The Pursuit of Holiness

In our personal and corporate pursuit of holiness, God leads us to walk a narrow road with dangerous cliffs on either side. To the right of God's holy way, legalism seeks to pull us into pits of spiritual pride and to the left, lawlessness entices us to slip into depths of spiritual sloth. The same dangers have faced the church from the beginning. God inspired Paul to warn the church in Corinth about the "leaven of lawlessness" (1 Corinthians 5:1-8) and the church in Galatia about the "leaven of legalism" (Galatians 5:1-14). God warns us that allowing even a little of either will trip us up in our pursuit of holiness. So, with this in mind, let's look at God's narrow way ahead.

God's expectations for His people: Holiness and Fruitfulness

Texts: 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Matthew 23:25-26; John 15:16

What would happen if, in an effort to increase enlistment, an army lowered its standards to the point that virtually nothing was expected of soldiers? Imagine the boot camp announcement- "Good morning - We're having drill today, and you are all invited. We would love to have you, but hey, if you're not in the mood this morning, that's okay. Have a great day!" Or later perhaps..."Hey, we're going to battle, but if you want to go the beach, it is okay. It is your call in the new Army." Such a low expectation army might grow larger, particularly if paychecks came no matter what, but would an army like that be able to fulfill its mission in the world? How safe would you feel guarded by such an army?

I am all for growing the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, but I am concerned that too often, in an effort to grow the ranks, churches lower their standards. This seems more like Satan's strategy to grow the world in the church than God's strategy to grow the church in the world. Following such a course results in churches that look no different, in terms of character, than the world around them, and such churches are unfit to fulfill their mission in the world. God expects, that is requires, His people to live up to His exceptionally high standards of holiness and fruitfulness. He requires us to be without a trace of moral impurity within and without. Thankfully, He does not require us to do it in our strength.

God's provisions for His people: Holy Savior and Holy Spirit

Texts: Luke 1:68-75; Philippians 2:13; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-25

God knows that our very best falls short of His expectations. Thankfully, Jesus' very best did not. He perfectly fulfilled God's perfect expectations and then in obedience to God's will offered Himself up as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. In short, God's perfect love moved Him to satisfy the demands of His perfect justice that He might show His people perfect mercy. So, who are His people? Well, God invites everyone, no matter how relatively good or bad they have lived, to come just as they are to Christ for the forgiveness of and cleansing from all sin. He gives everyone who comes to Christ a right standing before Him. The Bible says that we are "clothed in Christ's righteousness" before God. Our sin and shame are mercifully covered by His goodness and that spiritual reality in the heavens changes our life on earth. We do not behave well enough to earn God's favor, and we never will. God gives us His favor in Christ and receiving that gift changes the way we live. We could say our standing in heaven impacts our walk on earth. It is a bit like Elvis impersonators. Here is what I mean. People who dress up like Elvis sadly begin to take on His mannerisms...thank you very much, and thankfully people who are clothed in Christ and thus indwelt by God's Holy Spirit are inspired and empowered to take on His holy characteristics. This is a patient, at times painful, process, but it is the inevitable fruit of saving grace. Those who sell heaven without holiness sell counterfeit cheap grace. Grace that actually saves lives actually transforms lives. As it has been said many times...God loves us enough to accept us right where He finds us, but He loves us too much to leave us there. So, clothed in Christ and indwelt by God's empowering Spirit, what is our role?

God's conditions for His people: Reliance and Repentance

Texts: John 15:1-8; 2 Chronicles 7:13-14; 1 Corinthians 9:25-27; Hebrews 12:1-14

We are to prayerfully rely on Christ as our Savior and humbly obey Him as our Lord. This includes praying privately, passionately and purposefully for the experiential holiness we lack. This also requires discipline from within and without. The Bible says athletes discipline their bodies for perishable wreaths and honor. We are to discipline ours, individually and corporately, for God's honor and His imperishable purposes. God works within each of us to will and work for His good pleasure, and when we humbly follow His lead the result is self-discipline. When we don't, He works within those around us to prompt them to help us move forward. When those around us follow His lead, it results in loving church-discipline that brings restoration and holiness. When none of that works, God lovingly, though often painfully, disciplines us Himself - not to harm us but to heal us and make us holy. God's love for us is perfect and continuous, even when He is "pruning" us for greater fruitfulness. We are to rely on God primarily and each other secondarily, and we are to repent (turn) from all the sin God brings to our awareness. This is a constant, lifelong process, and we will not cross some holiness finish line this side of heaven. We will never arrive at perfect sanctification (experiential character holiness) until we arrive in paradise, where there is no sin. We need to also keep in mind that this lifelong process is the fruit of God's gift of salvation - not the root (or source) of our salvation. We will always need to fully rely on Christ's finished work for our standing before God - rather than on God's ongoing work in and through our lives. As we do, God will make us increasingly holy as He is holy.