Often translated as holy, it actually is expressing holiness in action. Holiness means to be separated, where being pious happens as we separate ourselves unto God in actions. This naturally results in the rejection in our lives of the things of the flesh, the world, and Satan because they are contrary to who we are in Christ.
As an apostle, Paul determined that men should worship in every place, lifting up pious hands. Hands that work out the holiness we have in Christ (1 Timothy 2:8 – Therefore, I determine while worshiping all men in every place lift up pious hands apart from wrath and dispute). He is not saying lift up your hands during a worship service or in Church while praying. He is saying that our hands are to work out the holiness that we have in Christ while we are giving God credit for Who He is and what He has done (worship).
One of the requirements of a Bishop (Pastor or Elder) is to be pious (Titus 1:8 but fond of strangers, fond of good, a saved frame of mind, just, pious, self-controlled). As one who is responsible for an assembly, there are specific Scriptural requirements to hold the position of a Pastor. These men are not to be self-willed, addicted to wine, fond of money gained through false means (tithing), but hospitable, fond of goodness, having a saved frame of mind, while holding fast the doctrine of the word of faith, which will result in a lifestyle that shows forth their separation unto God. Being pious is accompanied by righteousness and blamelessness (1 Thessalonians 2:10 You and God are my witnesses as pious and just and blameless we became…), as these are characteristics that shows an individual is separated.
Living piously is not about rejecting what everyone else is doing and is certainly has nothing to do with judging or looking down on others. It is holiness in action. We are separated unto God and our actions are to show this, not by separating ourselves from people and bad conduct, but by separating ourselves to God and living out who we are in Christ. We are not involved with the wrong doings of others because we are busy doing the things of God.
We are saints (Romans 1:7). Not sinners saved by grace, but saints. Yes, God did save us by grace, but now that we are saved, we are free from sin and bound to righteousness (Romans 6:18). A saint is one who is set apart, one who is holy. In Christ, we are saints because we are separated unto God. Therefore, let us live out this holiness we have in Christ. And Christ is our example of how we live this out. For God said, I will not allow My Pious One to see corruption (Acts 2:27). He lived out the desirous will of God the Father over His Own (Hebrews 7:26). We live piously by doing the same thing, knowing and doing God’s desirous will (Romans 12:2), for the will of God remains, unlike the desires of the flesh and the world that are constantly changing (1 John 2:17).
We are the children of God. We are the children of the light. We are free from sin and bound to righteousness because we are separated unto God. Today let us live piously because our mind is focused on who we are in Christ, and our actions show we are ones who are separated unto God.
