referencing Be Ye Holy

Yesterday, we established that God’s character and essence is holiness and holiness is nothing less than a conformity to the character of God; a conformity to the image of Christ. The process of holiness is summed up in this scripture:

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4: 22-24 NIV

Taking off the old self and putting on the new self. Period. Sounds simple right? And if holiness is that elementary why don’t Christians experience more of it? Why do many of us feel constantly defeated in our struggle with sin? Why does the church often seem more conformed to the world than to the character of God?

Putting off the old self

Although this statement sounds cliché, it is far from that. Putting off the old self involves many actionable/ practical steps that a Christian can undertake. The first is to consider yourself dead to sin.

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6: 11 NASB

This is a deep acknowledgment that you no longer have a sinful nature because you are now in Christ and affirming this knowledge in your life through your actions. This brings to mind an article I read about how elephants are tamed/trained.

The baby elephant is shackled to a secure pole with strong ropes and after pulling and twisting, and tugging, it realizes it cannot break free and stops resisting. This process is  repeated until the state of bondage becomes engrained in the elephant. Eventually, the chains are replaced with a simple rope that is usually not tethered to anything. But because the elephant becomes so accustomed to being held back, the untethered rope keeps the animal in check. The elephant considers itself in bondage although, in reality, it is free. Can you see the parallel?

This is what Jesus did for us: “He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains” Psalm 107:14 NIV. We are truly free from the oppression and bondage of sin. But do you truly know that you are free? Believe you are free? Or is it just a lofty thing you read about in the bible?

Once you come to the realization of this deep truth that you are free from sin, that you are no longer controlled by your sinful nature, and you do not have to succumb to the pressure of every temptation, you have began the process of the renewing of the mind; a vital step in the process of holiness.

So I repeat, consider yourself dead to sin! This means not toying with the notions of anything that defies the absolute moral perfection of God. It means a willingness to call sin “sin” and not categorize sin into what is unacceptable and what can be tolerated a little bit. It also means not playing with temptations by entertaining the thoughts that we can always confess and ask for forgiveness later. This brings me to the second point about putting off the old self.

Remember that holiness is a conformity to the character of God and one of the inherent characteristics of holiness is that it hates sin. We may make excuses for our sin or trivialize them but the reality is that God hates our sins. He does not say, “this is a small sin so I will overlook it”.

He hates all sin and to put off the old self means to cultivate in our heart the same hatred for sin that God has.

Frequent contemplation of God’s holiness and His hatred for sin should deter us from messing with sin. Remember Joseph, when faced with an appealing temptation to sleep with his master’s wife, said:

How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? Genesis 39:9 NIV

Dear readers, let’s take some time to settle these two issues in our hearts: Do you live this Christian life reckoning that you are no longer bound by sin or are you constantly feeling the blows of defeat to the same sins you confess over and over again? Will you begin to consider and believe it as final that sin has no control over you? Will you begin to look at sin as an offense against the very nature of God? Will you begin to develop a hatred in your heart for those sins that you cannot seem to shake? Will your confession about sin be, “how can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

Stay tuned for more on the holiness series and be intentional in living out your faith.

P.S. Feel free to comment below so others are blessed by your insights too.

 

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Be Ye Holy

Holiness is such an interesting concept and sometimes, it is presented like it is something you can conjure up; like it is a quality you should have simply because you gave your life to Christ. However, many a christian will agree with me that the realization of holiness in the life of a person appears to be for the most part, unattainable. But why? Lets break holiness down into its fundamentals…

Holiness is not the same as righteousness.

Righteousness is to be in right standing with God; free from guilt and sin. It is also known as justification. Justification (righteousness) is by grace, through faith and comes to us by way of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.

And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,   and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24 Berean Study Bible

We are righteous because of Jesus. Period. We cannot do anything to make ourselves righteous because our own righteousness is comparable to filthy rags and does not measure up in the presence of His majesty. Holiness  on the other hand, is a different ball game all together. Where righteousness is a state of being,  holiness is a transformative process where you become more like God. Holiness is the very nature, the very essence of God. God’s Holiness is as necessary as His existence and we cannot separate one from the other.

One cannot become more like God without God as the author  and architect of that process; hence, no one can attain a degree of holiness without God. God makes it possible for us to walk in holiness but we must do the walking. Let’s look at this scripture carefully:

But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16 Berean Study Bible

This passage of scripture does not minimize our responsibility. As Jerry Bridges states in his book, the pursuit of holiness, some Christians are quick to talk of the provision made by Jesus Christ’s death and relinquish the process of holiness to God. Others simply do not understand the distinction between God’s provision and our own responsibility for holiness.

Unlike righteousness, where Jesus did all the work, in holiness we do some of the work.

Pursue peace with all men, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 Berean Study Bible

The word pursue suggests that it is a process; not something to be acquired like a trophy. As Jerry Bridges put it, as we begin to conform to the will of God in one area of our life, God reveals to us our failings in another area. In essence, the more you want to become like God, the more refining you will have to go through. So how can we be holy?

The idea of exactly how to be holy has in many instances, been misrepresented. To some, holiness is obeying a long list of prohibitions- usually in the area of smoking, drinking, sexuality, dressing, mannerisms, and associations, and this list varies depending on  religious grouping or church denomination. While some of these ideas are accurate to an extent, they miss the true concept of holiness and are in danger of  following the model of the Pharisees with their endless lists of do’s and don’ts and self-righteousness. So then, what does it really mean to be holy?

