There’s a verse in the Bible that says,
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, (Titus 2:11-12 NLT)
Devotion to God.
There was a man named Cornelius, a captain of the Italian
Regiment, who is described, in Acts chapter 10, as a devout man who, together
with his entire household, had a reverential fear of God. It’s said that he
gave generously to the poor, prayed all the time and God “remembered” his
actions.
And the angel said to him, Your prayers and your [generous] gifts to the poor have come up [as a sacrifice] to God and have been remembered by Him (Acts 10:4 AMPC)
Piety is devotion toward God and love for others. When we are in right relationship with God, piety is automatically birthed. Some may try to feign piousness; however, genuine piety isn’t born from doing right out of some sense of religious duty, genuine piety springs forth spontaneously from God’s indwelling Spirit when we continuously demonstrate character and conduct that reflect Christ. Piety produces present and future happiness and fulfilment.
For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them]. (2 Timothy 3:5 AMPC)
“We should live in this evil world with…righteousness…”
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Righteousness – right relationship with God.
What does it look like to be in right relationship with God?
It’s conforming to the standards of God. He always has and maintains a right
relationship with people and calls us to do the same.
Happy are those whose
greatest desire is to do what God requires;
I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God requires. (Matthew 5:6a & 20 GNT)
God always acts in righteousness.
Piety inspires us to do what God requires. We have the capacity to be kind, to understand, to forgive, to be meek, humble, grateful and just, to be creative, to show mercy, empathy and compassion; we are able to reason and communicate and are capable of giving and receiving love.
Piety involves being consciously aware of God’s Presence in
every area and all aspects of our lives. It is having respect for His power,
authority and wisdom.
“We should live in this evil world with wisdom…”
Wisdom that comes from God.
In order to live in this evil world requires us to be wise. Not wise in our own sight but we must hunger after the wisdom that comes from God.
Piety and wisdom are inextricably knitted together. Wisdom
enriches piety while piety heightens one’s understanding of wisdom.
A genuinely pious person is willing to acknowledge his own
limitations and weaknesses. He relies on Spirit’s guidance, heeds His counsel, depends
on Divine instruction and values godly advice from others.
We must be cemented in the wisdom of the Divine. We must
pursue godliness.
“And we are instructed to
turn from godless living…”
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Turn from godless living to living godly lives; lives that emulate the character and behaviour of our incarnate Lord, Jesus Christ.
What does this have to do with piety you might wonder. Well,
piety and godliness are two sides of the same coin; they are used interchangeably.
The purpose of godliness is to be a reflection of Jesus. We can
only achieve genuine godliness through the power of His Holy Spirit working in us.
Piety is a Spirit-driven pursuit.
Having a spirit of piety enables you to understand things
from a godly perspective.
Too many Christians display a form of piety in the nave but
their conduct in the vestibule – behaviour, in words and actions – “nullifies
their claim of faith”. It is high time that we come off the stage of playing
church and get serious about our spiritual walk.
I pray that you are not a piety actor, but if you are, know
that this performance is mired in self-deception, and may fool some people but
not God.
Beloved, if you are in church every Sunday of the year or in
every church group or engaged in every church activity or deeply involved in every
aspect of the church, but “deny and reject and are strangers to the power of” godliness,
then you are more inclined to be devoted to church and not to God. Worshipping
the Preacher more than the Creator.
Listen, this will throw you out of spiritual alignment and
deform your search.
It’s not our performance of godliness that qualifies us. The
Holy Spirit compels us to go in search of piety, not as a conscious deliberate
act but through divine communion. We must be spiritually disciplined. The Holy Spirit
elevates our spirit to godliness.
Piety is about worshiping God and serving Him and our
fellowman out of an authentic love. It is a source of divine communion and a
path to infinite love illuminated by the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Godliness is not an option for those who claim to be
Believers devoted to God.
Jesus is our example of piety in action; He lived here on
earth in consistent communion with God.
The Spirit of piety teaches us how to appreciate what is
holy and leads us into deeper communion with God.
Beloved, as we continue this wonderful journey on the road
to Pentecost, our hearts must be in search of piety without consciously seeking
it, for if we purposely seek to be pious how genuine will we be; we will be
like the people we are told to avoid.
Amen †
Shelley Johnson “On the Road to Pentecost: In search of
Piety” © 2025 May 21, 2025
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