Yesterday I talked about the concept of the pursuit of holiness. I think that “pursuit” is a good word to use in this case, for two reasons:
(1) 100% holiness will not be achieved through our efforts. As long as we are in the flesh, we won’t be purely holy. All we can do is pursue it.
(2 The idea of movement needs to be included. Let me illustrate why, using an illustration inspired by a recording I heard of a Jeff Walling presentation at the Tulsa Workshop.
First, let’s lay out a continuum, with immorality and holiness as the two endpoints:
Then let’s place two markers on the continuum, one representing the world and one representing the church:
Typically, what the church seeks to do is to use the world as a reference, then seek to be a little bit holier than the world. Our holiness comes to be defined by what we don’t do. (Like the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18) As we resist the influences of the world, we take our stand just to one side of it.
But what happens when the world moves?
The church tends to move with it. I could give myriad examples, but surely we know it’s true. It happens with bad things… and even with good things. In many ways, the world moved ahead of the church in the area of civil rights, for example. The current emphasis on social justice arose from humanists, then spread to the church.
The point is, we can’t just seek to maintain the status quo. That’s next to impossible. We need to be actively moving toward holiness, seeking the fruit of the Spirit, imitating Christ, pursuing godliness. If not, we’ll slowly drift along with the world, maybe not as far, but drifting all the same.
Actually, aren’t you referring to living holy lives? As I read Scripture, God made us holy when He called us to follow Him and we answered that call. Now, we need to live worthy of that calling. It may seem a distinction without a difference, but it moves holy living from earning our relationship to living/showing our relationship. Of course, living holy lives is not optional for Christians, but if we do it to avoid Hell, it seems to me we’ve missed the whole point of holiness (which, I fear, we have, to some degree).
As always, a well thought out, thought provoking post.
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Robert, that’s an excellent question, one I wrestled with as I wrote the post. There is a sense in which the only holiness I have is imputed, that is, it’s Jesus’ holiness applied to me. Yet there is also the sense in which the New Testament says: “Be holy.”
In one sense, all Christians are holy, for God has made us holy. In another sense, we can be holy, just as Paul told Titus that “holy” was one of the things to look in men for the eldership. (Titus 1:8)
In the end, I think it is what you say. As a holy people, we are to live holy lives.
Grace and peace,
Tim Archer
It seems to me that we are already holy thru the inclusion in the body of Christ. Is there a way to become more holy than that? I sure would love to hear how that can be.
Is there a way to measure holiness? I would love to hear that one as well. Now since God looks at us thru the finished work of the Cross, is there any way imaginable that would improve our status with what we happen to think or do? Of course not.
We are at the pinnacle of perfection thru the faith OF Christ, His faith in His completed work, not our faith or our attempt at “holiness” I am often amazed at the lack of willingness to accept our completeness. This is what the Bible says, “We are complete in him” My God, just accept your position, rejoice in it, be happy that you know you have it, share what gift you have with others, Grace.
Holy living, I’m discovering, is much easier said than done (I guess that’s why the grace of God is so important for all of us). That aspect of holiness which calls on us to be separate from the world is, I must confess, quite the challenge. I’m not referring to “not sinning.” Rather, I’m thinking about the other aspects of our lives that reflect the degree to which we separate ourselves from the world: what we watch (movies, TV, live performances), what we listen to (music, talk radio, politicians and other polemicists), what we read (IF we still read), with whom we associate socially, etc.
Our relationship to the culture around us is more important than we imagine. I’m sure most of us spend far more time absorbing secular culture than we do assembling as God’s family and immersing ourselves in God’s Word. What we absorb matters: for me, at least, I find that the bad things that enter my brain stay there much, much longer than the good things. Once I experience something through my senses, I can’t forget it (I think that’s how God made us). Hence, holy living requires me to be very careful about how I interact with the culture around me. As someone who enjoys good literature, good movies and good music, that’s a challenge, and a struggle.
I hope that, as you discuss living a holy life, you touch on the questions that we tend to avoid: what criteria should we have for determining how to spend our entertainment dollars? What should be involved in my budget setting? How much house is appropriate? What does my choice of car say about my values? These are definitely hot wire questions for us, and I wouldn’t dare tell another person what s/he should buy. However, I do believe that, if we are to engage in holy living as Jesus calls us, we must look in the mirror and address these as individuals and families.
If this is a threadjack, just call “rathole.”
Excellent thoughts, Robert. If we move away from the idea of merely having a transaction with God and focus on having a relationship with Him, we have to wrestle with such ideas.
Grace and peace,
Tim
H.B.,
Thank you for illustrating the transactional view of God that I rejected last post.
I have trouble keeping up with which books of the Bible you deem worthy of our attention, but I thought Paul was an acceptable writer to you. Paul talks a LOT about how we should live. If he approached things as you do, he wouldn’t have done that.
