Perfecting Holiness

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  2Corinthians 7:1

Whenever I hear certain music by Vivaldi, I cannot help but to think of the high level of expertise of the performing violinist, not to mention that of Vivaldi himself.  The same happens when I hear someone perform certain Beethoven piano sonatas.  Such talent is impressive.  This is also true of great athletes, craftsmen, and artists, who have risen above mediocrity and become masters in their respective fields.  Yet no matter how great the talent, there must also be a commitment to practice if the talent is to ever reach its full potential.  Talents must be perfected.

In the above text, Paul speaks about perfecting holiness.  As a musician strives to perfect his abilities, or an inventor labors to perfect his invention, so also is the believer exhorted to perfect holiness.  The Greek word “to perfect” implies completeness, or “to fully complete,” or “bring through to the end.”  Perfecting holiness, therefore, suggests becoming fully developed, consistent, and complete with regard to moral purity.  The apostle admonishes the Corinthians to actively pursue holiness of life, and to make certain that this attribute is indeed developed within them.

The occasion which prompts Paul’s exhortation to perfect holiness is found at the beginning of the verse:  Having therefore these promises etc… This is significant.  Because certain sacred promises have been made to us by God himself, we should be careful to conduct ourselves in such a way so as to realize those promises.  Many Christians who are zealous for the promises of God concentrate entirely on the aspect of faith when attempting to appropriate Bible promises.  However, in this case it is clear that holiness is the condition that must be met if we desire to be partakers in the divine promises.

Let’s consider which promises Paul is specifically referring to.  In the final verses of the preceding chapter, Paul quotes certain Old Testament promises that were intended for the church.  They are as follows.

1.       “I will dwell in them, and walk in them.”  (2Cor. 6:16)

2.       “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”  (2Cor. 6:16)

3.       “I will receive you.”  (2Cor. 6:17)

4.       “I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters.”  (2Cor.6:18)

These are magnificent promises.  Notice how they all relate to an intimate relationship with God.  Think of it:  God dwelling in us, and walking in and amongst us, declaring us to be his very own, receiving us, and sustaining a Father to children relationship with us.  Yet these promises ARE conditional.  In 2Cor. 6:17, God states three conditions:  (1) “Come out from amongst them, and (2) be ye separate, and (3) touch not the unclean thing.”  Come out from amongst them is a command to become distinct from the world, to come out from the spiritual darkness that controls the unregenerate.  Be ye separate is an exhortation to maintain this distinction, to live in such a way as to set forth the contrast between the children of God and the children of this age.  Touch not the unclean thing ultimately refers to idolatry.  Idolatry has always been a religious system that allows for and caters to fleshly indulgences. Do not therefore, let your faith become contaminated by, and mixed with, worldly religion and philosophies that allow for uncleanness, and are therefore an unclean thing.

Inasmuch then that we have these promises available to us, and in that holiness is the condition upon which, these promises are predicated, we should therefore gain a more perfect understanding of what the term perfecting holiness means.  I have in the previous post defined holiness as an inward conformity to a divine principle- the moral law.  Again, the moral law can be summed up as supreme love for God, and love for our fellow man.  This moral law is not an arbitrary decree from God, or even a creation of God.  It is a reflection of his moral character, which is love, and therefore proceeds naturally from his person in the same way that light naturally proceeds from the sun.  God is love, and thus love is, of necessity, the principle whereby all moral agents are to be governed.  Is it not one in the same to define holiness as either conformity to the moral law, which is summed up in the word love, or as conformity to the nature of God, which is love?  So, perfecting holiness would imply a bringing of this principle of love toward God and man to completeness, consistency, and fullness.

And how is it that we are to bring this principle of love, this holiness, to completeness or perfection?  Paul is clear as to our duty in this:  Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.  True holiness involves being cleansed of all filthiness, both that which is of the flesh, and also of the spirit.  Filthiness of the flesh speaks of those sins which involve the indulgence of the physical body: immorality, adultery, lasciviousness, sexual uncleanness, drunkenness, and in general, the lusts of the flesh.  Filthiness of the spirit suggests those sins which are hidden: envy, malice, bitterness, pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, competitiveness, selfish ambition, deceit, and evil motivations.  It should be understood, however, that all sin, in that it originates within the inner man, is defiling to our inner person, and considered therefore to be filthiness of the spirit.

Now notice the admonition let us cleanse ourselves.  The emphasis is on the word ourselves.  In perfecting holiness, the believer is not passive, but active.  Paul does not admonish the Corinthians to leave their sanctification to a future time and place, nor to passively wait for God to deliver them from sinful practices.  On the contrary, the admonition is a call to action, a call to cleanse ourselves. 

