Piety - what is it? The meaning of the word "piety"

Meaning of the Greek term

In classical Greek, this word was used to mean “respect, fear, devotion” in relation to parents or pagan deities (1 Tim. 5:4, Acts 17:23). In the Bible it is used in the much narrower sense of “fearing God.” Accordingly, the emphasis when interpreting this word in a biblical context should be placed not on external actions or instructions through which a person can supposedly earn the favor of God, but on the internal state of the fear of God, the constant awareness of the priority of God's will in the life of a believer, which determines the actions of a Christian.

In ancient Greek mythology, when Zeus decided to destroy people with a flood, he allowed the spouses Deucalion and Pyrrha to escape for their piety.

View from the outside

There is also the opposite problem. A person who begins to attend church frequently, gives alms, observes fasts, and prays at home is inevitably subjected to strict judgment from colleagues, household members, and acquaintances. Especially if he often shares his impressions of services or pilgrimages. There is no need to rush to immediately attach a shameful stigma to such a person. We can't know what really motivates him. We must not forget about the “presumption of innocence”. Perhaps the self-styled braggart often talks about church to share his joy. Most believers experience an irresistible desire to “draw” everyone who catches their eye to the temple. They feel good there. Therefore, they really want everyone around them to know what they are voluntarily deprived of. And most importantly, not everything that is done in plain sight is done for show.

Piety in the New Testament

• It is an immutable requirement for a bishop or presbyter (Titus 1:8).
• Empty and unfruitful if not expressed in a righteous life (James 1:26).
• It is the result of the work of God's grace in believers (Titus 2:11-12; 2 Pet. 1:3).
• It is a great acquisition, a real value for a person (1 Tim. 6:6).
• It is not a guarantee of carnal well-being (1 Tim. 6:5).
• It is expressed in showing love and mercy to those who suffer and keeping oneself unspotted from the world (James 1:27).

Why form replaces essence

Why does it happen that a person who tries to go to God, goes to church, lights candles, follows prayer rules and performs many other different actions, turns into just an empty shell that has no essence?

The fact is that the external and material are much easier to understand and apply in life. So, putting on a long skirt and headscarf is much easier than not judging, not slandering, not envying. So a substitution of concepts occurs where a person chooses to follow a simpler path. Meanwhile, in our Church there is no strict dogma about appearance.

Outward piety in dress should be limited to matters of decency and taste

Very often one can come across discussions about how ungodly it is for women to wear trousers. Indeed, the Bible says that it is indecent for women to wear men's clothing and for men to wear women's clothing. But are we talking about trousers? And men's clothing of those times were long, wide-brimmed tunics. So why then aren't modern men required to wear anything similar?

Of course, an Orthodox Christian should not look vulgar, defiant, or vulgar. When dressing for church, you need to think about not distracting other people with your appearance, not seducing them. Compliance with these rules will already be quite enough to look pious outwardly.

But looking like a pious person and being one are still two different things. In order for a benefactor to acquire essence, in addition to form, you need to work a lot on your own soul. It is necessary to fight envy, laziness, and condemnation of others.

Practical Piety

The basis of piety is a clear, immaculate adherence to the instructions of the Bible (primarily in the New Testament) about the character of a Christian.

Basic instructions for godly conduct through life can be drawn from the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ and the letters of the apostles to various Churches and individual Christians.

Character

The character of a Christian is dominated by:

• Restraint with lightness of soul and ardor of spirit
• Obedience to goodness while maintaining integrity and dignity
• Heartfelt responsiveness, attention and active participation in the problems and troubles of other people (with the goal of helping), altruism
• Simplicity, sincerity, honesty
• Humility
• Hard work, conscientiousness
• Non-resistance to authorities, as long as the demands of the authorities do not contradict the will of God.
• Forgiving offenders (even if you don’t ask for forgiveness)
• Self-criticism
• Forbearance towards other people's character flaws
• Love for people

Appearance

In Christianity, appearance (clothes, hairstyle, jewelry) can be considered as an expression of the internal qualities of a Christian - character, value system. Without establishing specific strict requirements for appearance (unlike Islam), Christianity draws attention to the principles according to which Christians are called to take care of their appearance. These principles include:

• modesty;
• humility, meekness;
• compliance with the standards of decency of society (cultural norms);
• avoiding temptations.

