What the Bible Says About the Definition of a Godly Man

Scripture

¹ Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
³ He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
⁴ The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶ For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1:1-6

Proverbs 3:1-12: ¹ My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
² for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
³ Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
⁷ Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
¹⁰ then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
¹¹ My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
¹² for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 4:20-27: ²⁰ My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹ Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
²² For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
²⁴ Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
²⁵ Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.

Proverbs 12:1-28: ¹ Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
² A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
but a man of evil devices he condemns.
³ No one is established by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
⁴ An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
⁵ The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
⁶ The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the mouth of the upright delivers them.
⁷ The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous will stand.
⁸ A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of twisted mind is despised.
⁹ Better to be lowly and have a servant
than to play the great man and lack bread.
¹⁰ Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
¹¹ Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
¹² Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
¹³ An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
but the righteous escapes from trouble.
¹⁴ From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,
and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
¹⁵ The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.
¹⁶ The vexation of a fool is known at once,
but the prudent ignores an insult.
¹⁷ Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.
¹⁸ There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
¹⁹ Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
²⁰ Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy.
²¹ No ill befalls the righteous,
but the wicked are filled with trouble.
²² Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
²³ A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.
²⁴ The hand of the diligent will rule,
while the slothful will be put to forced labor.
²⁵ Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.
²⁶ One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
²⁷ Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
²⁸ In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

Proverbs 20:6-7: ⁶ Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
but a faithful man who can find?
⁷ The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!

Isaiah 33:15-16: ¹⁵ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
who despises the gain of oppressions,
who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,
who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed
and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,
¹⁶ he will dwell on the heights;
his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;
his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

Micah 6:6-8: ⁶ “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?”
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
⁸ He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 5:1-12: ¹ Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 7:24-27: ²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

Luke 6:43-45: ⁴³ “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,”
⁴⁴ For each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
⁴⁵ The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Romans 12:9-21: Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13: ¹ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
⁶ it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never ends.
⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Galatians 5:22-26: ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Ephesians 4:1-3: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 5:1-5: ¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Philippians 2:1-11: ¹ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Colossians 3:12-17: ¹² Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1 Timothy 3:1-7: ¹ The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
² Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
³ not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
⁴ He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
⁵ for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
⁷ Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

1 Timothy 6:11-16: ¹¹ But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
¹³ I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,
¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
¹⁵ which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
¹⁶ who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

2 Timothy 2:22-26: ²² So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Titus 1:5-9: ⁵ This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—
⁶ if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.
⁷ For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,
⁸ but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
⁹ He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Titus 2:1-8: ¹ But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
² Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.
³ Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,
⁴ and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
⁵ to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
⁶ Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
⁷ Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,
⁸ and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

James 1:19-27: ¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
²⁴ for he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 3:13-18: ¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

1 Peter 3:8-12: ⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
¹⁰ For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;
¹¹ let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.

2 Peter 1:5-8: ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.