But doesn’t the Bible teach that God is the One that cleanses us from sin? There is no doubt that it is the power of the Spirit, the grace of God, and the blood of Jesus Christ through which we are cleansed and delivered.  However, the Spirit of God does not work in us contrary to the power of our own will.  If the believer is yet living under the power of sin, it can only be the result of his own consent.  Now he may think that he is not consenting, he may even be conscious of his own resolutions not to sin, but ultimately, where sin is present, there is of necessity consent.  Therefore, the filthiness of the flesh and spirit that dominates and ruins the lives, testimonies, and souls of so many believers, must be put away by the believer himself.  It is foolish to ask God to remove your idol while you are still bowing before it.  But rather, you rise up from your knees, you smash your idol, you grind it to pieces, and then see what precious things the power of the Spirit, the grace of God, and the blood of Christ perform within your own soul.

Again, let us cleanse ourselves is a call to repentance from unclean practices, and repentance toward God.  If filthiness of flesh and spirit are yet present, there should be an alarm to take action.  It is dangerous to continue in sin.  It is dangerous to treat sin lightly. It is even more dangerous to think that God does so as well. It is death and the height of deception to settle into a mindset that considers sin to have no serious consequence upon our relationship with God.  “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” (1John 1:6)

The final phrase in the text instructs us as to how we are to go about perfecting holiness.   We are instructed to approach this task in the fear of God.  Holiness, or the lack thereof, is no trivial matter.  We know, or should know, that without it, “no man shall see the Lord.”  There is certainly reason to fear God if we are deficient with regard to moral purity.  I have observed throughout life an interesting paradox:  Those believers who make light of the fear of God, who are quick to proclaim that the love of God has freed them from any fear of God, are also the loosest with regard to moral purity; while on the other hand, those believers who retain a fear of the Lord within their faith, are more careful as to what they allow and approve of.   It is the fear of the Lord that keeps our perspective clear with regard to eternal matters.  Thus, it is in the fear of God that we are to consider our sinful ways, cleanse ourselves from them, and thereby bring holiness to completion.

In conclusion, the wonderful promises of intimacy with God are available to us.  Are we willing therefore to meet the conditions of these promises?  It is one thing to speak about our intimacy with God; it is quite another thing to actually possess it.  If we continue in sinful practices, our profession of fellowship with God is a lie. Let us not be so arrogant as to think of ourselves as “one of God’s favorites” while at the same time allowing filthiness of the flesh and spirit to remain in our lives. But rather, let us cleanse ourselves - perfecting holiness- in the fear of God.

 

      

Without Holiness

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.  Hebrews 12:14

I am not sure exactly when it happened.  I think I may know how it happened.  I am sure it should never have happened.  And now that it has happened, I wonder what will happen to the generation of believers that allowed it to happen.  You are asking, "What is he talking about?  What has happened?"  I am talking about when Christianity began to be offered without holiness.

Let's face it.  The Christianity of today has undergone a major disconnect from the Bible's teaching concerning holiness.  Not only have we lost sight of the importance of true holiness, we actually in many ways disdain it.  Holiness has become a bad word amongst modern evangelicals.  We bristle at the words "holy" and "holiness" in the same that we used to bristle at profanity.

Where did this disdain come from?  It is possible that the word holiness stirs up images of women dressed like pilgrims, and men on oatmeal containers, of women who have deliberately "uglified" themselves standing by their morose, austere, pitchfork-wielding husbands.  Or possibly the word holiness brings up the ideas of rigid regulations and countless practices of   "don't do this," and "don't do that."  And probably, "holiness" reminds us of those who in the name of Christ have attempted to legislate their own peculiar convictions and or cultures as the moral law of God.

But regardless of the many errors that may have occurred in the name of holiness, one thing remains certain: without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.  Did you get that?  Neither you, nor I, nor anyone else, will actually enter the kingdom of heaven apart from holiness.  You can claim promises, rejoice in imputed righteousness, jump up and down over justification by faith, glory over who you may think you are in Christ, but if the attribute of holiness or moral purity is lacking in you, you will not see God in the next life.

This is where today's evangelicals are disconnected from truth.  This is the area of greatest deception.  If you listen to the majority of professing Christians, it is evident that they do not really believe that holiness is essential to eternal life.  The prevailing theology (I use the term loosely) is this:  If you believe in Jesus, you're saved- period.

And here is the great deception.  We really do not think that any sinful practice can affect our eternity with God.  Some are even bold (dumb) enough to actually say it.  Consider for a moment:  Have we not become accepting of immoral conduct in our churches, youth groups, and even in our ministers?  We may not entirely condone these practices, but we have accepted them.  We do not think for a moment that those who profess Christ yet practice these things are in any real eternal danger.  Likewise, drunkenness, partying, loose living, corruption in the ministry, and overall worldliness- none of these things really trouble us.  And if by chance any would dare suggest that those Christians who continue in these things will not inherit the kingdom of God, he will be scoffed at, branded a legalist, considered judgmental, and ultimately will be ostracized.  Thus Christianity, which was always understood to be a faith which begat moral excellence and holiness in its adherents, has now become a religion where these attributes are despised- it has become a faith without holiness.

