Whoever, against conscience, follows the lusts of his flesh with sin, does not properly confess God—even though he may exalt himself in whatever way he wishes (1 John 3:6) and with self-controlled patience (if one wants to dampen and kill off the evil lusts of the old man, it is hard for flesh and blood to take this on account of the fact that it is called a crucifixion and killing off of the flesh [Gal. 5:24, Col. 3:5].

If one no longer wishes to conform to this world nor run with it in the wasteland of inordinate ways (1 Pet. 4:4), then repulsiveness and hostility soon arise; consequently, for such self-control and abstinence from fleshly, worldly lusts, patience is necessary); and, in patient godliness (through which we lift up our heart, mind, and attitude to God, and inwardly call upon Him). For it does not lie within the realm of our powers and desires to offer up such things which He through His good Spirit wishes to implant, sustain, and multiply in our hearts—things such as faith, virtue, discernment, self-control, and patience; and, along with godliness, brotherly love: (Schola Pietatus-Volume 1 by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p. 12-13)

In this sense, the word “godliness” summarily includes all Christian striving and all those things that are called for in a holy and God-pleasing life, which St. Peter in 2 Pet. 3:11, summarily calls a holy sojourn and a godly essence. For this, it is not sufficient for one to boast about his faith in Christ; rather, one is also to publicly indicate the same with the testimony of good works, as James states in 2:18: Show me your faith with your works. And immediately before that in v. 17: Faith itself is dead if it does not have good works. But especially these golden chains, by which true faith and all Christian strivings are inextinguishably intertwined with each other and summarily belong to the golden treasure of true godliness, are indeed beautifully and artistically channeled together by St. Peter in 2 Pet. 1:5-7. He states there: Direct all your zeal towards this and thereby obtain your faith’s virtue—do not think that it is sufficient for godliness and true Christianity to boast of one’s faith; rather, in such a faith, true virtue must be achieved, for true, proper, living faith is active in love (Gal. 5:6). A person ushers this in through good works and all kinds of Christian virtues (Jam. 2:18) and with virtuous humility (Confession of the true God according to His essence and will—which confession is, at the same time, the light and guide for all Christian virtue, for as usual, zeal without the knowledge of God is not acceptable [Rom. 10:2]. Thus also, virtue without knowledge and humility cannot be acceptable.) and with humble moderation (Where there is true life-giving knowledge of God, there one also will find the ἐγκράτεια, i.e., maturity, so that a person refrains from fleshly lusts which fight against the soul [1 Pet. 2:11]).

(Schola Pietatus-Volume 1 by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p. 11-12)