The Call to Holiness

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>The Call to Holiness</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="21"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id196.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Romans 6:114 and the Spiritual Life"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>The Call to Holiness</B></div> <div> (Note: This is a school project, not a sermon.)</div> <bR> <div> <B>I.  Definition of Holiness</B></div> <div>      Holiness, first, is that attribute of God that asserts him to be entirely separate in essence and nature from his creation and created beings, and that further asserts him to be completely free from any moral imperfection of any kind, in what he does, what he thinks, what he decrees, and what he says.     Second, holiness in the child of God is the state of his or her being set apart to and completely devoted to and dedicated to God for his use and purposes, and thus being free from or set apart from sin in word, action, motive, and thought. </div> <bR> <div> <B>II.  Explanation</B></div> <div>      That God is holy means that he in his nature, character and essence is completely separated from anything that he has created, and that he is completely free from evil of any kind.  In the Old Testament, holiness is a greatly  emphasized attribute of God (Isa 6.3 et al), and Williams suggests that “holiness refers to his essential nature; it is not so much an attribute of God as it is the very foundation of his being”1.  In all that he is or does, God is holy.  He is separate from and above all of his creation (Ps 113.4-6), even including the holy angels around his throne.  He is completely distinctive in his essence and nature and being from all that he has created.  His is an absolute, unchanging holiness, that only he can have (1 Sam 2.2).  God is also holy in the sense that he is completely and perfectly morally pure.   He can have no active part in sin or in any impurity (Hab 1.13).  Being holy, he is set apart from evil of any kind.</div> <div>      Because God is holy, he expects his children, his people to be holy.  The Scriptures make this expectation very clear.  This demand is found in both Testaments.  In Leviticus 11.44-45, God twice says to his people, “be holy, for I am holy.”  This is repeated elsewhere in the Old Testament, and it is also repeated and reemphasized in the New Testament (1 Pet 1.15-16). This is a command of God for his people in any age.  It will never be that the Christian will have the same kind of holiness as God, for his holiness is of a different character (absolute holiness), though it has some implications that make up the ideal of human holiness (total obedience to his will, and the absence of sin in word, action, thought, motive).  </div> <div>       When a believer trusts Christ in faith for salvation, he is declared righteous (justification) in God’s eyes and he is sanctified, or set apart for God’s purposes and use (1 Cor 1.2, 6.11).  This immediate work of sanctification is accomplished by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of all mankind and it is the basis by which he or she will begin to live a sanctified life, a life of being obedient to God’s commands, putting into practice in his life that which he is in position before God.  In sanctification, one is dedicated or given over to God so that he or she can be used by God for his holy purposes.  This results then in the believer being separated from sin and any of its sinful manifestations. He no longer has to be under the control of the sin-principle; instead, he is free to choose to do acts that are pleasing to God (Rom 6.13-14). That he is separated from sin is the natural implication and result of being given over to God.  In other words, when a person is set apart <I>to</I> God for his use and his purposes, it naturally follows that he or she will be set apart <I>from</I> sinful actions.  Being given over to God excludes one from being given over to sin.  When he chooses to be dedicated to God, he is also choosing to do right actions and thus avoid wrong actions (Rom 6.13, Tit 2.11-12).</div> <div>      There are many factors which may motivate the believer to live a holy life, such as fear of punishment and discipline, or a concern for the natural consequences of sinful actions, but the main motivation may be found in God’s gracious dealings with the believer.  It should be the believer’s desire to glorify God in all things in response to and in appreciation of how gracious God has been with him or her (Tit 2.11-14, God’s grace instructs us to deny ungodliness and instead to live properly and pleasing to God).  God’s grace is an opportunity for the Christian to respond to him in obedience to his commands.</div> <div>      It should be readily apparent from the experience of any believer in Christ that practical, permanent holiness in everyday living is impossible.  The Christian has within him or her the desire to sin, the desire to go his own way and do his own thing without much regard to the commands of God.  