1. Introduction
Rev Alexander McPherson
Meaning of the term. The word piety is not so much used among us as its counterpart godliness. The latter is the word in our Bible which translates the Greek word eusebeia. This word’s first meaning, however, is piety, which denotes faithfulness to whatever one is bound to by duty. When we rise above earthly claims to duty – for example – duty to our parents, our highest duty is to God. This is why in dictionary definitions of piety we find such meanings as “right attitude towards God”, “right conduct appropriate thereto”, or “reverence felt for God and religion and conduct inspired by these feelings and principles”. The idea clearly is that God, infinitely supreme, requires of us as our first duty, reverence, worship and willing obedience, and Scripture adds love to that impulse. This is the first of all the Commandments and none of them is greater than the command to love God and one’s neighbour. This is piety.
Piety in the Old Testament. Adam in his innocent state was pious. Then he sinned and perfect piety ceased among mankind. Yet this attitude of soul was found again in some measure in some people. All of them, without exception, bore this mark: they had faith in a promised, God-sent Deliverer from sin and misery, through whom they were reconciled to God. It was also true of them that their dispositions were directly changed, so that in some measure they manifested piety. These Old Testament believers in the promised Christ, from Abel and Enoch onwards, revered, worshipped, loved and obeyed God. The spiritual exercises of these godly people appear principally in the Book of Psalms, David himself being a chief representative of them. In Psalm 12, for instance, he deplores the fewness of godly men: “Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth”.
Piety in the New Testament. As might be expected in the New Testament, with its full revelation of the way of salvation, much is said about piety, though not (in English) under that name. The word eusebeia is generally translated godliness, and once holiness. If, however, one consults the terms sanctify and sanctification in, say, Nave’s Topical Bible, the idea expressed by piety occurs in a variety of ways: charity, for example – “Grow up into [Christ] in all things”, “Grow in grace”, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice”, “Transformed by the renewing of your mind”. What these various expressions amount to is just piety.
The first section of a paper presented at a Theological Conference.
The New Testament believer, is required to reverence, worship and obey God with a loving heart, as under the Old Testament. No saved sinner is exempted. Anyone claiming to believe in Christ for salvation, who is not clearly aiming at piety, is raising a serious objection to his claim. What is to be thought of someone who has been pardoned and inwardly renewed by divine grace, but does not desire to cease sinning and seek holiness?
It was clearly prophesied in Ezekiel 36:26,27 that the effect of conversion would be the pursuit of personal piety: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep My judgements, and do them”. The result is what we see in the New Testament converts and what we read in the New Testament scriptures. Salvation in every case was to be from sin, from its dominion as well as its penal consequences. The course of a saved sinner’s life was to be one of increasing piety, or godliness.
The Bible has many references to piety and also exhortations to it. I shall quote just two from the Old Testament. When Joshua was sending back to the east of Jordan the two and a half tribes, who had faithfully helped their brethren to occupy Canaan, he urged them to “take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses, the servant of the Lord, charged you, to love the Lord your God and to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and to cleave unto Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Jos 22:5). Again in the song in Isaiah 26 we find this pious assertion, “Yea, in the way of Thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for Thee. . . . With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early” (Is 26:8,9).
At the beginning of the New Testament, we read the Saviour’s words: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled (Mt 5:6). Next, one of several passages in Romans: “As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness (Rom 6:19). Last, out of many other texts: “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. . . . Flee also youthful lusts; but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim 2:19,22). There can be no doubt that pursuit of personal piety is a natural result of conversion and that Scripture requires it.
The measure of piety. If, however, the observable spirit, character, and way of life of professing Christians is considered, it becomes apparent that the measure of piety attained varies a good deal. There is one reason, at any rate, why this can be expected. Sanctification, the divine work by which the person who wishes to be pious or godly, is enabled to die unto sin and live unto righteousness, is gradual. “Enabled more and more” are the words of The Shorter Catechism. The new life resulting from the new birth does not blossom at once unto saintliness. There is no comparison with Aaron’s rod, which overnight “brought forth buds and bloomed blossoms and yielded almonds”. At conversion, the new life in the soul may work such hatred of sin and a speedy end to certain ways of sinning that there may be high hopes of departing from all iniquity.
The time of “first love” may, in those who enjoyed that experience, give a strong urge to seek holiness. “Walking by sight” is spiritually pleasing and profitable, but it usually gives way to walking by faith. The Lord sometimes gives newly-saved sinners what I venture to call “a good start” in the Christian life by speaking lovingly to them by His Word and Spirit, thus helping them to make good progress along the narrow way. That stage usually gives way to greater dependence on the truths and principles of God’s Word and less experience of heart-warming feelings. Thereafter they experience the life of faith, in conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil, subject also to divine discipline in its various forms. All the while, if piety is truly sought, there will be gradual growth in grace and aversion to sin. Thus, if there is a steady following of the Lord, the measure of piety will increase through life.
Yet the increase of piety can fairly be said to depend a lot on the circumstances of the believer. Assuming the person’s only means of grace is a Bible, if it is read regularly and prayerfully, this would bring about growth in grace. Nowadays that situation may be rare. If, however, there are the extra advantages of the public means of grace, good examples and good books, one would expect a more rapid increase of piety.
There are, however, factors which seriously slow the growth of personal piety and keep it at too low a level. A believer may slip into spiritual declension – or, worse, backslide – and thus impede progress towards holiness and even damage his reputation permanently. Another person may fail to grasp that nothing less than holiness is the goal and content himself or herself with what is taken to be the current average of piety. (I am not forgetting that the work of the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary.)
The Pursuit of Piety. In addition to what has been said, it ought to be clear to every Christian that godliness will not increase of itself. The Bible declares that it must be sought. Indwelling sin is a brake on growth in grace. Worldliness is a persistent intruder into the soul and Satan takes every advantage he can. Therefore the goal – that is, holiness – must be kept in mind; the exhortations of God’s Word must be taken to heart; and the means of grace diligently used. What I want to do now, is to present the pursuit of personal piety under four sections: (1) the negative aspect, (2) the positive aspect, (3) encouragements, (4) helps.These points are to be covered in two further articles.