"Holiness: Are You Willing To Do What It Takes?"
By Shane Idleman
As stated last week, of all the attributes of God described
in the Bible, holiness is seen most often. Men fell down in the holy
presence of God. Leaders, priests, and kings all trembled at the sheer
magnitude of His holiness. The angels cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy is our
God."
Holiness is the key to truly understanding God. This is why
sin is serious. It separates us from God; it stands in direct
opposition to Him. It corrupts our character and our testimony; it
prevents holiness and quenches and grieves the Spirit within.
J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) in his book on holiness said that we
must stand guard as a soldier on enemy ground. The problem is that many
love the world and have a hard time separating. They believe in heaven
but they don't truly long for it. They "say" that they fear God but they
don't live like it. They indulge temptation rather than fight it. They
enjoy sin rather than confront it. And they compromise rather than
conquer. The lukewarm church disdains the heat of conviction. Holiness,
to them, is outdated, old-fashioned (too conservative).
Are you willing to do what it takes to truly know God?
Seeking to identify the middle ground between our
responsibility (obedience) and God's role in sanctification (holiness)
can be challenging, but it doesn't need to be. The Bible is filled with
passages about obedience that leads to holiness. For example, 1 Peter 1:14 says, "As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance." 1 John 3:3 adds that "all who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure." And Romans 6:19
tells us to present our "bodies as slaves to righteousness." Peter
asks, "What sort of people ought you to be in holiness and godliness?" (2 Peter 3:11).
It's clear from Scripture that obedience produces
sanctification (holiness). Holiness is a by-product of our submission to
the work of the Spirit. Sadly, many don't seek the surrendered life.
They want the narrow road to be broad and the cross to be light. But
holiness has a cost.
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J.C. Ryle noted that "holiness will cost a man his sins. He must be willing to give up every habit and practice which is wrong in God's sight…There must be no separate truce with any special sin which he loves." Ryle continues, "Our sins are often as dear to us as our children: we love them, hug them, cleave to them, and delight in them. To part with them is as hard as cutting off a right hand, or plucking out a right eye. But it must be done. The parting must come." Holiness comes with a price…there is a cost-death to self and crucifixion to the world. To be filled mightily with the Spirit, we must first be emptied of self. Pride and arrogance hinder holiness. We are to overcome sin, not surrender to it.
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Holiness challenges lukewarm living. A vast majority of Christian are turning a deaf ear to the call to holiness. Conviction is replaced with complacency. Their thought is, "I'm just not convicted about that like you are." Often, the reason is because they are not truly seeking God…they are set more toward Sodom than on following Him unconditionally. Lukewarm living disdains the heat of conviction. It "loves the world" more than the things of God. A call to holiness challenges our lifestyle (mine included); it forces us to confront idols and remove destructive habits.
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Holiness will cost the opinions of men. Be clear on this issue: We will be ridiculed, mocked, slandered, persecuted, and even hated when we take a stand for holiness. Nevertheless, we desperately need holiness. We must turn to God's truth and away from the broad road that leads to destruction. We must repent, ask for forgiveness, and seek restoration. We should not apologize for following God's Word. We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. We will be criticized for following Christ, mocked for believing in truth, and challenged for promoting holiness. We are called to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him. The day of the passive, lukewarm church must come to an end if we truly desire for families to be restored and for lives to be rebuilt.
We must lovingly preach holiness in our pulpits again: "Without holiness no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).
The prophets of old bear this out as well. These men were sent by God
to call the people back to Him…back to holiness: "And the Lord God of
their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers [to convict them],
rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His
people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God,
despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the
Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy."
Little has changed: We still mock difficult messages from
the pulpit and the pen, we despise the heat of conviction, and we scoff
at those who seek God unconditionally. I ask again, "Are you willing to
do what it takes to truly know God?"
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