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Section 7. Living The Faith... Holiness

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Holiness and Overcoming Sin

    Also Listen to Paul Washer’s 65 Minute Sermon on Sensual and Worldly Christendom, delivered at a Youth Evangelism Conference In 2002. Please Note: I am recommending this ONE Sermon, Not Necessarily Anything Else On The Site. Link

    There is little or no emphasis on sin in the modern church. It lies breathing its last, buried below mega star preachers, flamboyant preaching, worship teams that could find work in many Broadway productions, large "crusades", exciting "revivals", one manmade creative program after the other, and glitz and glamour that Hollywood could be proud of. Yet the Bible says "Without Holiness, No Man Shall See God!" (Hebrews 12:14) in view of which perhaps it would be wise to know exactly what it means by holinessâ€.
     

    Part I - Introduction HERE

    The Holiness of God..
    One of the primary attributes of God is that He is holy. However, He does not conform to a standard of holiness - He is the standard of holiness.

    The Call To Holiness
    one of the central themes of Leviticus is God's call for His people to be a holy people - And it didn't end with the Old Testament.

    Holiness Is Not Optional
    Too many modern day teachers say "just believe" - the Bible says "Pursue... holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Who are you going to believe?

    The Warnings
    Jesus did not say you should not serve God and mammon, but you cannot serve God and mammon

    Both Holiness and Sinfulness Have Eternal Consequences
    This life is the only opportunity we will ever have to choose where we will spend eternity.

    Modern 'Holiness'
    Reading inspirational 'Christian' messages, daily doses of wisdom from Proverbs, uplifting Bible verses and listening to a 15-20 minute sermon every Sunday is NOT holiness



    Part II A - Holiness Is Being Set Apart HERE
    To most Christians the word "holy" implies moral goodness however, this is only part of the meaning. As said by James Patrick Holding "While holiness certainly implies goodness, the core meaning of holiness, it is not "good" but rather "set apart", and therefore, "good" - Separation and Perfection. The word "holy" implies something set aside exclusively for God's purpose.

    Part II B -  Separation and Applying The Principles Of Separation  HERE
    "...Come out from their midst and be separate (Gk. aphorizo) ," says the Lord. "and do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. (2 Corinthians 6:17" However, since it is obvious that we cannot physically leave this planet, how do we 'come out from among them'? Do Christians have to isolate himself from the world and everything in it, in order to 'be holy'? Can Christians own nice homes, or drive good cars, and yet remain "holy"? What about clothes, make up and jewelry?  To say nothing of more controversial subjects like alcohol, tobacco, gambling and dancing. The fact is many do's and don'ts are legislated by cultural biases and modern day Pharisees.



    Part III A - Holiness Is Also Moral Uprightness HERE
    Perfection
    When Abraham was instructed to "be perfect" in Genesis 17:1 (KJV) and Noah was described as such in Genesis 6:9 (KJV), the Scriptures are speaking of moral uprightness, which the Scriptures equate with completeness. Jesus echoed His Father's instructing His listeners to "be perfect". In other words, "perfect" relates to the principles of right and wrong, however, sin causes us to fall short. 

    Overcoming Sin
    Even if we have the desire to do what is right, we often fail because every Christian has two natures that are in complete opposition to one another. So if you find yourself in the position of falling over and over again, it is time to go beyond good intentions, and employ a more concrete strategy to defeat whatever it is that is tempting you. But, it is very important to begin the entire process with a pen and paper.. So what is it is you need to commit to the written word?

    Three Additional Thoughts
    Spend your time on the right things.
    Learn to control your thoughts
    Be accountable

    Three Words of Caution
    Do not think you, have "arrived"
    Do not look back
    Do not assume someone else is "holy" because of what they do, or the position they hold
     

    Also See

    The Armour of God HERE
    Based on
    Paul's very familiar words in the book of Ephesians many Christians see themselves as an offensive army marching across the land slaying demons with "the sword of the spirit" - the parts of armour seen as some kind of coded checklist that has to be referred to before battle. They seem to have missed the fact that virtually all the weapons mentioned are defensive weapons. In fact, Paul emphasizes that we put on the full armour of God so that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13).

     

    AND

    The Myth of Faith Alone Perhaps one of the all time greatest delusions in the Christian world, is the innumerable number of people who are under the impression that, in order to be forgiven their sins and thus inherit eternal life, all they have to do is believe Jesus died for their sins on the cross. The vast majority of Christians would tell you to "accept Jesus as your personal savior", "ask Jesus into your heart" etc. However, while the terminology may vary, the answers would almost all boil down to all you have to do is believe... all you have to do is have faith. What one never, or very rarely, hears is that anything other than faith is required to be saved. In fact the suggestion that anything other than faith is required for salvation, is not only militantly opposed by most of Christendom, but denounced as an unbiblical, works based, false teaching. But is this true? While it is certainly a fact that the Bible teaches that faith is an essential ingredient, without which it is impossible to please God, it never ever teaches that faith is the only requirement for salvation.

    Jesus And The Law The Bible contains both Old and New Testaments each with seemingly different teachings and commands, which has led to more than a little confusion for those that have not grasped the seamless relationship between the Old and New Testaments, and struggle with the tension between the Old Testament emphasis on regulations and the New Testament emphasis on grace. Certainly many Christians are not clear what our relationship to the Old Testament should be, especially when it comes to the Old Testament Laws in general and the Ten Commandments in particular, also the keeping of the Sabbath and/or other Feasts of the Old Covenant.

    Are We Also Pharisees?
    We, too, may set up rules, fences, and barriers that we feel will keep us on safe ground in keeping the Lord's commandments. Do we regard some of our traditions with as much authority as Scripture? Is it possible that we have set up fences of conduct for ourselves by which we also judge the conduct of others?

    The Bible and Alcohol With the rampant abuse of alcohol in this country  there is good reason for alcohol to be a source of concern. However, Our attitude toward alcohol may well be conditioned by our tradition and culture more than we realize. Even a casual look at the Scriptures reveals a much different perspective than what most modern American Christians have about this topic.

    Nadab and Abihu
    “Remember Nadab and Abihu!" has been the mantra of rigid religiosity for generations. There is no question that these two sons of Aaron committed "sin unto death." For our God to punish them as He did (indicates extreme displeasure on His part with regard to their attitudes and actions. Something was greatly amiss but, what was it? Those who frequently use them as an example of why not to deviate from a particular pattern of worship seem to have missed what the brothers were really guilty of. Perhaps it would behoove us to first determine the exact nature of Nadab and Abihu’s fatal error.

    Rewards in Heaven
     
    Apparently there are those that will make it to heaven, but who have earned little or no additional rewards

    The Problem With Creeds
    The word creed is from the Latin credo, meaning, "I believe." Of course, there is nothing wrong in itself with stating a belief. This is, in fact, necessary if we will take a stand for truth. One might even agree generally with the teaching of the material in a creed; but a "creed" goes beyond stating a belief. It is essentially an authoritative statement of a particular position (or positions) to which others are expected to assent.

    The Inclusiveness of Jesus It’s true that the inclusiveness of Jesus was extraordinary. Unlike his religious contemporaries, Jesus included among his followers those who were generally excluded from religious life, if not polite society - people such as tax-collectors, “sinners,” lepers, and women. Yet, the inclusiveness of Jesus was not of the “come as you are” sort. Jesus offered new, transformed life in the kingdom of God, not acceptance of all people as they were in their sinful state.

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