Can we ever fully achieve godliness?

Romans 7:18-20I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

Galatians 2:11-14When Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?”

Peter and Paul are two of the greatest giants of the faith—but they weren’t perfect. Peter allowed peer pressure to lead him away from godliness, and Paul describes the experience of battling the sin within himself.

Romans 5:20God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.

God’s law gave Israel clearer definitions of sin—and as people grew in their understanding of sin, they became more and more culpable of their disobedience. At the same time, God’s grace—his desire to restore his relationship with his people—became more and more apparent. God went to great lengths to bring Israel back to him, even in their sin. In the same way, as we grow in our relationship with Christ and become more attentive to the Holy Spirit in our lives, we become more and more godly. However, we also become more aware of how sin permeates our lives and how far we are from God’s awesome standard of holiness. Instead of feeling proud and self-satisfied, this godliness leads to humility and a deeper understanding of our need for grace. Through this, our gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice grows even greater (Ephesians 3:16–19).

Philippians 3:12-14I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

1 John 3:1-3See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

No one achieves full godliness or perfection in this life—only after death when we see Christ. But knowing what awaits us should motivate us to pursue godliness—trusting and obeying our Lord for his help and living each day for him.