Godliness is God manifested in our flesh. First Timothy 2:2 says that we need to lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness. The kind of pictures we hang in our bedroom may indicate whether or not we care for godliness in our private life. The pictures we choose may manifest God to others, or they may manifest something else. We can apply the same principle to hundreds of things in our daily life. For instance, going to a movie does not manifest God to others; rather, it produces questions in others about our character. Likewise, going to a bar, even if it is to preach the gospel, will not give others an impression of godliness; rather, it will cause us to lose our testimony. This is not merely an outward matter. If we kneel down to pray in our bedroom while a certain kind of picture is hanging on the wall, we may immediately have a sense to rise up and throw it away. There is no need for anyone to tell us to take it down. Because the Triune God has been dispensed into us in His economy, we may have a sense from within that He is not happy as long as that picture is hanging on our wall. This is godliness, not a doctrine. Likewise, if we go to a bar, the next morning we will have difficulty praying because the Triune God who has been dispensed into us does not agree with our going to a bar. This is not an outward regulation but an inward reality. As children of God, regardless of our age or status, we all have the reality of the Triune God within us. This is godliness.
If a brother tries to speak the word of God while wearing a showy tie, he may lose the anointing of the Spirit within, and the saints who are listening to him may be distracted by the tie. Wearing such a tie, therefore, cannot be godliness, God manifested in the flesh. These are not insignificant matters. My burden is not to give regulations concerning the kind of ties we should wear or concerning anything else. Rather, we need to see that whatever we do, whatever we are, and whatever we wear should give others an impression of godliness.
Another practical area in which we should lead a life in all godliness is our conversations. The words out of our mouth should give others the impression of God being manifested in the flesh. We should not allow loose talk and gossip to come into the church life. We must exercise our spirit to reject such talk, which does not bear any impression of God being manifested in our flesh.
Even in the small things, we need to lead a life in all godliness. When deciding whether or not to buy a certain pair of shoes, we should not consider the style first. Rather, we need to consider whether God could be manifested in this pair of shoes. This is my practice. If we choose the hairstyle of a movie star, when others see us, they will be impressed with the movie star, not with God. Our hairstyle should give others the impression of godliness. If we choose a worldly hairstyle, we will not have any impact on the barber if we try to preach the gospel to him. If a barber proposes a new worldly hairstyle to a young brother, but the young brother asks instead for a common hairstyle, the barber may ask why he has made this choice. Thus, the brother’s testimony opens up a way for him to say a few words concerning the Lord Jesus and gives impact to what he says. The barber may initially argue with him, but something will impress the barber within. Perhaps he will wake up that night and consider the testimony of the young brother. The Holy Spirit will then speak to him. This is the proper way to preach the gospel. We do not merely preach the gospel; we live it. As branches of Christ, we live the vine and grow the vine. We preach the gospel by our daily living. This is godliness.
We need to lead a life in all godliness, not only in certain things, such as coming to the meetings, singing, praising, and testifying, but everywhere and in everything. A famous Christian minister in the late 1800s once purchased and moved into a new house. Once he had arranged everything and decorated the house, he invited his father to come to see his new house. After his father had looked in every room, he said that everything was nice but that he did not see anything indicating that the house’s owner was a child of God. What we display in our home should strongly impress others with godliness. Godliness is not merely an outward matter. The word manifested in 1 Timothy 3:16 indicates that godliness is an inward life with an outward expression. In order for God to be manifested in the flesh, godliness needs to be expressed in our whole living. Whatever we say, express, do, and wear should give an impression of God being manifested in us. If we practice to lead a life in all godliness, we will not go to certain places or attend certain events. Godliness would not allow us to touch unclean things; rather, godliness will separate us from all ungodly things.