Paul told Timothy:

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

According to Paul, the secret of godly living is the life of Jesus Christ. In other words, all that is necessary to become godly has already been done for us by Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection. When we receive his gift of salvation we are sufficiently equipped for godly living. Paul told Timothy, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance” (1 Timothy 4:8-9).

The Greek word Paul used that is translated godliness is eusebeia (yoo-seb’-i-ah). “The root of this word — seb — signifies sacred awe and describes reverence exhibited especially in actions; reverence or awe well directed” (G2152). Another way of describing godly behavior might be a do-gooder, someone that does good things for others because they love God. You could also say a godly person is someone that acts like Christ, someone that follows the example Jesus gave us while he was living on earth.

Paul told Timothy that godliness is profitable unto all things (1 Timothy 4:8). What Paul meant was that you will gain a spiritual advantage if you live your life according to what the Bible says you are to do and not do. Paul said in his second letter to Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Paul’s comprehensive list showed that there was nothing missing in God’s word. All that we need to know about godly living can be found in the Bible.