Month: September 2014

  • The Pursuit of Holiness - The Holiness of God

    God has called every Christian to a holy life. There are no exceptions to this call.

    This call to a holy life is based on the fact that God Himself is Holy. God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like Himself. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God.

    What is the implication of God being holy?

    Just as He(God) cannot but know what is right, so He cannot but do what is right. He always does what is just and right without the slightest hesitation. It is impossible in the very nature of God for him to do otherwise.

    God is absolutely free from moral evil and that He is Himself the essence of moral purity. The holiness of God also includes His perfect conformity to His own divine character. He always acts consistently with His holy character. If God is perfectly holy, then we can be confident that His action toward us are always perfect and just. It is impossible in the very nature of God that He should ever be unfair. Because He is holy, all His actions are holy.

    To complain against God is in effect to deny His holiness and to say He is not fair.Acknowledging His holiness is one of the ways we are to praise God.
    Holiness is the perfection of all His other attributes(eg. Holy power, Holy mercy, Holy wisdom). It is His holiness more than any other attribute that makes him worthy of our praise.

    God demands more than we acknowledge his holiness.God rightfully demands perfect holiness in all of his moral creatures. Because God is holy, He can never excuse or overlook any sin we commit, however small it may be.

    How about 'small sin' or 'small exceptions'?

    God's holiness does not make allowance for minor flaws or shortcomings in our personal character.

    How about in 'impossible position' that God place me in?

    Because God is holy, He cannot tempt us to sin.He will not put us in a position where we have no alternative.
    Because God is holy, He hates sin. We become so accustomed to our sins we sometimes lapse into a sate of peaceful coexistence with them, but God never ceases to hate them.
    We need to cultivate in our own hearts the same hatred of sin God has. God hates sin wherever he finds it, in saint and sinner alike. He judges each man's work impartially.

    In the deceitfulness of our hearts, we sometimes play with temptation by entertaining the thought that we can always confess and later ask forgiveness. Such thinking is exceedingly dangerous. God's judgement is without partiality. He never overlooks our sin. He never decied not to bother since the sin is only a small one. No, God hates sin intensely whenever and wherever he finds it.

    What should be our motivation to Holiness?

    The love of God to us through Jesus Christ should be our primary motivation to holiness. But a motivation prompted by God's hatred of sin and His consequent judgement on it is no less biblical.

    Conclusion
    Though He accepts us solely through the merit of Christ he holds us to a perfect standard of Holiness and he cannot any us to any standard lesser. We must take this seriously if we are to grow in holiness.

  • The Pursuit of Holiness - Holiness is for you

    Holiness is for you

    Whatever your particular sin problem(or problems), the Bible does have the answer for you. The Bible does have the answer for you. There is hope.

    What does God expect?

    God expects every Christian to live a holy life. But holiness is not only expected: It is a birth right of every Christian.

    So what does being Holy mean?

    To be holy is to be morally blameless. It is to be separated from sin and, therefore, consecrated to God. The word signifies “Separation to God, and the conduct befitting those so separated”
    Paul used the term(holiness) in contrast to a life of immorality and impurity. Peter used it in contrast to living according to the evil desires we had when we lived outside of Christ. John contrasted one who is holy with those who do wrong and are vile. To live a holy life, then, is to live a life in conformity to the moral precepts of the Bible and in contrast to the sinful ways to the world.

    If Holiness, then, is so basic to the Christian life, why do we not experience it more in daily living? Why are Christians feeling constantly defeated by the struggle of Sin and why do the church so often seem to be more conformed to the world than to God? There are 3 basic Problems:

    1st Problem - Our attitude toward sin is more self-centred than God-centred.
    We are more concerned about our own “Victory” over sin that we are about the fact that our sins grieve the heart of God.
    God wants us to walk in obedience(Orientated to God) – not victory(Orientated towards self).

    2nd Problem - We have misunderstood “living by faith” to mean that no effort is required on our part.
    We have a personal responsibility for our walk of holiness.

    3rd Problem - We do not take some sin seriously
    It is compromise on the little issues that leads to greater downfalls.
    Are we willing to call sin “Sin” not because it is big or little, but because God’s law forbids it?

    Conclusion:
    It is only as we see His holiness, His absolute purity and moral hatred of sin, that we will be gripped by the awfulness of sin against the Holy God. To be gripped by that fact is the first step in our pursuit of holiness