Fri, Jan 29th - 5:35PM

God's Imperative

Christian Holiness

“... it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  1Pet. 1:16”

Holiness is not the exclusive property of those groups and movements who teach it and seek to promote it.  Nor is it a concept or a practice that is limited to those with an Arminian theological persuasion, which is generally held by those professing holiness of life and heart in their Christian experience.  Holiness rightly belongs to and is required of all who claim to know Christ in the orthodox, historical and re-born way.  Some of the greatest proponents of practical holiness as taught and commanded in the New Testament were English Reformers, Non-Conformists (in relation to the Church of England) and Puritans of that same era.  A later preacher of holiness was the Englishman, Charles Spurgeon.  These men were essentially Calvinistic in their theological underpinnings, and yet the practical teachings and exhortations of their contemporary descendants often bear little likeness to what they taught in the past. Today’s “Reformed” pastors are generally in agreement with those classic doctrines of election and grace as enumerated in the Westminster Confession, but often their parishioners live no differently than many of their Evangelical, Baptist and Charismatic brethren.  What would be the advantage then, of teaching a “superior” doctrinal system, if the people receiving it do not show more of Christ to the world than their non-Reformed brethren?  True Biblical separation in contemporary churches in America has long gone by the wayside, to be replaced with a pragmatism that easily blends elements of Biblical truth with world-originated concepts for Christian living.

            It is very interesting how we cherish our diverse doctrines today, as though they were banners of the different sports teams of our various educational institutions.  “I am Calivinist!”  I’m a dispensationalist!”  “I believe in the gifts of the Spirit for today!”  But the Apostle Paul condemns the Corinthians for this very partisanship: 

For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?  1Cor. 3:3,4

Rather, Paul instructs Timothy in the simple doctrine of holiness:

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness...  1Tim 6:3

Why doesn’t the apostle spell out this “doctrine of godliness” for us in a systematic manner, as our scholarly theologians have, so painstakingly done for us?  We know that Paul did write a very systematized and comprehensive treatise on Christian doctrine in the first eight chapters of his Epistle to the Romans.  But, I fear that we have missed the very essence of what He was conveying when I observe what is generally occurring in the churches today.  I see the prideful adherence to doctrinal systems largely formulated by men, while at the same time there are great masses who attend these “sound” churches that are leading morally, very compromised lives, and increasingly being led astray by creeping “doctrines of demons” (yoga, psychology, Catholic Mysticism, ecumenism, etc.) at the very same time.  Any doctrine or doctrinal system that does not engender or produce practical holiness in the lives of Christians is false, no matter how “orthodox” it may seem, or how much it may conform to some “confession” or convention in theory.  If our emphasis on “election” or “eternal security,” at the expense of godliness and holiness, and somehow leads us into a state of spiritual lethargy, then it is wrong doctrine! 

A superficial interest in the things of God accompanied by a preoccupation with worldly entertainment, sports and music, as well as manifestations of carnality such as gossip, cliques, immodest (and gender inappropriate) dress, etc., plainly reveal the spiritual condition of the church today.   Bible Studies in which deeper teachings on practical godliness are often glossed over with an imbalance toward “positional” truths to the exclusion of practical, righteous living do nothing but help to foster a self-justified spiritual complacency in our contemporary churches.  My spirit groans within me as I see the fruit of this in the lives of people subject to diluted instruction on holiness presented by men who lack the true power of holiness in their lives.  These are blatant signs of an anemic Christianity hiding behind a fragile and bloodless cross positioned on their steeples, and hanging at the front of their sanctuaries. 

