Holiness is simply not an option with God. His word and His call to purity are both clear and unchanging.
 In
The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges makes a very honest assessment
of the struggle to understand the role of holiness in a believer’s
life. First, he discusses the misconceptions of it. “In some circles,
holiness is equated with a series of prohibitions… For others, holiness
means a particular style of dress and mannerisms. For still others, it
means unattainable perfection, an idea that fosters either delusion or
discouragement about one’s sin. All of these ideas, while accurate to
some degree miss the true concept. To be holy is to be morally
blameless.”
If
holiness has always been clearly defined, perhaps the more prominent
reason believers are so unfamiliar and uncomfortable with holiness is
that they are actually unfamiliar with the Word of God.
In
The Holy Spirit, Billy Graham, discusses the stark contrast between the
“ways of the flesh” and the ways of holiness. He uses the passage in
Galatians 5, beginning in verse 16 (NIV) to present the lifestyle of
one who is possessed by Christ! “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you
will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful
nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is
contrary to sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other…The
acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and
debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fists
of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness,
orgies and the like.”
But
this is not the only place lists of “sin” are given. In Colossians
3:3-5 (NLT), it reads: “For you died when Christ died, and your real
life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real
life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have
nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires.
Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is
idolatry.”
If the Word of God
makes the recognition of unholy lifestyles so obvious, then why don’t
we see more walking, breathing, professing and holy Christians?
Though
written 1978, Billy Graham made another interesting observation in The
Holy Spirit that I continue to find relevant now: “Today people do many
of these forbidden things in the name of freedom. What they fail to see
is that such activities actually enslave those who become involved in
them. True freedom consists not in the freedom to sin, but the freedom
not to sin.” (p 94 THS)
Maybe we just don’t want to call sin in our lives what it is—sin!
In
Luis Palau’s book, Heart After God, he writes, “Immorality begins with
tiny things. Little things. Yet, if you don’t crucify them, if you
don’t bring them to judgment, if you don’t face up to them for what
they are—sin—they can destroy you. They can blur your moral judgment at
a critical, irreversible juncture in your life. No one sees the little
flaws, but everyone sees the big collapse.”
There
is another reason for lack of both personal and community holiness:
regular examination of our lives before God and others.
Are you in
the habit of confessing your sins corporately or privately, even in
writing? Do you daily identify and agree with God about the areas of
your life that God calls “sin” (the previous lists alone can give us a
lot of insight)? Do you daily ask for God’s help to steer clear of the
areas in which you struggle? Do you tolerate unconfessed sin in your
life? Are you willing to be accountable to others regarding any areas
of struggle? Are you willing to make written commitments to change or
stop?
Whether
you are a young or mature Christian, Jerry Bridges is quick to remind
us that holiness is not a condition of coming to Christ, but he also
reminds us: “Therefore, we may say that no one can trust in Christ for
true salvation unless he trusts in Him for holiness. This does not mean
the desire for holiness must be a conscious desire at the time a person
comes to Christ, but rather that the Holy Spirit who creates in us a
saving faith also creates within us the desire for holiness. He simply
does not create one without the other.”
Holiness is absolutely
achievable in our lives when we know what God’s Word says about it,
when we are convinced that God has called us to it, and when we are
willing to daily examine ourselves in front of Him.
Holiness,
reflected in an entire community, will start a contagious fire!
Seekers, people looking for hope and longing to be loved, are drawn
closer to God when they encounter those whose hearts burn brightly in
refection of Him.
Most
importantly, as Paul wrote in II Timothy 2:21, “If you keep yourself
pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will
be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every
good work!”
I believe God is calling, searching for men and
women who will live pure and holy lives for Him in this crazy culture,
who will take the gift and power of His Holy Spirit to the masses.
Today,
I encourage you to ask a few friends to share in an honest
conversation. Examine your lives in front of each other. Ask if there
is any area in your life that they see might hinder the reflection of a
holy God? Provide a safe place for confidential confession and prayer.
Ask them to consider becoming accountability partners for each other.
Continue to meet in prayer for each other.
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