I think that most disciples of Christ acknowledge that God calls His people to holiness. 1 Peter 1:15-16 is clear enough that we understand that God calls me to holiness. Psalm 24:3-4 is also clear that the only one that can approach the holy throne of God is those who have clean hands and a pure heart. Jesus blessed those who are pure in heart by saying that they would see God (Matthew 5:8). The Bible also calls us to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ and His example was one of perfection (1 Peter 2:21-22). Paul said wrote that the Corinthians were to follow his example as he followed the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
So in theory we know that God calls to holiness. We know that the people of God are to flee from sin (Romans 6). We know that we are to set our affections on Christ above (Colossians 3:1-4). We are to strive for holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We read passages such as 1 Peter 2:11-12 and agree that they are good and right.
Yet theory is not practice. To simply hold to a theory of holiness is not enough. Strange how I have met "holiness" people who are not holy. I have met people who ascribed to a theology of holiness yet were not living holy lives. They looked, acted, loved, adored, and were striving for the same things as the worldly-minded church. They wanted to sip their latte and shake their head to some "worship" music but they didn't want to be holy. They wanted to read their study Bible but never practice what the Bible says. They wanted to "share their testimony" with the lost but didn't even have the strength to exhort sinners to flee the wrath to come. They want to have a theory of holiness in which they say that Christ is their holiness and He is their salvation without actually repenting of their sins and being holy themselves. They talk about holiness in some circles but then they sit at their computer screen or movie screen and fill their minds with filth, compromise, and worldliness.
Oh to be holy! Oh for a people of holiness to rise up and preach the gospel! Oh for saints to truly be saints (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). I am so thankful for Jesus shedding His blood for my sins (Galatians 1:4). I rejoice in Isaiah 53:11, that I am justified before God because of the work of the Lord Jesus. Nothing can take from His work and nothing can add to His work (Galatians 1:6-9). Truly Jesus is my salvation (John 19:30; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
However, this doesn't negate holiness. Holiness is still required. Just as God called His people to holiness in the Old Testament (Leviticus 11:44-45), so He calls His people to holiness in the New Testament (1 Peter 1:15-16). The blessing of the gospel is that holiness is now accomplished not by my keeping the laws of the Old Testament but by keeping the law of Christ (Galatians 5:24-25). We now are empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:16-17) to be holy. We have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20; 6:14). We are to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). The wages of sin remains death (Romans 6:23) and we are to flee from sin (Galatians 6:7-8). The one who lives for their flesh will die (Romans 8:12-13).
The call then must be repent of our sins! We must bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8). We must turn from our wicked ways (Ezekiel 18:30-31). We must call sinners to repentance (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30-31). We must reveal to sinners the greatness of God in His giving of His Son for our sins (Romans 2:4). We must call sinners to repent and take up their cross and follow Jesus (Luke 14:25-35). We must call the people of God back to holiness not just in theory but in practice. Theory is useless with the practice of holiness (1 John 2:3-6). We must warn the saints of God to flee from sin (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and to be holy (1 John 3:6-10).
I pray to God that He would empower us to holiness (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Oh for holiness to be preached in the power of the Holy Spirit!
This post was written by the Seeking Disciple. For the original post, go to: https://arminiantoday.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/dont-be-holy-in-theory-only/
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
So in theory we know that God calls to holiness. We know that the people of God are to flee from sin (Romans 6). We know that we are to set our affections on Christ above (Colossians 3:1-4). We are to strive for holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We read passages such as 1 Peter 2:11-12 and agree that they are good and right.
Yet theory is not practice. To simply hold to a theory of holiness is not enough. Strange how I have met "holiness" people who are not holy. I have met people who ascribed to a theology of holiness yet were not living holy lives. They looked, acted, loved, adored, and were striving for the same things as the worldly-minded church. They wanted to sip their latte and shake their head to some "worship" music but they didn't want to be holy. They wanted to read their study Bible but never practice what the Bible says. They wanted to "share their testimony" with the lost but didn't even have the strength to exhort sinners to flee the wrath to come. They want to have a theory of holiness in which they say that Christ is their holiness and He is their salvation without actually repenting of their sins and being holy themselves. They talk about holiness in some circles but then they sit at their computer screen or movie screen and fill their minds with filth, compromise, and worldliness.
Oh to be holy! Oh for a people of holiness to rise up and preach the gospel! Oh for saints to truly be saints (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). I am so thankful for Jesus shedding His blood for my sins (Galatians 1:4). I rejoice in Isaiah 53:11, that I am justified before God because of the work of the Lord Jesus. Nothing can take from His work and nothing can add to His work (Galatians 1:6-9). Truly Jesus is my salvation (John 19:30; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
However, this doesn't negate holiness. Holiness is still required. Just as God called His people to holiness in the Old Testament (Leviticus 11:44-45), so He calls His people to holiness in the New Testament (1 Peter 1:15-16). The blessing of the gospel is that holiness is now accomplished not by my keeping the laws of the Old Testament but by keeping the law of Christ (Galatians 5:24-25). We now are empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:16-17) to be holy. We have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20; 6:14). We are to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). The wages of sin remains death (Romans 6:23) and we are to flee from sin (Galatians 6:7-8). The one who lives for their flesh will die (Romans 8:12-13).
The call then must be repent of our sins! We must bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8). We must turn from our wicked ways (Ezekiel 18:30-31). We must call sinners to repentance (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30-31). We must reveal to sinners the greatness of God in His giving of His Son for our sins (Romans 2:4). We must call sinners to repent and take up their cross and follow Jesus (Luke 14:25-35). We must call the people of God back to holiness not just in theory but in practice. Theory is useless with the practice of holiness (1 John 2:3-6). We must warn the saints of God to flee from sin (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and to be holy (1 John 3:6-10).
I pray to God that He would empower us to holiness (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Oh for holiness to be preached in the power of the Holy Spirit!
This post was written by the Seeking Disciple. For the original post, go to: https://arminiantoday.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/dont-be-holy-in-theory-only/
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
RSS Feed