The Biblical argument for holiness is often countered with a distinction between inward and outward righteousness.  I ask you, can one exist without the other?  Can we say that we truly belong to Christ and love Him, while simultaneously living in a manner that is inconsistent with that profession of faith, and clearly after the old, Adamic nature?  I do not assert that a genuine believer is not capable of slipping into sin, but living in a continuous state of double-mindedness before God and others is certainly not pleasing to Him, nor is it worthy of the calling upon his life.  Furthermore, to teach professing Christians a doctrine that is entirely centered around the unmerited gift of justification from sin, while withholding the corresponding obligation of that justified one to live up to the privilege of that salvation, is to do much harm to all believers, whether they are genuine or not.

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.  2Tim. 2:19

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  Rom. 8:12-14

Holiness of living is not some option presented to the Christian upon his rebirth in the spirit.  Rather, it is a necessity for a number of reasons.  First, it is a confirmation of a genuine conversion of the heart.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall...2Pet. 1:10

The reality that inward desires having changed, and that outward living must conform to the new desires for righteous living is, part and parcel to the authentic Christian message and experience.  The notion, and the erroneous teaching that (supposed) holiness of heart can exist apart from godly behavior that emanates from it is clearly a false, antinomian gospel. [1]  The New Testament Scripture reasons along these lines:

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.  Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.  Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.  Jas. 2:14-26

Therefore, the imperative for practical holiness to accompany positional sanctification and inward piety does not negate justification by grace, nor the sovereign election of the believer by God.  These truths, which are established throughout the New Testament, all stand together and cannot be taught individually, in total isolation from each other.  To do so would be to nullify vast portions of the Bible, and to radically alter and cheapen the essential nature of saving grace.  Taken together they comprise the “whole counsel of God.”

Obedience to God’s moral precepts is not Optional

Consistent holiness of living is not some option for the one professing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as many churches and their doctrines seem to imply.  God says that we are to be holy in all manner of conversation. 1Pet. 1:15,16  We don’t grow in holiness merely by the intellectual study of positional truths to stimulate our idle, curious minds.  We study the Bible so that we can obey it, as the very commands of God to us.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  Rom. 6:12-16

The obedience spoken of in these verses is not merely mental assent to propositional truth, or the impartation of some supposed positional sanctification.  Rather, it is an obligation to the one who has been truly justified by faith to live a practically righteous life consistent with the legal righteousness that has been freely imparted to him.  How sad it is that such a simple truth has eluded an entire generation of modern believers and their shepherds!  One is embarrassed on their behalf of the necessity to impart these fundamental elements of the Gospel that were not overlooked by true saints in former periods of Church history.  Where have we come in our contemporary understanding of grace and the very essence of what the Gospel is?  Have the persecutions, the reformations and the revivals that preceded us in history truly blossomed into this distorted and cheapened message that booms from pulpits, Bible schools and radio air waves across our land today?  I should hope not!  On the contrary, the everlasting Gospel of God is powerful to the overcoming of sin and all manner of self-oriented, carnal living and shall ultimately reign in His true saints!  To early Christians, martyrs and saints throughout the ages, this was an undisputed given. The death to self as typified in Christ’s command to take up the cross and follow Him in discipleship was understood implicitly and taught explicitly as non-optional to the believer’s walk..  There is, however, a certain distortion of the concept of grace in today’s version of the Gospel.  In the contemporary message, death to self and the true surrender in all areas of the believer’s life that this death entails seem to be either an option for him, or in some circles condemned as a form of unnecessary “works.”  Jesus said that the way to the kingdom would be difficult.  Why do we make it easier than it actually is for our brothers and sisters, by leading them to believe that there is no cost to discipleship?  Is that God’s version of Grace, or is it ours?  While the Christian life is one of joy and security in Christ, it is likewise one of obedience, surrender, self-denial and separation (holiness) from and forsaking of the world and all of its security, comforts and affirmation.

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.  Luke 14:26,27, 33

Legalism or True Grace?

