How can I live a godly life?
What does it mean to live a godly life?
Why must we live a godly life?
This article looks at the Holy Spirit’s contribution to how to live a life according to what God wants.
Table of Contents:
1. How many are interested in living a godly life?
In 1991 R. Kent Hughes included some statistics in the book he had written.
The answers are staggering and really show how little interest there is in having a godly life in America: (I have changed the written numbers to numerals because it is easier to see them).
Only 13% of Americans see all Ten Commandments as binding on us today.
‘Disciplines of a Godly Man’ by R. Kent Hughes. 1
91% lie regularly at home and at work.
In answer to the question, ‘Whom have you regularly lied to?’ the statistics included 86% to parents and 75% to friends.
33% of AIDS carriers admit to not having told their lovers.
Most workers admit to goofing off for an average of 7 hours -almost 1 whole day a week,
and 50% admit that they regularly call in sick when they are perfectly well.
The survey also posed the question:
‘What are you willing to do for $10,000,000?’
25% would abandon their families,
23% would become a prostitute for a week, and
7% would kill a stranger.
Think of it! In a gathering of 100 Americans, there are seven who would consider killing you if the price was right.
In 1,000 there are 70″
In England and Wales, almost 2% of the men’s population was arrested in the year 21/22 and just over 0.3% of women were arrested. 2
But that number does not include all the crimes that avoided arrest, let alone all the unrecorded disputes, lies, deceit, hatred, theft, rape, abuse, slander, etc.
Remember what Jesus said:
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
Matthew 15:18-20 ESV
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
These are what defile a person.”
And King David wrote about the condition of our unredeemed hearts:
The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’
Psalm 14:1-3 ESV
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
At the point, the Lord decided to destroy mankind with a flood, he was observing these things:
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 6:5-8 ESV
And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
To live a godly life is not a natural thing to do.
Our minds, hearts, desires and appetites are deeply rooted in Adam and Eve’s rejection of God’s rule and therefore, our natural self is wired to rebel against God.
2. We just don’t see our sins, or we are too weak to change.
We tend to be very lenient with ourselves, making excuses as to why we did what we did.
Then, by being very strict on other’s mistakes we come out looking rather better than average!
In an experiment on how many people tell lies, the 632 participants, over 91 consecutive days told a total of 116,366 lies!
About 75% of the people did not lie much, from about zero to two lies per day and many of these were ‘little white lies’.
Obviously, the daily totals per person could differ greatly depending on their situations, although the people with the lowest levels of lying remained fairly consistent. 3
Those doing the research saw the people who lied between zero and two times a day as being very minor liars and acceptable within our modern culture.
The ‘white lies’ were saying you like a gift when you really don’t, etc.
If you are the sort of person who does not tell lies, you need to say thank you for the gift, but not to lie about liking it.
Unfortunately in the experiment, we are not told how many did not lie at all.
We have to be straight with ourselves and remember that liars will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8) along with the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers and the idolaters.
Does this verse surprise you?
Also, we have a problem in that we naturally rebel against God and however much we want to please God, we are too weak to succeed in this godly desire:
When Jesus and the disciples were in Gethsemane Jesus said to Peter,
“So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the FLESH IS WEAK.” 4
Moses’ Old Covenant of trying to follow God’s Laws just did not work because most people tried to obey the laws in their own strength.
This was not God’s plan:
“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight” (Romans 3:20 ESV))
In other words, no one will ever be able to say that they have never disobeyed God’s laws – we can never be justified in His sight by fully obeying the Law.
The Law was brought in “so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” 5
For God the Judge to be just, He needs laws where He can point out all the places where each person has disobeyed them.
The Law is established so that we can see what is right and what is wrong, “since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” 6
3. God expects us to live a godly life.
Do we realise that it’s God’s will for us to live a Godly life?
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…”
1 Thessalonians 4:3 NIV
Or as the Open English Bible puts it: “For this is God’s purpose — that you should be pure…”
The French book: ‘The Introduction to the Devout Life’ (French: Introduction à la vie dévote) written by Saint Francis de Sales was first published in 1609 enjoyed wide popularity and was well received in both Protestant and Catholic circles. 7
He wrote:
My purpose is to instruct those who live in town, within families, or at court, and are obliged to live an ordinary life as to outward appearances…
‘Introduction to the Devout Life’ by Saint Francis de Sales 8
It is an error, or rather a heresy, to wish to banish the devout life from the regiment of soldiers, the mechanic’s shop, the court of princes, or the home of married people…
Wherever we may be, we can and should aspire to the perfect life.”
