Today in this article, you will discover 13 important characteristics of a godly person that will help you know if someone is godly or not.
If you claim to be a godly man or godly woman, there are certain traits you are going to exhibit that will set you apart from the ungodly.
And these 13 traits of a godly person will also help you live a life of godliness and righteousness that’s above sin which pleases and glorifies the Lord.
13 Major Characteristics Of A Godly Person.
Here are the 13 major characteristics of a godly person that you can implement in your life to help you live a godly life.
- Humility.
- Godliness.
- Has Agape Love.
- Active Prayer Life.
- Lives A Life Of Righteousness.
- Lives A Life Of Purity.
- Delights In The Lord.
- Morally Upright.
- Faithfulness.
- Fervent Love For God.
- Godly Contentment.
- Heavenly Minded.
- Doesn’t Walk In Ungodly Counsel.
1. Humility.
The humility of heart is one of the most important characteristics of a godly person which also happens to be one of the major 9 fruits of the Spirit all truly born-again Christians must have.
No wonder the bible in James 4:6 says that God gives grace to the humble but resists those who are proud or try to lift themselves for no reason.
If you are a godly person, you will exhibit a Christ-like humility that will be evident for all to see which will set you apart from those who are not godly.
Endeavor to live a godly life of humility in your everyday Christian life and let the Lord lift you in due time but if you are not humble, you will soon fall as Proverbs 16:18 predicts.
2. Godliness.
When you say you are living a life of godliness, you are simply implying that you are practicing a lifestyle or righteousness that conforms to God and His commandments.
So, if you claim to be a godly man or godly woman, you will live a life that conforms to our Lord Jesus Christ who has called us to holiness and not uncleanness (1 Thessalonians 4:7).
If you claim to be godly, then your life must reflect the godly character of Christ instead of just having a form of godliness that 2 Timothy 3:5 talks about.
And this will only be possible if you are genuinely saved with a new life in Christ Jesus but if you are not truly saved yet, this life of godliness will be nowhere to be seen in your life even if you go to church every Sunday.
Must Read: How To Live A Godly Life (In 7 Simple Steps)
3. Has Agape Love.
By definition, agape love is simply the pure selfless love that comes from God and it’s only with this divine love will you be able to truly love others selflessly the way Christ first loved you.
Agape love is also one of the most important 9 fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22,23 that every truly born-again Christian must have. If it’s missing, then definitely you are not saved yet.
Naturally, we are all selfish as humans which is why we are incapable of truly loving others selflessly the way God expects us to. We only love others if they are benefitting us which isn’t love at all.
But if you are a godly person who has been genuinely saved with Christ in your life, this selfless agape love imputed by Christ will be evident in your life, especially in relationships you find yourself in. But if you are not saved yet, this special love will be absent in your life.
Must Read: 54 Agape Love Quotes (To Help You Understand What True Love Is)
4. Active Prayer Life.
A godly person has an active prayer life. You can’t effectively live a life of godliness and righteousness if you don’t have a strong prayer life.
Prayer is very crucial in the life of every believer as prayer helps us not yield and fall into temptation but if you are not praying daily, you will be prone to fall into temptations.
This is why Christ encourages us in Luke 22:46 to pray daily so that we don’t enter into temptations just as He did while He was on earth at that time.
Without prayer, you won’t go far in your Christian journey with the Lord as prayer is a very crucial spiritual weapon responsible for quenching the fiery darts of the enemy and for breaking spiritual strongholds in your life.
Must Read: 7 Habits Of A Godly Life For Godly Living (+Video Sermon)
5. Lives A Life Of Righteousness.
Living righteously is among the most important characteristics of a godly person which always go hand in hand. If you aren’t living righteously, then you are certainly not godly at all.
If you claim to be godly, you must live a life of righteousness which is above sin because the one who has called you is righteous so must you (1 Thessalonians 4:7).
Many people claim to be godly but are not following after righteousness. Instead, they are still enjoying their sinful lifestyles and this is so because these hypocrites are not saved yet. If they were, they would forsake their sinful lives.
As a follower of Christ, endeavor to live a holy life even when others are not because Christianity and salvation are strictly personal and we all be judged individually when our earthly lives come to an end.
6. Lives A Life Of Purity.
Living a life of purity that is free from all the pollution and corruption of this world is another trait you will notice if someone is godly.
To live a life of purity simply means to live a holy and spotless life that’s free from sin and the moral pollution of this present evil world we currently live in.
Without this spotless life of purity, you won’t be able to enter heaven when you die. This is why Jesus Christ said in Matthews 5:8 that only the pure in heart will see God when all is said and done.
So if you want to be godly and make it for heaven when you die, live a life of purity and ask the Lord to give you a pure heart that’s free from sinful lusts and desires that pollute a person in the first place.
