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Response
The terms impiety and impious are found in the Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible in numerous New Testament Epistles. Other translations interpret the term “impiety” as “ungodliness” or “wickedness.” Being pious involves having reverence for God and being dedicated to spiritual matters, so the opposite of this—to be impious—means to be disrespectful or lacking faith in matters related to God. When the Bible mentions ungodliness or wickedness, it is addressing impiety.
By nature, man is inherently impious due to his sinful nature. Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, humanity has continued to spiral into wickedness. Shortly after Eden, Cain displayed impiety by offering an unacceptable sacrifice to the Lord and expecting it to be approved “but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.”, (Genesis 4:5). Generations later, Lamech exhibited impiety by murdering a man and proudly confessing it “And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: For I have slain a man to my wounding, And a young man to my hurt.”, (Genesis 4:23). By the time of Noah, impiety had become so widespread that “every intention of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually” “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”, (Genesis 6:5). This is the essence of impiety. If left unchecked, it continues to grow until it saturates a society.
Whenever God instructed the Israelites to observe the Sabbath as holy, for example, in Exodus 20:8, He was cautioning themAgainst impiety. God required piety concerning His name as well: “Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites” «Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you, », (Leviticus 22:32). Psalm 45:7 states that God hates impiety because He loves righteousness. God’s nature is one of perfect holiness; therefore, He cannot tolerate sin or impious behavior. David describes God’s hatred of sin this way: “You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You” «For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: Neither shall evil dwell with thee. », (Psalm 5:4).
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” «For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; », (Romans 1:18). The Greek word translated “ungodliness” in this verse literally means “impiety,” and it encompasses all offenses men commit against God and against one another. Impiety is intertwined with the violation of all the commands of God, summarized in the greatest commandments, to love God and others (Matthew 22:37-40). Since we are all sinners, we are all guilty before God of impiety and deserve His wrath.
Fortunately for impious mankind, God is not only the God of justice and wrath; He is also the God of love and grace. God so loved the world that He provided the means to escape His wrath. Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our impiety. Jesus endured the wrathOf the Father, even though He was perfect and had committed no sin. Christ the pious died for the impious «For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. », (Romans 5:6), demonstrating God’s love and inviting us to enjoy God’s presence throughout eternity, with no fear of wrath «For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, », (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Those who accept this sacrifice by faith are declared righteous because God exchanges our sin for the righteousness (piety) of Christ «For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.», (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Saved by grace, we are enabled to deny impiety and to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-12). The lives of those who have escaped God’s wrath through faith in Christ are to be characterized by true piety—reverence and devotion to God. Believers should reject all impiety and anything that is against God’s nature. Christians have the Spirit of God living within them, and His power enables us to live in a godly manner (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