In accordance with these principles, the following are desirable in the appearance of a Christian:

• Modesty in clothing (not rich clothes and not trendy),
• The absence of elements emphasizing high social status or material wealth,
• If possible, compliance with the cultural traditions of the area;
• Clothing should not evoke lustful thoughts and carnal desires in the opposite sex.

There is some disagreement between liberal and conservative Christians regarding certain issues related to appearance. According to Christians who adhere to conservative views in matters of clothing, all parts of the body (except the head, hands, feet) should be covered with clothing (the less clothing, the less modest the appearance). Therefore, miniskirts and shorts are unacceptable for them; some of them believe that it is unacceptable for women to wear jeans and trousers.

Achieving Godliness

According to Christians, a person cannot become completely pious on his own (due to man’s natural tendency to sin). However, a Christian is called to make every effort to achieve godliness.

A person can become pious only with the help of God, sincerely desiring it and asking Him about it in prayer.

Blessing and honor what it is

As we see, the word piety consists of two concepts - goodness and honor. I believe that in order to understand the meaning of this word, it is necessary to define both concepts. While I won’t go into church explanations, I’ll try to determine what this means in everyday life.

Good is something that is perceived positively in life. Good is beauty, happiness, love, a gift of fate.

But even this explanation is superficial; the concept of the word is very diverse and deep. “Thank you,” says a person when he receives something; “grace,” says a person when he is in languor. From a psychological point of view, good is harmony, merging with nature (with God), with circumstances, with life.

I will dwell a little on the concept of “merging with God.” What does it mean? But more on this later in the article, here I draw attention to the word “MERGEN”, not faith, not following commandments and laws, or rather, not only, but, above all, merging with the highest.

Honor is also a very diverse and deep concept. Awareness ranges from the honor of a girl (purity) to the honor of a person in life (take care of your honor from a young age), but also the honor of a profession, for example, the honor of a warrior, politician, or a specific person. It all depends on what you mean.

Moreover, there is another interpretation of this concept - this is honesty, which means to be truthful, responsible for one’s actions... Honestly, a person says in other cases. This is perceived as an oath that is unbreakable and the person who breaks his word of honor is despised, first of all.

Problems Facing the Godly

Other people's attitude

In the New Testament, it is revealed that people who want to fulfill the Will of God, being pious, will certainly meet opponents in the form of unbelievers, or people who have renounced the power of piety.

In practice, it is known that people who live very correctly and wisely, with their righteous deeds, “prevent the living” of those who live more freely and do not have such aspirations.

Man's tendency to sin

According to Christian ideas, a person (even a Christian) is sinful by nature (a consequence of original sin), and various bad qualities constantly appear in his life. A godly person seeks to get rid of them by eliminating them from his character and asking God for it in prayer. Such qualities, for example, include:

• foul language, slander, idle talk

Church translation

What does this word mean in the understanding of the Orthodox Church? Piety is honoring the good. Since for a believer, good is God, then, accordingly, the Christian understanding of this word lies in honoring and glorifying the Creator through fulfilling the commandments of Christ. “Lord, save the pious...” - the clergy turn to God every day during the service. “And hear us (us) ...” they complete the appeal. That is, the text of the church prayer suggests that the very fact that a person is in church and takes part in the service already confirms that he is glorifying God. This is the pitfall. It is important to remember that the words of the prayer call people pious in order to remind them that they should try to live up to this definition.

The highest virtue is love, which can cancel external regulations

Can piety be contrary to love? Sometimes, for the sake of love, you can push aside some pious injunctions?

- Undoubtedly. Love is the highest virtue. If all other virtues are performed for the sake of something, then love is always a gift. Love, being the highest law, can sometimes cancel external regulations. For the sake of love, the elders left their fast if guests came to them. For the sake of love, one can sacrifice external church regulations in order to show love to one’s neighbor when he needs it. The higher cancels the lower.

Love, as the most important commandment of Christianity, is an unconditional priority in the life of a Christian. After all, love must be acquired; it is not something that is given immediately. This is many years of work associated with teaching yourself to sacrifice your interests for the sake of those you love. Sacrifice is always difficult and painful. We often tend to think about sacrifice in the following way: I will sacrifice this much, and no more. But love does not tolerate these boundaries, it extends to infinity. Therefore, a person in his life must learn to love and strive for this virtue. Of course, internal conflicts related to the implementation of external instructions are possible. But until a person has acquired love, external regulations are law.