7. Delights In The Lord.
If you are a godly man or godly woman, you will delight in the Lord and being in His presence which is sweet and refreshing to the soul.
The psalmist David encourages us in Psalms 37:4 that we must delight in the Lord and He will grant the desires of our hearts in due time.
It’s only when your delight is in the Lord will you truly live a life that’s full of joy, happiness, and contentment that simply can’t be found in this world.
And if your delight is in the Lord, you won’t live a life of sin that displeases Him because the Lord doesn’t delight in sin and so will you.
8. Morally Upright.
A morally upright person is someone who does what’s morally right and adheres to the moral principles of the bible. It also means being honest and living a life of chastity
And if someone is godly, that person will live a morally upright lifestyle that’s free from the moral pollutions of this world with the help of God’s grace of course.
If you are morally upright, you won’t involve yourself in sexual immorality or sex before marriage that most young people including many so-called Christians are involved in due to lack of morals in such people.
No wonder Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:18 that we must flee all forms of sexual immorality and other moral pollutions of this world which have defiled and polluted many people making them unfit for heaven.
9. Faithfulness.
Being faithful simply means that you are honest and reliable with what you say. It simply means the ability to be true to one’s word.
If you are truly a godly person, you will exhibit this important godly character that is severely lacking even amongst people who call themselves Christians.
Proverbs 28:20 says that a faithful person is rich in blessings as faithfulness attracts blessings from the Lord and other people.
So, if you want to be a blessed person in life, practice faithfulness in all your dealings with every person you meet. Most people aren’t blessed in life because they are not faithful and rip others off. Don’t be that person.
10. Fervent Love For God.
A godly man or godly woman will fervently love the Lord their God above all things be it their jobs, friends, families, or themselves. Loving God wholeheartedly is all about self-denial.
It’s the most important and golden commandment God has given us which Jesus Christ also mentioned in Mark 12:30 that we must love the Lord with all our hearts, soul, might, and mind.
Sadly, most Christians don’t love God as they claim which is evident in their sinful lifestyles and lack of commitment to things about Him due to the love of self that’s so prominent in these so-called Christians.
Only when you learn to truly love the Lord with all your heart will you truly love others as well the way the Lord expects you to without any selfish motives?
Must Read: 63 Christian Love Quotes (To Help You See Love Differently)
11. Godly Contentment.
In 1 Timothy 6:6-10, the bible tells us that godliness with contentment is great gain and the greatest gain you can ever have on earth.
And if you are living a godly life pleasing to God, this godly trait will be evident in your life by the type and quality of life you live as you know that you won’t take anything with you when you die.
Sadly, most people including some Christians lack godly content in their lives clearly shown by the flamboyant materialistic lives they live and forget that they came with nothing in this world and won’t take anything with them to the grave when they die.
You don’t need to be the reached person on earth or clutter your life with stuff you don’t even need to be happy and content in life. Remember naked you came out of your mother’s womb and in likewise you shall return to the grave (Job 1:21).
12. Heavenly Minded.
Being godly also means being heavenly-minded implying that our mind and affections are fixed on heavenly things and not earthy things which will perish one day.
No wonder Paul in Colossians 3:2 says as Christians who have our lives hidden in Christ, we must set out affections on things above and not on things of the earth like the heathens with no hope of eternal life when they die.
However, if you are not godly and abiding in Christ, you will have a carnal mind that will only mind the corruptible things of this world and not the things above which are eternal and incorruptible.
Unfortunately, most people who claim to be Christians are too earthbound which is clearly shown by the way they live and think. Remember, this word isn’t your home dear saint and you are just a pilgrim in this world journeying to a far better country.
13. Doesn’t Walk In Ungodly Counsel.
Another characteristic that will show that someone is godly is that they won’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly neither will they stand nor sit in the seat of the scornful.
The Psalmist David says in Psalms 1:1 that if you don’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly, you will be blessed indeed.
Sadly, the opposite is the case with the 21st century Sunday Christians who enjoy being in bad company which badly influences their behavior and if you are such a person, you won’t be a blessed person.
If you claim to be a godly person you will avoid bad associations of sinners and their wicked counsel nor will you take their wicked advice on life issues. Instead, you will delight in the wisdom and wise counsel of the Lord that will never lead you astray.
Conclusion.
I hope the 13 characteristics of a godly person above will now help you understand what being a godly person is all about so that you can live godly as well.
On the other hand, if you want to live a godly life but find it difficult to do so, you need to be saved first and if you want to be saved, read this post on how to be saved in 7 simple steps to get you started.
In conclusion, if you enjoyed this post and found it useful, kindly share it with others so that they can benefit as well just as you have. Stay blessed.
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Very informative article and study guideline. However, please fix the typos, as they can be careless distractions to readers
Noted and glad you enjoyed this post and found it a blessing to you. God bless.