Within the flesh is the principle or law of sin, and the result is known as the sinful nature.  Sin has so corrupted human nature that the human nature has a constant desire toward sin, toward doing things that are outside God’s will, or toward not doing things that God’s will demands (Rom 7.14-25).  From the beginning then, God’s demand for complete holiness seems like an impossibility.  From just a human perspective, this indeed is the case.  However, the Christian can experience occasions of victory over his spiritual enemies2.  (Bridges prefers to use the term “obedience” rather than “victory” because obedience emphasizes our responsibility to choose obedience which then leads to victory3.)  God does not expect us to even attempt to be holy in our own strength.  When the believer in his own strength tries to live a holy life, he has already failed and he cannot in any way succeed.  Even if he is able to “do the right thing” in a given situation, he has failed at holiness and obedience, because he has done it in his own strength.  Jesus said, “For apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15.5).  Specifically, the believer has the Holy Spirit to give him the power to conform to the will of God.  Godly character, involving obedience to the commands of God, is a product of the Spirit’s control of his life (Gal 5.16, 22-23, Eph 5.18).  The believer must consider himself to be dead to sin and alive to God through Christ’s life, and instead of giving himself over to the sin-principle that used to dominate his life, he must present himself to God as a tool of righteousness or right actions, actions that are pleasing to God (Rom 6.11-14).  This process must occur each day, because the temptation to sin occurs every day.  When the Christian sins, he must immediately admit his sinful action or thought or word to God and claim God’s forgiveness (1 John 1.9), and then once again give himself over to God for his holy purposes.  In this way he can have occasions of obedience and victory over sin, occasions that should ever be increasing in frequency and consistency until we see Jesus and are changed to be like him (1 John 3.2).</div> <bR> <div> <B>III.  Application: Fictional Case Study Letter</B></div> <div> Dear Frank,</div> <div>      It has been apparent to me from my own observation, and from our discussions in our times of sharing together about our lives as Christians, that you have been continuing to do actions in your life that are in clear contradiction to God’s desires as he has expressed in the Bible.  I realize that you come from a background where there were strong moral expectations, some of which were from the Bible, and some of which were more a part of the preferences of other people who in authority.  I understand that you feel you have not seen the love of God demonstrated in this environment.  And thus, admittedly, you do not feel a great concern to adjust your lifestyle to “the rules,” even if they are God’s rules.</div> <div>      However, Frank, you may be pleasantly surprised about what life as a believer in Jesus Christ is really all about.  I am sure you remember the trouble and heartache that your life of “freedom from the rules” brought to you, and I know you remember the real freedom you felt when you first looked to Christ for forgiveness and salvation.  It is that same goodness that he wants you to experience in your life each day as a believer in him.  He isn’t going to leave you alone to do your own thing and go your own way, but he also hasn’t simply given you a rule book to make your life miserable while he waits to squash you if you mess up,  “make a mistake,” or otherwise fail to do what he expects his people to do. Being a Christian is not just about keeping the rules and doing what everyone in the church expects you to do, and always dressing the right way, and keeping your hair cut short, etc., etc., etc!  Instead, it is about living each day trying to please God and make him happy by doing what he wants you to do (what he wants you to do is more important than what everyone else wants you to do!).</div> <div>      You should understand that while God has freely given you deliverance from being punished for your sin, he also demands that you live your life in dedication to him.  He expects all of his people, all believers, to give themselves over to him so that he can accomplish his purposes for their lives.  His main purpose is that his people will “glorify” him, will add to his  reputation and make him look good!  We both already know how good he is, but it is our job to show everyone we can just how good he is, and we can do this by doing those things he asks us to do.  You see, God is completely separated from any kind of wrongdoing or evil or immorality of any kind.  He can have nothing to do with it, and he expects those who believe in him to avoid wrongdoing of any kind as well.  1 Pet 1.15-16 says that we are to be “like the Holy One who called us” by being holy ourselves in all of our behavior in all situations.  We are to be holy because he is holy.  To be holy is to be dedicated and devoted to him so that he has control of our lives.  