Grace and peace,
Tim
I just began to read a novel by Anne Rice entitled Christ the Lord out of Egypt.
Its early in my read but I want to draw a parallel with what Robert wrote about.
The walk of Jesus as pointed out in the above statement is a holy walk by God who walked among us. Trying to live in this world, with all of the trappings of this life does indeed stay with us longer than we’d like. Everyone clicks tongues about the sexual behavior, but what about the violence. I believe this is much more dangerous if compared to sex. Violence is so much more dangerous, but its hardly ever talked about compared to other juicy topics.
Now my parallel in that this novel exposes the reality of living in a dangerous world.
This of course is why Jesus ends up in Egypt for a good portion of his childhood.
Being too dangerous to return to till they hear about the death of Herod.
Violence grips Israel and Jeruselem to the point of Jews being scattered
all across the Mediterranean. The excitement of his death and the return of the Jews for Passover we find Jesus and his extended family finally coming back.
We in our busy lives often lose sight of what is really important. Loving one another, loving our families and looking after each other, sometimes protecting each other from violence. We do indeed live in a dangerous world. For some living is more dangerous in certain communities than others. I can attest, my home and my office, both being robbed and trespassed.
Tim: I think at times folks refuse to look at what or where Paul draws some of his insight. He was never married, never had kids, was a Pharisee, an EXTREMELY
religious sect. Not to mention how he viewed women, slavery, the Roman empire.
Yes, your right I do consider some books more important than others and I imagine you do too. You can’t put Leviticus, Book of Ruth, Song of Solomon in the same light as Romans, Ephesians, Galations, and Phillipians. Not to say, you can’t learn from these books, for it is the word of God. But emphasis must be placed on books that are important to us living today. I don’t see stoning as a rule of law for adultry, feasible punishment for today, do you? The covenant of curse and blessing found in the early books absolutely have no place in the body of Christ and in this age of Grace.
Let’s see, H.B. You want to be Christian, but not follow Christ’s teachings. You want to be a follower of Christ without trying to live like Him. You want to pick and choose among Paul’s writings, taking the parts that give you warm fuzzies and leaving the rest. And you reject Peter, James, John, Jude, Luke, Matthew, Mark and John as not knowing what you know.
Sorry, I’m not interested in worshiping myself and my intellect. I’ll stick with the faith revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
I’m rediscovering God’s word in my old age. As a “lifer,” I grew up with proof texts and Bibles marked with chain verses. Twenty years ago, I knew all the answers. Today, I’m finally starting to understand the questions. One of the things that’s helped out is a new (for me) way of reading the Bible.
While there’s a time and place for using it as a research tool (and pulling out all my Accordance/Olive Tree reference materials), there’s also a need simply to read it. When I read a gospel and read what God says, not what I wish He’d say, I discover a lot. I’ve discovered a Jesus who really did get tired and irritable (just like me), who wanted down time but couldn’t find it (just like me), who had to put up with disciples and apostles who were just like me…which gives me hope that I can become just like them.
When I read Proverbs, I wince when I consider how often God is calling me a fool, but it gives me hope: I’m not the only one with my attitude problems, and God is showing me how to fix them.
Perhaps, in the Church, we’ve put the cart before the horse. Before we can ask, “What does God mean?” we should be asking, “What does God say?” In my own life (and, I suspect, in the lives of others), we’re held back from the pursuit of holiness/godliness by our failure to read for ourselves and to struggle with what we read. We think of the Bible as an instruction manual; it is just as much a memoir by God of His dealings with us and His expectations and hopes for us…and, ultimately, isn’t holiness really all about making our Daddy proud?
I am sure you are aware that the distinction between having been set apart by God when we are saved (primary sanctification) and holy living (secondary sanctification) which is a progressive thing accomplished through us by the HS has been discussed in a number of systematic theologies. One example might be Louis Berkhof’s one volume work – and he died in 1957.
FWIW,
Randall
The problem I have with this term “holiness” is that we are trying to apply it to us.
By definition is this being a holy man, someone who is holy by what standards.
Since we are but filthy rags, what is our intent to be holy. Is it for the purpose of others to see our walk in holiness? God says there is none good no not one. It seems as though it is for our personal admiration. I find that anyone who declares himself holy is not only fooling others but himself as well.
H.B., the words you find offensive are from the Bible
Romans 6:19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
2 Corinthians 7:1 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.
Ephesians 4:24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
1 Timothy 2:2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
1 Timothy 2:15 But women will be saved through childbearing — if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
Once again, the problems you have come from buying into a doctrine of men and despising God’s teachings. Can’t you see how this delusion makes you explain away teaching after teaching from the Bible? Do the hard work, study the Bible without that dispensationalist veil, and try to let it speak for itself, rather than imposing your own wishes on it.
Grace and peace,
Tim Archer
Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.