I confess, the following subject is a bit uncomfortable to write about but it's something I've given some thought to lately. Holiness. I believe, once we fully comprehend the depths of wickedness our own hearts are capable of reaching, it becomes one of the greatest "leaps of faith" any of us can take to believe that we can be "Holy as He is Holy". 1 Peter 1:16 quotes Leviticus 20:7 and 26 - "and be ye holy....for I the Lord am holy".
I tend to define holiness as "a complete absence of sin". I have no problem believing and acknowledging that God is Holy, but in light of my sin soaked heart it's very difficult for me to believe I can be Holy. Yet, when the woman was caught in adultery and brought before Jesus, he forgave her but told her to "go and sin no more", so, it must be attainable, this idea of becoming holy and to "sin no more", or was he telling her to go and commit the sin of adultery no more? He had just told her accusers "let he who is without sin cast the first stone", in other words, you've no right to judge her for you are just as much a sinner as she is. He's saying "don't pay so much attention to the sins of others, when you're just as sinful as they are", but can any of us really "go and sin no more"?
I've certainly never been able to. John tells us "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us". So, it's clear here we can know the truth, we can have the truth in us, in our hearts, right along side our sin at the same time, indeed, His Word can dwell in us, in our hearts and minds, yet we remain sinners all the while "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us". Paul himself confessed to Timothy "this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief". Now, had Paul said, the guy who wrote 3/4 of the New Testament epistles, if that guy had said "of whom I was chief", I'd be more able to accept "go and sin no more", "be ye holy for I am holy". But he says he is the chief of sinners, but in Romans Paul says "sin shall not have dominion over you", "for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness and holiness". Again Paul says to the Corinthians - "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God". Ephesians 4:24 - "and that you put on the new man - which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness".
I don't know about you, but my brain is all tangled up in knots right now. I know that "God is good" and that "no man is good" (apart from Him). I know that I cannot say "I have no sin" but I also know I can be holy (without sin) because He invites me to be as He is. He tells me to "go and sin no more". I think, the understanding is in Romans 7 & 8, where Paul laments his sinful tendencies. I think if we truly sorrow over our own sinful condition, our inability to stop sinning on our own, our tendency to fall, over and over again and again - this keeps us close to Christ, desperately near Him, knowing how hopeless and weak we are without Him.
Jesus said to Paul - "my grace is sufficient for you; for My strength is made perfect in weakness", then Paul concluded, this confession "for when I am weak, then I am strong". This makes no sense to our logical, carnal minds, but our hearts understand, we must live our lives acknowledging every day we are sinners, therefore everyday we need our Savior to deliver us from ourselves, from our sin "if we confess our sins, (daily), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". We are under a constant need to yield ourselves to Him, to "Christ in us, the hope of glory", the glory of holiness.....
Part two in five days.....
I tend to define holiness as "a complete absence of sin". I have no problem believing and acknowledging that God is Holy, but in light of my sin soaked heart it's very difficult for me to believe I can be Holy. Yet, when the woman was caught in adultery and brought before Jesus, he forgave her but told her to "go and sin no more", so, it must be attainable, this idea of becoming holy and to "sin no more", or was he telling her to go and commit the sin of adultery no more? He had just told her accusers "let he who is without sin cast the first stone", in other words, you've no right to judge her for you are just as much a sinner as she is. He's saying "don't pay so much attention to the sins of others, when you're just as sinful as they are", but can any of us really "go and sin no more"?
I've certainly never been able to. John tells us "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us". So, it's clear here we can know the truth, we can have the truth in us, in our hearts, right along side our sin at the same time, indeed, His Word can dwell in us, in our hearts and minds, yet we remain sinners all the while "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us". Paul himself confessed to Timothy "this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief". Now, had Paul said, the guy who wrote 3/4 of the New Testament epistles, if that guy had said "of whom I was chief", I'd be more able to accept "go and sin no more", "be ye holy for I am holy". But he says he is the chief of sinners, but in Romans Paul says "sin shall not have dominion over you", "for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness and holiness". Again Paul says to the Corinthians - "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God". Ephesians 4:24 - "and that you put on the new man - which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness".
I don't know about you, but my brain is all tangled up in knots right now. I know that "God is good" and that "no man is good" (apart from Him). I know that I cannot say "I have no sin" but I also know I can be holy (without sin) because He invites me to be as He is. He tells me to "go and sin no more". I think, the understanding is in Romans 7 & 8, where Paul laments his sinful tendencies. I think if we truly sorrow over our own sinful condition, our inability to stop sinning on our own, our tendency to fall, over and over again and again - this keeps us close to Christ, desperately near Him, knowing how hopeless and weak we are without Him.
Jesus said to Paul - "my grace is sufficient for you; for My strength is made perfect in weakness", then Paul concluded, this confession "for when I am weak, then I am strong". This makes no sense to our logical, carnal minds, but our hearts understand, we must live our lives acknowledging every day we are sinners, therefore everyday we need our Savior to deliver us from ourselves, from our sin "if we confess our sins, (daily), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". We are under a constant need to yield ourselves to Him, to "Christ in us, the hope of glory", the glory of holiness.....
Part two in five days.....
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