“Legalism” is another defense employed against the preaching and teaching of practical holiness.  “You’re coming to us with a “works salvation,” they say, justifying their “freedom in Christ.”  But Paul counters this in the very epistle in which he refutes Jewish ceremonialism (legalism):

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  Gal. 5:13

The Christian is free from the law in the sense that he may not use it as a means of self-justification or self-sanctification, but its moral precepts are timeless and binding upon all men.  Adultery, coveting, murder are offenses against God now, as they were under the Old New Covenant.  Jesus gave a new, inward accountability to the Commandments in His Sermon on the Mount, whereby He both established the law and fulfills it.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  Mat 5:17)

He fulfilled the law by dying on the cross vicariously on behalf of His elect children, and He affirms its validity here also by approving of its precepts.

Along this line, Paul, likewise establishes the (moral) law:

Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.  Rom. 7:12

The term legalism, while having a valid New Testament definition and application to the use of the works of the law in justifying and sanctifying the Christian is, often used as a rationale for a lawless doctrine and a self-oriented, unaccountable lifestyle.  The proponents of abortion reason that this heinous act is a “personal decision,” and affects no one else.  We know this is not true, and yet we often reason concerning the supposedly “personal choices” in our Christian lives in this same manner.  The various interests we have, the things we involve ourselves in and the way we appear in dress and conduct before others certainly does matter to God, and does affect others around us, whether we will acknowledge it or not.  The choices we make in these areas affect us, individually, as well as our testimony to Christ.  These “personal choices” are, either made out of a heart surrendered to God, or one that is in rebellion toward Him, and is very inconsiderate of others in a number of ways. 

We are not to be like the people of this world, either inwardly or outwardly.  See Romans 12, verses one and two.  Picking on people for their outward habits and appearance can, indeed be harsh, judgmental and, what we often call “legalistic.”  Christians need to cultivate discernment about what is right and wrong, and have the freedom to make decisions about their lives in this regard.  At the same time God has standards in all areas of living that we must seek to follow, and seek to help each other to obey, first by example, and, if necessary by encouragement and exhortation.  The Devil’s game is to get God’s people to deny Him, not only verbally, but by the way we live.  The church has become a muddied pool of fresh and foul water, simultaneously.  A merely outward conformity to Christ, without a true, inward devotion and love for Him is dead religion.  Correspondingly, a supposedly inward devotion to Him without outward obedience in even the supposedly small and “personal” areas of our lives is a human fantasy, a lie.  True devotion must exist in the heart and in the life in order for God to be pleased, and for the world to behold Christ in His people.  For Christians to hold each other to God’s standards as set forth in Scripture is not legalism, but rather, a part of the separation that a holy God requires of His holy people.  

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.   Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  2Cor. 6:17-7:1

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God...Heb. 12:14,15

While grace is free in its justifying pardon for sin, both in the offer and in the receiving of it by the penitent sinner, our Lord and His apostles clearly taught that the recipients of that grace owe a debt of gratitude to the One who freely gave this gift of pardon.  Out of this gratitude springs an obedience rooted in faith.  Whether that obedience comes spontaneously or not, it must be manifested in the Christian.

Conclusion

If we, supposedly possess the freely given righteousness of God by faith, then we must acknowledge our indebtedness to Him by the way we live out our lives.  This debt consists in cross-bearing discipleship, godliness of living, separation from the world and a clear denial of self and the security that this present world offers.  All this amounts to a witness before a perverse and wicked generation, which is a testimony of holiness in our lives to the God Who is, by nature holy.  Whereas our justification cost Christ His all, our sanctification entails a cost to us of all that this life and world affords.  Label that how you will, but it is what the Scriptures teach.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom Ihave suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:   That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.  Phil. 3:8-11

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.  Luke 14:26,27

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.  Luke 14:33

Are we prepared to give such a testimony to the love and power of the One Who died to make us free in order to make us sons and daughters of the living God, to dwell with Him in righteousness and holiness forever?  May He grant to present day professors of Jesus Christ the understanding of their need for practical holiness and consistent godly living in the coming days!

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification... 1Thess. 4:3

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.  These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.  Titus 2:11-15