28 Bible Verses about piety

by living holy and righteous lives before Him all of our days.

and knowledge along with your goodness, and self-control along with your knowledge, and endurance along with your self-control, and godliness along with your endurance,

and brotherly kindness along with your godliness, and with your brotherly kindness, develop love.

[These people] maintain an appearance of being godly, but they have denied its power; [you should] turn away from such people.

During His life on earth Jesus offered up prayers and special requests with loud crying and tears to God, who was able to save Him from dying, and He was heard because of His [earnest] devotion [to God].

But you should have nothing to do with those worldly myths [See 1:4] and superstitious tales [often] told by old women. Instead, train yourself for living a godly life.

But if any widow has children or grandchildren, these should first learn [how] to show respectful consideration for their own family members, and [thus] to repay their parents [i.e., for bringing them up and caring for their material needs], for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

They certainly have an appearance of wisdom, [displaying] self-prescribed worship and [false] humility and asceticism, but they lack any value in curbing the desires of the physical passions.

[Offer them] for kings and for all people in prominent [governmental] positions, so that we can live a peaceful and quiet life in all reverence [toward God] and respectability [toward people].

Even so, you also appear on the outside to be doing right in front of people, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and sin.

But godliness [itself] is great gain, [when it is] accompanied by contentment.

He was very devoted [to his religious principles] and had great respect for God, along with the members of his household. He gave [money] liberally to poor people and prayed to God regularly.

And when Peter saw [the crowd assembling] he gave this explanation: "Men of Israel, why are you so shocked at [what happened to] this man? And why are you gazing at us, as though it were by our power or godly qualities that we caused him to walk?

"Be careful that you do not do your good deeds in front of people for the purpose of being seen by them, for [if you do] you will not have a reward from your Father in heaven.

Do not allow anyone, who delights in acting humble [i.e., living an ascetic life] and who worships angels, to rob you of your reward [in heaven]. [Note: This "angel worship" could mean holding angels in high regard because of their role as God's messengers, or the claim that God can be approached only through angelic intermediaries]. He places great importance on what he [claims to] see [i.e., visions], being inflated with pride by his fleshly mind for no [good] reason.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners [i.e., in prominent view of everyone] in order to be seen [and praised] by people.

For physical training is useful to some extent [or, "for a short time"], but living godly is useful in every way, for it promises benefits [not only] for the present life, but [also] for the life to come.

"[Then] Ananias, a man who was devoted to [observing] the law of Moses and who had a good reputation among all the Jews who lived there,

Now there was a righteous and devoted man named Simeon at Jerusalem, who was expecting the consolation of the Israelites [i.e., the coming of the Messiah to save them], and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

In the same way, if [your] faith does not have [good] deeds [to accompany it], it is dead, [because it stands] alone.

then the Lord [surely] knows how to rescue godly people from trying situations, and to keep unrighteous people under [a sentence of] punishment [to be received] on the judgment day.

Now some devoted Jews from every nation of the world were visiting Jerusalem [for the Pentecost festival].

Therefore, I want the men to pray in every place [i.e., in all worship assemblies. See verses 1-2], lifting up holy hands without being angry or argumentative. [Note: This passage stresses both the physical and spiritual aspects of prayer].

[He must be] hospitable, someone who loves what is good, sensible, upright, devout and self-controlled.

And without question the revealed secret of godly living is great. [It is this]: He [i.e., Christ, or God], who appeared in a fleshly body [was] vindicated [of false charges] by the Holy Spirit; [He was] seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed in throughout the world [and finally] was taken up into glory [i.e., heaven].

"But it is too bad for you hypocritical experts in the law of Moses and [you] Pharisees! [It is] because you withhold the kingdom of heaven from people, for you do not enter it yourselves, nor [do you] allow those who are trying to enter it to get in. {[{[Verse

[and] continual wranglings between people with corrupt minds, who are deprived of the truth. They think that [professing] godliness is a way to obtain [financial] gain.

but with good deeds, which are [more] appropriate for women who claim to be godly.