Because of being devoted to him, we should then do those things that he has asked us to do, and avoid those things that he has asked us not to do.  Because he created us and then gave his Son Jesus to die for our sin in our place, God has the right to expect and demand obedience from us. </div> <div>      I can think of no better reason for doing what God asks in my life than the fact that he loved me enough to give me salvation through what his son Jesus did by dying on the cross in my place.  All I had to do was believe and put my trust in him.  Without his saving me and you, we would be sentenced to die for the sin we have committed.  I don’t know about you, but I am grateful enough to him for saving me that I am willing to do whatever he asks me to do just so I have the chance to say “thank you” to him over and over again.  It is the fact that God did not give me what I did deserve (death), in favor of giving what I did not deserve (salvation from sin and death) that makes we want to give him back my entire life, so that everything I do or say or think is in obedience to him.  Titus 2.11-14 tells us that it is the grace (the undeserved favor) of God that teaches us to put off our ungodly lifestyle and put on godliness, doing those things that please him.</div> <div>      You are probably saying by now that this is impossible.  You have tried a few times to do what you thought God wanted you to do, but you have failed.  And you are right.  It <I>is</I> impossible to live your life completely dedicated to God!  If it wasn’t impossible, most of us who are believers would get into the habit of trying to obey God on our own, and for a while we might seem to succeed.  But instead of making God look good, we would start to feel like we are the ones who should look good.  We would start to try to impress other people with our “obedience” to God while those around us are failing.  We would get proud in no time at all.  But the fact is, when we try this, we end up falling flat on our face, and we find out that we simply cannot do it; we cannot really do what God wants us to do on our own.  Instead, God has given us a different alternative, and that is to rely on him to give us the strength each day, so that we might in that day do those things which he asks us to do.  Instead of our trying really hard to do it, we have to allow the Holy Spirit to control us and give us the power we need.  Ephesians 5.18 tells us that we should let the Holy Spirit control our lives each day.  When the Holy Spirit is in control of how you live, certain characteristics like love, joy, patience, and self-control (among others) will be developed in your life (Galatians 5.22-23).  When we have done the right thing, we can then give the credit to God rather than taking the credit for ourselves.</div> <div>      So what can you do to help you begin to do what God expects you to do?  You need to make a decision that you are going to determine to start developing the right kinds of habits in your life, holy habits of doing the things God asks us to do in his word.  This takes diligence and discipline on your part (1 Peter 1.13 says, “Gird [or prepare] your minds for action, keep sober [be disciplined] in spirit”), but remember, the Holy Spirit will help you whenever you look to him for his help.  You need to spend time each day reading your Bible so that you can get to know God better, and find out how much he loves you, and find out also what he expects you to do.  You also need to develop the habit of talking to God on a very regular basis.   Also, rather than trying to stop your habits of sin, it will help to work on <I>replacing</I> your bad habits with good habits.  For example, instead of saying unkind things to or about people, you could begin to get in the habit of saying encouraging and helpful things to or about them (Ephesians 4.25-32 has a few more examples of this principle).  Each day you should consciously remember that the old, sinful life is in a sense dead, and you now are living a brand new kind of life, a life that pleases God (Romans 6.1-4 talks about that).  Several times each day, you will be presented with a choice either to give in to the temptation to sin, or else to give yourself over to God so that he can use you for his holy purposes.  Make the choice to give yourself to God, because you do not have to be under the total control of sin anymore (Romans 6.11-14 can give you more details on this).</div> <div>      I hope you will consider carefully what I have said, and remember that I will continue to pray for you and encourage you in any way I can.</div> <div> Your brother in Christ,</div> <div> Stan</div> <bR> <div> 1. Williams, J. Rodman. “Holiness.”  <I>Evangelical Dictionary of Theology</I>.  ed. Walter Elwell.  Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984.  514.</div> <bR> <div> 2. Barackman, Floyd H.  <I>Practical Christian Theology</I>.  Binghamton, NY: Niles and Phipps, 1990.  356.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>copyright, 2001, Stanley Baker</B></div> <div> <B>www.stanbaker.org</B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>