- Aug 14, 2019
- 9,081
- 8,268
- Country
- Australia
- Faith
- Non-Denom
- Marital Status
- Divorced
I confess to a degree of irritation with some of the "holiness" posts and so I want to clarify my objections.
Suppose you were able to take just one book of the Bible with you on a long journey? What would you take? Exodus? Deuteronomy? Maybe Hebrews? Personally, I would take Ephesians. You may ask why.
Paul starts His letter to the Ephesians with some wonderful declarations as to what we have and who we are in Christ. Then he encourages the believers, telling them that they are sealed in Christ with the promised Holy Spirit. He goes on to pray that the Ephesian believers will come to see the wonderful salvation that is ours in Christ. I'll not try to produce a commentary on Ephesians, that is not the point of this post.
When I read Ephesians, I am encouraged greatly because I am reminded of who I am in Christ. I am reminded that I've been adopted by God into His family. I am saved by grace, through faith - and that faith is the faith of Christ, not my meagre faith. So I can rest in the salvation that God has provided through Christ, confident in what He has done and not trusting in what I must do.
Now Paul does not stop there. He implores that the Ephesians live in a way worthy of their calling. He does not demand, command, threaten or condemn. His entreaty is based on the reality of the spiritual blessings that believers have. He's asking that believers turn away from their old way of life, not to gain salvation but because they are saved. He tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. He repeats that we are sealed in the Holy Spirit. He does not say that we are going to hell if we do grieve the Holy Spirit.
Holiness does not mean that a believer is free from sin. Holiness literally means to be set apart for sacred use. The believer should consecrate himself to God for the sake of God's Kingdom. Most Christians have no idea what holiness is, especially when they are first saved. Some Christians think that holiness is the same as sinlessness. Not so. The Christian life begins with being born again and receiving eternal life. That is unchanging. Christians at some time must choose to consecrate themselves entirely to God's purpose, accepting the Lordship of Christ unconditionally. That may take decades. You eternal security is settled in heaven. Your placement in God's kingdom is not. We have one opportunity in this life to become a vessel of honour (2 Timothy 2:21). It would be tragic to miss out on God's best by living a sloppy and careless life.
Suppose you were able to take just one book of the Bible with you on a long journey? What would you take? Exodus? Deuteronomy? Maybe Hebrews? Personally, I would take Ephesians. You may ask why.
Paul starts His letter to the Ephesians with some wonderful declarations as to what we have and who we are in Christ. Then he encourages the believers, telling them that they are sealed in Christ with the promised Holy Spirit. He goes on to pray that the Ephesian believers will come to see the wonderful salvation that is ours in Christ. I'll not try to produce a commentary on Ephesians, that is not the point of this post.
When I read Ephesians, I am encouraged greatly because I am reminded of who I am in Christ. I am reminded that I've been adopted by God into His family. I am saved by grace, through faith - and that faith is the faith of Christ, not my meagre faith. So I can rest in the salvation that God has provided through Christ, confident in what He has done and not trusting in what I must do.
Now Paul does not stop there. He implores that the Ephesians live in a way worthy of their calling. He does not demand, command, threaten or condemn. His entreaty is based on the reality of the spiritual blessings that believers have. He's asking that believers turn away from their old way of life, not to gain salvation but because they are saved. He tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. He repeats that we are sealed in the Holy Spirit. He does not say that we are going to hell if we do grieve the Holy Spirit.
Holiness does not mean that a believer is free from sin. Holiness literally means to be set apart for sacred use. The believer should consecrate himself to God for the sake of God's Kingdom. Most Christians have no idea what holiness is, especially when they are first saved. Some Christians think that holiness is the same as sinlessness. Not so. The Christian life begins with being born again and receiving eternal life. That is unchanging. Christians at some time must choose to consecrate themselves entirely to God's purpose, accepting the Lordship of Christ unconditionally. That may take decades. You eternal security is settled in heaven. Your placement in God's kingdom is not. We have one opportunity in this life to become a vessel of honour (2 Timothy 2:21). It would be tragic to miss out on God's best by living a sloppy and careless life.