As you journey with me through the intentionality of living a holy life, I pray that you make the deep commitment to walk this journey faithfully by allowing God’s Spirit to convict and challenge you  as he will me, to do whatever it takes to pursue holiness.

Stay tuned for the rest of this series and be intentional in living out your faith!

P.S. check out Jerry Bridges’ book, the pursuit of holiness.

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The Evidence of Love

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I love you Lord” but deep down you are not really sure if you even know what that means? Well…that is me 99.9% of the time. However, today I discovered that I can finally put the question of whether I truly love God or not to rest with this simple test:

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. 2 John 1:6a NIV

Wow! this actually stopped me in my tracks!

The evidence of the love we have for God is found in our obedience. To rephrase, obedience is the inertia (the driving force) of our love. It is the vessel that carries out the intent of our love.  It is the donkey that carries a triumphant Jesus into Jerusalem.  A scripture comes to mind:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son… John 3:16 KJV

The intent of this love was that Jesus, would pay the ultimate sacrifice to redeem us back to God. However, if Jesus had not been obedient, the purpose for that love would have never been fulfilled.

He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:8 NLT

We sing wonderful songs of the love that motivated Christ to die for us and that is amazing. But let me tell you,  it was obedience that sealed the transaction of love the day an agonizing Jesus carried His old rugged cross up to Golgotha. Jesus had a choice (authority) to lay his life down and take it up again and that day, He was intentional in His obedience  to choose you and I (read John 10:18).

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19 NIV

The victory of salvation and redemption came through the obedience of Jesus. This is why you cannot speak of a victorious christian life outside of obedience. As one of my readers said, obedience is key. But I digress…

Jesus testified to His love for God in His obedience:

But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. John 14:31 Berean Study Bible

So I leave you with this thought: To love is to obey and to obey is to love. Be intentional.

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Why marry a Godly person? Part 2

So a couple of days ago, I started this series; “Why marry a Godly person” to share what God taught me about the topic and one of my readers requested I finish it. So here goes… The second reason why we must not be equally yoked with unbelievers is a lot more abstract than the first; which was to build your house (marriage) on the rock.

I’ll attempt to explain the second reason from the scripture:

Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? James 4:5 NIV

When you became born again, God’s Spirit took up residence in your heart with a promise never to leave you or forsake you. This Spirit gives you the right to have a father-son/daughter relationship with God Himself!

And he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. 2 Corinthians 1:22 NLT

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 NLT

God’s Holy Spirit in you is a guarantee that you will receive everything he has promised including eternal life (Read Ephesians 1:14). In other words, God does not take the deposition and disposition of his Spirit in us lightly. He jealously longs after his Spirit. Dare I say, He jealously guards and watches over his Spirit in you. Now what has this got to do with marriage?

Sex is a spiritual transaction that unites body, soul, and spirit. It is why two become one in marriage. Unfortunately, that equation works whether the union is between two married christians, or a one night stand, or a believer-unbeliever duo. The only force, strong enough to undo the transactions of sex, is the Word of God. Remember the Word of God divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow…. so if you have had multiple sexual partners, all is not lost… but I digress.

As I was saying, whenever there is a sexual union, there is an exchange that has the potential to contaminate your spirit; the new Spirit that God Himself has given you; the Spirit of Redemption, the Spirit that he jealously yearns for. And God does not like that. So now in the light of this, lets read the anchor scripture from which this discussion stems:

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1 NIV

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Why marry a Godly person? Part 1

When it comes to marriage, I consider myself a bit of a novice since I’ve only been married for a minute; so I generally tend to stay away from dishing out marriage advice. However, a few weeks ago, God taught me something I’d like to share.

So the question today is, “Why is it important to marry a Godly person?” The obvious answer is because the bible says we should not be equally yoked with unbelievers… and rightly so! But why? Two answers. The simpler answer: FOUNDATION

This brings to mind a parable: the parable of the wise and foolish builders. At the risk of oversimplification, it is said that the wise man built his house on rock and when the rain and wind beat upon the house it remained firmly planted. The foolish man, on the other hand, built his house on sand and that house could not withstand the forces of nature (Matthew 7:24-28).

Jesus is our firm and solid foundation; a foundation described as the rock on which we build our lives, our loves, our hopes, our dreams. A christian whose heart is sold out in obedience to the word of God brings a foundation that is solid rock to a marriage. The unbelieving partner brings sand.

But the wicked [ungodly, unbeliever] are like a surging sea that is unable to be quiet; its waves toss up mud and sand. Isaiah 57:20 NET

Here’s the simple mathematics:

Rock + Rock = a firm, sure, and solid foundation for a house (marriage) that will stand the test and trials of life.

Rock + Sand = a potentially unstable foundation for a house (marriage) with an uncertain future.

Let me tell you a parable of my own…

There was once a little piggy that built her house with sand and the big bad wolf came and huffed and puffed and blew her house down. But her sister was wiser. She built with rock so when the big bad wolf (satan) came, he huffed and puffed… and huffed and puffed.. and huffed and puffed… but could never blow the house (marriage) down. And I know this because…

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11 NIV