than we are and that He deserves our complete obeisance. We come to recognize Christ for who He is, our Lord. This is Godliness.
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