What I oppose are people who go around playing God for others and requiring that others conduct themselves according to their standards. The scripture supports a person, seeing another in a fault, to go to that person with great humility and gentleness while pointing out the fault. But what happens in reality that many are not gentle and kind in the way they deal with the faults of others. Our own standard of holiness and how we live it is personal to ourselves. We are accountable to our own consciences, and we don't need, and the Scripture does not support other arrogant religious folk running around being consciences for others.
Oscar, I agree that we cannot personalize standards on individual believers. But may I ask you a question. When was the last time you heard a warning from your pastor as to the dangers of sin? When was the last time you heard an urging on to holiness?
We have become the generation spoken of that have ears to hear and hear not. We are saying, in essence, that we have need of nothing, when, in truth, we are totally ill prepared to meet the Lord.
Are we not
What I oppose are people who go around playing God for others and requiring that others conduct themselves according to their standards. The scripture supports a person, seeing another in a fault, to go to that person with great humility and gentleness while pointing out the fault. But what happens in reality that many are not gentle and kind in the way they deal with the faults of others. Our own standard of holiness and how we live it is personal to ourselves. We are accountable to our own consciences, and we don't need, and the Scripture does not support other arrogant religious folk running around being consciences for others.
There is no doubt that holiness has become almost a dirty word among believers because of the harshness and line in the sand mentality of some who preach it, yes, even most of those who preach it. And that is sad indeed.
Holiness, at its root, means becoming wholly set apart to the Lord. Our goal for each one of us is to be able to say "It is no longer I that live but Christ who now lives in me". But Oscar, if we are honest, we must admit that the entire church, by and large has drifted far, far from this standard.
Holiness is not just the absence of sin, but it is our learning to abide in His presence, centered on the master potter's wheel, as He fashions us, transforms us into children laden with the fruits of the Spirit. But make no mistake, unless we learn the secret of overcoming willfull sin in our lives, we will not endure to the end.
We have been taught a half gospel..... forgiveness, but oh, what we are missing if we do not embrace the other half! He promises to not only forgive us of our sins, but to free us from the very power of darkness. We are warned in scripture that willful sin hardens hearts, and if persisted in, actually moves us out from under the covering of the blood. Grace is not a free pass to sin occasionally. Grace promises to teach us HOW to walk as overcomers of the world, the flesh and the devil, amen? Is that what anyone of us hear from our pastors and teachers? When was the last time you heard a warning as to the danger of willful sin continuing in our lives? For most here, the answer might be nearly "never".
We as God"s church are in a place of great danger. We have been healed only slightly, forgiven, yes, but liberated from sin's power? We both know that answer. We say 'peace, peace' but there is no peace in our hearts as long as satan's arrow still find their mark. How many say that we have need of nothing, while sin still clutches onto areas of our lives? Are we not doing exactly as the Laodecians did?
Those right now who seek to truly be pure in heart are few, as we go week after week, hearing te same basic message of forgiveness, but never hear how to finally get free of sin's grasp? Is this a time to be quiet, lest we 'offend'? Is it love to know danger lurksfor our brothers and sisters, and not to raise a voice of concern?
Shall we gently walk with those who are now deceived into thinking willful sin is quite alright, knowing in our hearts that the end that this path this leads to will yield only weeping, and wailing and gnashing of teeth?
Holiness is not a hard, legalistic walk of 'touch not, taste not, handle not'. It is an easy yoke. In truth, it is the very essence of heaven here on earth, sweet, gentle and pure. But.... it is getting our hearts to the point that we want to be free indeed, want to see every sin we indulge in defeated, that is the hard part. And as long as we do not hear there is danger, why should any seek to be different?
With few exceptions, we have become dull of vision, with no fire burning in our bones, visionless and passionless. The world mocks our hypocrisy, as we do many of the very same things that they do, yet tell the world we are still destined for heaven, while fire awaits them. We should weep at this, but how few the tears right now.
But a new day is dawning as ALL will awake to righteousness and learn HOW to walk with the old us put off, with self reckoned dead. But not all will embrace that call. The wheat is about to be separated from the tares, and in the end, it will be our attitude about whether we want us to still reign in our lives, or whether we want Him to make us wholly His, wholly holy, that will determine our eternal fate.
Each one of us will soon have to be confronted with that choice. We will each walk through our own valley of decision, and it pains me to say so, but not all will come out the other side as saved children of God.
Blessings,
Gideon