Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard1965
Impiety has to do with Christians not with unbelievers...how can a non-believer have the lable impious attached to him when he does not believe nor is a part of the christian community in the first place...
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I'm glad you bring this up. Let's look at what our English word
impious means in the Greek:
ἀσεβής -
Basically
it means godless, without fear and reverence of God. It does not mean irreligious, but
one who actively practices the opposite of what the fear of
God demands. Asebḗs is
one characterized by immoral and impious behavior.
-Cribbed (stolen) from Robinson's word studies.
Here is each occurrence of this unique word ἀσεβής in the NT:
Rom 4:5 and to him who is not working, and is believing upon Him who is declaring righteous the
impious, his faith is reckoned--to righteousness:
Rom 5:6 For in our being still ailing, Christ in due time did die for the
impious;
1Ti 1:9 having known this, that for a righteous man law is not set, but for lawless and insubordinate persons, ungodly and sinners,
impious and profane, parricides and matricides, men-slayers,
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous man is scarcely saved, the
ungodly and sinner--where shall he appear?
2Pe 2:5 and the old world did not spare, but the eighth person, Noah, of righteousness a preacher, did keep, a flood on the world of the
impious having brought,
2Pe 3:7 and the present heavens and the earth, by the same word are treasured, for fire being kept to a day of judgment and destruction of the
impious men.
Jud 1:4 for there did come in unobserved certain men, long ago having been written beforehand to this judgment,
impious, the grace of our God perverting to lasciviousness, and our only Master, God, and
Lord--Jesus Christ--denying,
Jud 1:15 to do judgment against all, and to convict all their
impious ones, concerning all their works of impiety that they did impiously, and concerning all the stiff things that speak against Him did
impious sinners.'
Are these the "believers" (
) within the Christian community you're speaking of? LOL Perhaps they are
. They
are faithless. Yes, indeed, they do not believe in the God of the bible: Him who justifies the ungodly. A truth well spoken...
The Holy Spirit has declared that
Jesus died for the impious. And on those merits alone, God is (present tense) declaring them righteous. They are justified before Him!
Those who do not believe that God is
justifying the impious, are not
true believers in the God of the Bible. They are not reckoned to righteousness, as yet. Their faith
is not in the God of the Bible. They believe in a false god. An idol who does not justify the ungodly. However, the scriptures teach of a true God. A God who is a true Saviour, who saves and justifies the ungodly:
Isa 43:11 I--
I am Jehovah, And besides Me there is no saviour.
Isa 43:12 I--
I declared, and
saved, and
proclaimed, And there is no stranger with you, And ye are My witnesses, an affirmation of Jehovah, And
I am God.
Take notice of the above, verse 12. Jehovah God, the true God, (who is not an idol that most believe in) states four things:
1. Jehovah
has declared. He declared the impious justified (declared righteous):
Rom 4:5 and to him who is not working, and is believing upon
Him who is declaring righteous the impious, his faith is reckoned--to righteousness:
2. Jehovah
has saved. He saves the impious by the blood of Jesus on the cross:
Rom 5:6 For in our being still ailing,
Christ in due time did die for the impious;
Rom 5:8 and God doth commend His own love to us, that, in our being still sinners,
Christ did die for us;
Rom 5:9 much more, then, having been declared righteous now in his blood,
we shall be saved through him from the wrath;
3. Jehovah
has proclaimed. He proclaimed the good news to the impious in the Gospel:
1Co 15:1 And
I make known to you, brethren, the good news that I proclaimed to you, which also ye did receive, in which also ye have stood,
1Co 15:2 through which also ye are being saved, in what words
I proclaimed good news to you, if ye hold fast, except ye did believe in vain,
1Co 15:3 for I delivered to you first, what also I did receive, that
Christ died for our sins, according to the Writings,
1Co 15:4 and that
he was buried, and that he hath risen on the third day, according to the Writings,
4. Jehovah claims
He is God. This is the God of the bible. He is not the god most who claim to be Christian believe in.
Believe in God, not your idols. Believe in Jehovah. Believe in the Gospel.
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