Perfecting Holiness
I believe I can say with confidence that today I am going to address a concept that isn't even on the radar screen of most people, perfecting holiness. What does that mean to you? When was the last time you thought about it? Well, it is a command for us, as Christians, so we might ought to give it some thought.(II Corinthians 7:1)
Don't let the language of the verse mislead you. When Paul says, "let us" that is a third person command, which is impossible to translate directly to English. It is not just a good idea; it is a command. What does this command entail? We must set out to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the (human)spirit. That means we need to commit ourselves to staying as far away from any sin as possible. We might say that is the negative side of holiness. We are holy when we do not sin. Therefore, to perfect holiness means to get as far away from sinning as is humanly possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Also, holiness means to always do the right thing, so we must commit ourselves to fully do the will of God for our lives, not what we want to do. Remember, His will for each of us is much better than what we would do. However, we have to get the selfishness and pride out of the way, so we submit to the Lord's will. Once we get away from sin and we do all that God wants us to do, we have perfected holiness. It is possible, and it is the preferred life in every situation.
Some might say, "Why do this, since I am already saved and going to heaven?" Well, I already told you that it is a command, but also, Paul reminds us to do all of this in the "fear of God." He hates sin, and He always punishes it. He may show mercy, but there is always a consequence for every sin. Do you want to have to endure the anger of God against your sin and the punishment? If we fear God, we will not want Him to be angry with us at all. Also, God can't draw close to us and bless us, if we reject His appeals to do His will. We will be punished for that, too. If we fear God, we will be careful to do His will.
See what I mean? Most people are missing God's purpose for every Christian.(Romans 8:29) His purpose is to make us like Jesus. Jesus is totally holy. This can only happen when we decide to cleanse ourselves from all sins of the flesh and the spirit, as well as pursuing God's will, instead of our own. This is forever, not just a week or a month. I have found it to be the most overwhelming life that anyone could ever have, and I highly recommend it to you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 9-11.
Don't let the language of the verse mislead you. When Paul says, "let us" that is a third person command, which is impossible to translate directly to English. It is not just a good idea; it is a command. What does this command entail? We must set out to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the (human)spirit. That means we need to commit ourselves to staying as far away from any sin as possible. We might say that is the negative side of holiness. We are holy when we do not sin. Therefore, to perfect holiness means to get as far away from sinning as is humanly possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Also, holiness means to always do the right thing, so we must commit ourselves to fully do the will of God for our lives, not what we want to do. Remember, His will for each of us is much better than what we would do. However, we have to get the selfishness and pride out of the way, so we submit to the Lord's will. Once we get away from sin and we do all that God wants us to do, we have perfected holiness. It is possible, and it is the preferred life in every situation.
Some might say, "Why do this, since I am already saved and going to heaven?" Well, I already told you that it is a command, but also, Paul reminds us to do all of this in the "fear of God." He hates sin, and He always punishes it. He may show mercy, but there is always a consequence for every sin. Do you want to have to endure the anger of God against your sin and the punishment? If we fear God, we will not want Him to be angry with us at all. Also, God can't draw close to us and bless us, if we reject His appeals to do His will. We will be punished for that, too. If we fear God, we will be careful to do His will.
See what I mean? Most people are missing God's purpose for every Christian.(Romans 8:29) His purpose is to make us like Jesus. Jesus is totally holy. This can only happen when we decide to cleanse ourselves from all sins of the flesh and the spirit, as well as pursuing God's will, instead of our own. This is forever, not just a week or a month. I have found it to be the most overwhelming life that anyone could ever have, and I highly recommend it to you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 9-11.