[He is] imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. - 1 Tim 6:5-7
When previously I heard and read that verse, I never understood it. When I considered the meaning, I would try to figure out what godliness gains. Godliness gains much! For example, living a godly life brings joy in knowing we are pleasing the One we were made to please. However, thinking just on that question misses the context of the passage.
An End, not a Means
Looking before verse 6, we see Paul describing false teachers. These teachers use half-truths based on the gospel to sway the church members into following. This gains the teachers money, popularity, and power. They avoid the offensive teachings of the gospel and overexaggerate what people want to hear.
If your gospel says, "Follow Jesus, and you will have everything the world wants but keeps failing to get: money, power, success, health", take some time to consider your gospel; it's not the gospel Jesus brought. The world is broken. Jesus did not come so that we could look like what the world glorifies. But we become the weak to shame the strong, the foolish to shame the wise, and those who are not to bring to nothing those that are (1 Cor 1:26-30).
Paul here is saying that godliness is not a means to an end. These false teachers are "leading" people to their own version of godliness, and this version glorifies the creation rather than the Creator. The godliness that the people pursue is just a means to get some gain.
Paul corrects that thought. Godliness is not a means of gain; godliness, with contentment, is great gain! We should not be pursuing godliness so we can find our own personal gain, we should be pursuing godliness as the gain.
Therefore trying to determine what gain godliness brings is completely missing the point. Godliness is the great gain.
A Mindset Change
Godliness, put simply, is the way our life pleases God. Paul says "This is my aim, whether at home or away, to be pleasing to Him" (2 Cor 5:10). We are made a new creation by faith in Jesus, and those who follow Him are loved and are made righteous, no longer to receive eternal wrath for disobedience. The love of God is unconditional and forever. But a parent can have unconditional love for a child and still at times receive great joy from the child and at others receive great grief. Godliness is a lifestyle that brings our Father great joy.
So how does living with the mindset of godliness being the end, being the great gain, affect my life? It simplifies it! We can look at everything as a means to the end of godliness. If godliness is truly our end, our great gain, we simply ask a question over every aspect of our life: "Will this lead to godliness?"
Does my job lead to godliness? How can I use this money to gain godliness? I love my wife; how can I encourage her to gain godliness? My friend and I are going to hang out; what can I do or discuss in order to help us both gain godliness? There is a stranger over there; can I do anything for him so that he can gain godliness?
When seeing godliness as great gain, our time with Jesus becomes precious. Time spent worshipping our Savior - reading and meditating on His Words, praying to Him, singing praise, etc - transforms us by the renewing of our mind to know the will of God: that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:1-2). That is godliness! We go to Jesus, the only one who can satisfy our souls, to get godliness, the only end that is truly gain.
Conclusion
I hope you see the beauty in pursuing godliness as an end rather than a means. Pursue with me and encourage others to pursue also.
Also, I would like to thank Sean Fuentes for a great Bible study that started this thought process and Clinton Fields for a helpful insights on it later.
I'd love to hear how you pursue godliness along with any other comments! Comment below, Facebook, or Twitter (@RTankersley).
See you next time!