We had a long discussion about sin in the last post. Today I would like to kick off a discussion on holiness. Instead of spending so much time discussing sin, why not spend the same or more energy talking about holiness. We are made holy by God's grace but we are also called to holiness in our daily lives. Are we striving to rid our lives of all sin or are we satisfied to live with some sin - as long as we aren't as bad as others? (that is the wrong attitude my friends)
God calls us to holiness through the Bible...
Matthew 5:20 - For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Our holiness, our righteousness, is to be better than the church leaders of Jesus' day. We are not to model holiness with our actions and think any way we want. We are called to clean the inside as well as the outside.
Matthew 23:25-26 - 25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
We are called to holiness and to the extreme. In the sermon on the mount Jesus said;
Matthew 5:27-30 - 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Holiness is a process and we must strive to walk in holiness.
Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Do we, through God's grace, prepare our minds to be sinless?
1 Peter 1:13-16 - 13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
How about sharing some spiritual practices or ideas that we can all use to become more and more like our God - holy!
God calls us to holiness through the Bible...
Matthew 5:20 - For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Our holiness, our righteousness, is to be better than the church leaders of Jesus' day. We are not to model holiness with our actions and think any way we want. We are called to clean the inside as well as the outside.
Matthew 23:25-26 - 25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
We are called to holiness and to the extreme. In the sermon on the mount Jesus said;
Matthew 5:27-30 - 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Holiness is a process and we must strive to walk in holiness.
Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Do we, through God's grace, prepare our minds to be sinless?
1 Peter 1:13-16 - 13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
How about sharing some spiritual practices or ideas that we can all use to become more and more like our God - holy!
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11 comments:
I have found Philippians 3:12-15 very helpful.
v. 12 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold..." First, you have to accept that you're not perfect, that the sin nature still resides within. Realize that you are going to fail once in a while--confess it and move on. To dwell on a recently committed sin only makes it more likely to fall again.
v. 13 "...But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." If you sin, confess it and trust in Jesus' work on the cross and LET IT GO. Once confessed and forgiven, the sin should be allowed to fall away like a dead leaf; otherwise, mourning over it beyond the necessary time gives the sin renewed power--it remains on your mind, goading you to prove that you won't do it again. Instead, cultivate a thirst for healthy living. You won't desire the dirt and dust if you learn to enjoy water. Once I forgot what it felt like to be thirsty and became quite dehydrated; the same goes spiritually, I think. We can forget what it means to thirst for God, His blessings, His approval, and His design for us. Forget the sin and move forward to the oasis.
v. 15 "...And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you." Sanctification is not a solo project; this is something God does to you, for both you and Himself. As it says in Philippians 2:12-13, "...continue to work out your salvation in fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." We're supposed to work out what He first worked in, so to speak. You're not alone in this, so don't fret every minute of every day, "Am I holy? Am I holy now?" Such worry brings you back to what happened in the past and resurrects those old sins in your memory. If you're not on the right path, or if you're not quite who you should be, GOD will let you know; good friends do that sort of thing.
v. 16 "Only let us live up to what we have already attained." In the meantime, don't lose ground. If you've overcome some habit or way of thinking, keep doing that. As a pastor once said, "Keep on keeping on."
Bottom line: Don't dwell on the past; look to the future. Don't make yourself a daily punching bag; confess the sin and be done with it. Move on. Trust that Jesus is keeping track of your progress and that He's responsible for it. Be busy with healthy living. Enjoy the holiness you have thus far and hold your ground.
I like what you said Tom. i also find the following passage helpful as I confess my sins and live in the moment rather than in the past.
Titus 2:11-14 - 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
This is a response after reading the first paragraph.
See, that is the problem. You don't spend any time talking about sin and you want to get of the subject as to not "offend" anyone. The words of Jesus and the gospel IS an offense to the unregenerate.
Until the law of the Lord does its work and a sinner sees there shame and offense committed against a Holy, Righteous and Just God, they will in no form or fashion see the need for a Savior.
This is part and parcel the problem with most churches today. They want a candy-coated gospel, one that does not want to talk about sin or the ramifications of it. They don't want to talk about how the Lord commands us to repent and turn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This wasn't a call or wishful thinking on His part, it was a COMMAND.
Until the law has done its work and sinner has been converted, there is no use talking about holiness. Because apart from Christ there is no holiness. Apart from a life of sin repented of and a turning to Christ, there is no holiness.
Everyone wants to hover and talk about God as "love"; He is love, but most today focus entirely on this love and forget about or shun His other attributes. This is a problem indeed and until we stop focusing on "man" and turn our focus on "Christ", there will be no holiness.
Bob,
Not sure what post you were reading or where you're coming from my friend.
A discussion on holiness is not a discussion about overlooking sin but rather a discussion about removing sin - i.e. through grace ultimately and also through our walk with Jesus that causes us to desire the things of God rather then the desires of our sinful nature.
I think you jumped the gun a little. Grace is not a bad thing. Actually, because of the sinner that I am, without grace, I would be lost. As much as I want to remove sin from my life, it is only through grace that I can have any hope of overcoming the wage I have earned - death.
John 1:16 - From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
Acts 15:11 - No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
Holiness is a journey. Sanctification is the ongoing process of removing the stain of sin, becoming holy, through grace and God's ongoing work in our lives, enabling us to overcome sin in our personal lives.
Sorry if you thought we were being soft on sin my friend.