The apostle Paul writing to Titus reminded him that God wants us to live godly lives:
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
Titus 2:11-14 ESV
4. The filling of the Spirit and living a godly life are two separate things
The older, more technical term for living a godly life is sanctification.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit does help to promote a godly life, but it is not ‘sanctification’ itself.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled* with the Holy Spirit.”
Ephesians 5:18 NLT
The word ‘filled’* is continuous tense, so it means: ‘keep being filled’.
Others can see when someone is filled with the Holy Spirit, not because they are prophesying and speaking in tongues to everyone they meet, but if they are truly filled they should have a depth, a reality in their lives and a power.
The church at Corinth was overflowing with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but as Paul points out in his letter known as 1 Corinthians, this was not a church that overflowed with holy and pure lives!
Paul described them as worldly because there were disputes, believers were taking other believers to court, and there was jealousy and quarrelling.
Some had become arrogant, and sexual immorality was going on, whilst others were getting drunk and stuffing themselves with food during the Lord’s Supper!
This example shows that the baptism of the Spirit and sanctification are two separate things.
How do we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?
Problems and issues can come into our meetings when the gifts of the Holy Spirit are allowed if the people are not taught correctly and their lives are not godly.
5. Living a godly life requires fillings of the Spirit and obedience
We have just seen that being filled with the Holy Spirit and manifesting spiritual gifts (in 1 Corinthians) does not necessarily give us a godly life.
But we read that Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” 9
So, we do need the Holy Spirit in us and our only hope is to live with the power of the Holy Spirit:
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
Romans 8:5-9 ESV
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
D. M. Lloyd-Jones said that sanctification is a present tense filling of the Holy Spirit AND obedience to the Lord.
The disciples, soon after Jesus’ resurrection, wanted some more leaders so they said:
Brothers choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit AND wisdom.”
Acts 6:3 NIV
To be full of the Holy Spirit is not enough to live a godly life. Here is another example of this:
He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit AND faith”
Acts 11:24 NIV
This obedience to what the Lord has put into the Bible will show itself through us as having wisdom and faith.
It is our responsibility to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be obedient to God’s Word so that we can live a godly life.
6. How the word sanctification is used in the New Testament
For reference, the word ‘sanctification’ is:
- not used in the New International Version of the Bible – the translators preferred to use the word ‘holiness’.
- ‘sanctified’ is used 9 times in the New International Version.
- in the King James version ‘sanctification’ is used 7 times.
We will look at some of the verses from the King James Version now:
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV
The more modern translation puts it this way:
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, HOLINESS and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 NIV
Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’ “
Here we see the amazing truth that Jesus himself is our sanctification, our holiness.
Living a godly life is all to do with Jesus.
It is like Jesus has become our perfection, a robe of pureness that we can put on and then stand before God without guilt.
This next verse tells us that the Lord wants us to live in sanctification, in holiness – to live a godly life:
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication…”
1 Thessalonians 4:3 KJV
The more modern translation says:
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.
1Thessalonians 4:3-7 NIV
The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.“
The reason Paul is highlighting sexual immorality is that this sin affects many areas:
- The sin is against our own body.
- If it involves adultery, the other partner, gets hurt.
- The other people involved in the sexual act get drawn into the sin.
- Lastly and more importantly, it drags Jesus into it as well.
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”
1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV
Sexual immorality involves another person or more people, and the apostle Paul tells us what is wrong with that:
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
1 Corinthians 6:15-17 ESV
Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!
Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes ONE BODY WITH HER?
For, as it is written ‘The two will become one flesh.’
But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.”
Therefore the beauty of Jesus is dragged down into the gutter.
7. Sanctification (living a godly life) involves several factors.
We continue to look at where the King James Version uses the word ‘sanctification’:
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV
The ESV translates the above verse as “to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
So, that means we gain a godly life by the power of the Holy Spirit and by believing and understanding the Bible – the Truth.
The apostle Peter writing to Christians, scattered throughout what is now modern Turkey, wrote a similar thing about living a godly life:
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
1 Peter 1:2 KJV
Living a godly life (to be sanctified) requires the Holy Spirit, faith and obedience to biblical teaching.
More detailed articles covering the Holy Spirit:
[6] How does ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ differ from the ‘filling’?
[7] Looking for and needing revival – the Holy Spirit’s work.
[4] How does the Holy Spirit help us to know that we are saved?
References and credits – open in new tabs:
‘Disciplines of a Godly Man’ by R. Kent Hughes, Wheaton. Illinois: Crossway, 1991, 119. ↩
Figures from the Home Office, England and Wales, 24 October 2023 ↩
‘How often do people lie?’ By Tony Docan-Morgan, University of Wisconsin, 17 November 2021. ↩
Matthew 26:40-41 ESV ↩
Romans 3:19 ESV ↩
Romans 3:20 ESV ↩
John 6:63 ESV ↩