I apologize for sounding critical. It wasn't my intention to attack you and I was reading other blogs and may have gotten caught up in the fervor. It just seemed that the previous blog entry was a little unfinished. Maybe it was...it just seems folks just go on thinking what they will or want and never really come to grips with what the scriptures say. Especially since there is a MAJOR assult on the truths of scripture regarding sexuality in our society. I am a little testy to say the least lately after the poor showing at conference. I am just amazed at what is being done in the name of unity and what I see as just "fake" christianity and overly pious leaders not doing what they have been called to do.
Anyway, you are probably right, I jumped a little off the subject but, nevertheless I meant what I said and let me just clarify, it was a humble, honest assessment of what I see. I can and am wrong (sometimes often) however, it wasn't meant how it read; in a critical, un-caring way.
I am sorry if anyone was set back by its tone.
Thanks for your response.
Thanks Bob - the previous post is still up and the discussion is not over simply because we post another thought. I too am concerned with the direction our society is headed and believe the church needs to stand for the truth of God as found in the Scriptures. That is one reason our church will do a church-wide study this fall called The Truth Project - http://www.thetruthproject.org/. You and others are welcome to attend one of our studies if you would have the time.
I don't think anyone intends to be "soft on sin". I don't see that in any of the blog entries that I have read.
Ray, you asked about spiritual practices that move us in the direction of holiness. Here is my take on some ....
Holiness may be defined as a victory over sin.
When I think of holiness I think of really opening myself to the spirit working through me. I think of focusing my life on God’s unique purpose and following that path.
Some of the spiritual practices that draw us closer to holiness were discussed in the previous blog. In my mind they include:
• continuously discovering and working towards that unique purpose
• living up to the label “Christian” (all the time)
• being vulnerable in our relationships with those God puts in our path
• talking to God throughout the day (and listening to Him)
• thanking God
• asking for God’s forgiveness for our sins on an nongoing basis
• asking for God’s help
• admitting that we are not perfect
• reading scripture and applying it
• taking the risk to love the “outcast” and share Gods love with him or her
• listening to and respecting those with different perspectives and learning from them
I know it sounds like a laundry list but those are the things that came to mind when I thought about holiness.
Jan
I've been listening to Dennis Rainey's Family Life Broadcast daily on my MP3 player. Each day he and his guests give me practices and scriptures I can turn to to lead me towards holiness.
I have made some bad choices, some terrible choices. I have strayed in the worst of ways, but God still loves me. I stayed away from God. I was afraid, ashamed, and I felt unworthy of his love and grace. But, Romans 8:1 says (from http://biblecommenter.com/romans/8-1.htm): "There is {1} therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who {2} walk not after the {a} flesh, but after the Spirit.
I had condemned myself. The beauty of Christianity is that when we falter, we can get up again. We must get up again because Jesus was no quitter.
The commentary on the website explains that Jesus came to fulfill the law: There is therefore. The therefore points to the argument of chapter 7, which shows that in Christ we are delivered from sin and from the curse of the law.
No condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. As those in Christ have died with him, Ro 6:1-4, they have in him satisfied the law, and hence they cannot be under condemnation. He, the sinless One, was made sin for us; so we, forgiven through him, are made the righteousness of God in him (2Co 5:21). This blessed condition depends on a vital union with Christ. Baptized into Christ (Ro 6:3), we must walk in him, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
I thank God that He knows us so well that he knew our only salvation could come through His Son. My aspiration is to bring others to God by sharing His grace toward me and striving everyday to exhibit the fruits of holiness.
Being honest here, it was easier responding to the previous sin poll, I think we can all agree we are all sinners and fall well short, but have Jesus to find grace in. Holiness- Personal introspecting here-geez that takes a lot more personal effort daily ,both short and long term (at least for me) to want to put the hard work in to achieve such.
But, oh how easily I find time 7-days a week to workout, both weight training & cardio training, as well as eating healthy, etc, (do I see vanity?) , if I only took the same obedience in my spiritual training. Anyone else out there with the same concerns?
J. Gorman
As was mentioned in the sermon today, Balaam was so blinded by his desire, his agenda, that he couldn't see God in his path.
I believe that we become so engrossed with our desires and wants that we often are blind to God trying to reach out to us.
One of the spiritual disciplines that helps me strive to keep my eyes open is listening to podcasts from teachers/preachers I respect. As I commute or sit in my prayer closet I listen and strive to put into practice the truths they share. I often listen to Ravi Zacharias, Andy Stanley, James Dobson and Josh McDowell and others.
I also have our sermons at Mt. Oak on my iPod and listen to them from time to time.
Dione Says....
I stole this one from Chris Adomanis (sorry Chris). I have noticed over the last .....hmmmmmmmmmmmm I don't know 7-8 years that Chris repeats the name Jesus while he is praying or walking around. I have alway looked up to Chris as a man who is in pursuit of loving and chasing God. So about two years ago I started to put this into practice in my own walk.
There is something about that name Jesus. It is the sweetest name I know. (Kirk Franklin song there). It is so true. I find my self being more Chris like when I am just dwelling on the name of Jesus. When a thought pops in my head that is far from Christ, instead of me trying to just stop thinking about it I will say "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" over and over again. Evey time and I mean every time I do this my thoughts turn towards Christ. This ,most times, lead me to pray, sing, or think upon His word.
I know this isn't some deep spiritual practice but using the K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid) helps me to renew my mind Rom 12:1-2. I hope this helps someone as it has helped me countless times. Thanks Chris and praise to Jesus Christ my Lord.
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