Now having mentioned various errors associated with holiness, it is fitting to give some clarity as to what holiness is, and what it is not.  I will begin with what holiness is not.

Holiness is not an outward conformity to a set of rules or an imposed set of convictions, or to a certain code of conduct regarding dress, diet, religious observances, etc..  It cannot consist in any mere outward observance of any principle- even a right and noble principle.  It does not consist in any religious work or effort.  It should be the motive in every religious work, but it does not consist in the work itself.  In other words, there are no outward acts that a man can perform that will in themselves make him holy.

On the other hand, holiness does consist in, and is an inward conformity to a divine principle- the moral law of God.  As sin is defined in Scripture as a "transgression of the law" (1John3:4), the opposite of sin, holiness, may be defined as a conformity to, or harmony with the moral law.

But what is the moral law of God?  Jesus defined the moral law as consisting in two parts: supreme love for God, and love for one's neighbor.  The Jews had received the law from Moses, the glory of which was the Ten Commandments.  But when Jesus was asked as to what the greatest commandment in the law was, He did not refer to any of these ten commandments.  Instead, He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)

Do you see this?  All of the law and the prophets hang upon these two commands.  These two commandments are the foundation upon which the Levitical law was established.  They both precede and supersede the Old Covenant.  These two commandments are the moral law.  The law of Moses could be abolished in Christ, but the moral law of God can never be abolished, for the duty and moral obligation of every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, is summed up in these commandments.  We are to love God supremely and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Thus, holiness may be defined as whole-hearted love for God, and that love for our neighbor, which considers his happiness and welfare as of equal value to our own.

It should be evident that wherever this love for God and neighbor exists, there will of necessity be a purity of conduct as well.  If a man loves God supremely, he will not be an idolater, nor take the name of God in vain, nor have any other gods in his place, etc..  Likewise, he who loves his neighbor as himself will not steal from him, commit adultery with his wife, lie to him or against him, covet and lust after his belongings, and certainly not kill him.  He who is guided by this principle will be careful to keep himself from all that is unclean and offensive to God, as well as that which is harmful to his fellow man.  Thus it is written that "love is the fulfilling of the law." (Rom. 13:10)

According to Paul, this love that is the fulfillment of the moral law must bear this attribute: it must "seek not its own." (1Cor. 13:5)  In other words, we are to love God- not for what we can get from him- but because it is in itself right to love him.  Our love for God must ultimately be concerned with his feelings, his happiness, and his welfare.  Likewise, we are to love our neighbor in truth, being mindful that his well-being is as important as our own.

Now without this holiness, this love that seeks not its own, no man shall see the Lord.  Therefore, those professing believers who yet manifest an overall selfish nature are deficient, and consequently are on dangerous ground.  To suggest then, that the gospel of Jesus Christ promises eternal life without requiring a conformity to the moral law is absurd.  It flies in the face of our consciousness of what justice is.  A gospel without holiness amounts to this:  God, on the one hand, honors the moral law by sending his Son as an offering on behalf of that broken law, while on the other hand, He dishonors that same law by granting forgiveness of sins and eternal life to believers who are yet in rebellion to it!  Absurd?  It is worse than absurd, it is wicked- for it makes God a transgressor of his own law- and thus by definition, a sinner!

We can therefore be confident that any rendition of the gospel that does not have for its aim the moral purity of its hearers is fundamentally flawed.  If our gospel is without holiness, it is no gospel at all.  It is no "good news" if in the end we do not see the Lord.  The true gospel is good news in that it begets a love for God and our neighbor, which brings about a purity of life that prepares us for the world to come.

Take heed therefore, that you do not embrace a form of Christianity that makes light of holiness, lest the words of the apostle be fulfilled in you:  "In the last days perilous times shall come.  FOR men shall be lovers of their own selves... having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." (2Tim. 3:1-5)  In other words, in the last days, men shall hold to the Christian faith, yet reject and deny the need for personal godliness- they shall be without holiness.

Will the same be true of us?

 

The Lord Knoweth Them That Are His

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.  And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.  2 Tim. 2:19

If you have ever walked down a city street and examined some of the older buildings, you may have noticed certain seals or inscriptions set in some of their foundations.  These inscriptions give information concerning the buildings such as when they were erected, who built them, and in some cases, the purpose for which they were built.  

In Paul’s epistles, he often uses the terms building or temple or house when referring to the church of Jesus Christ.  In the above verse, he extends the metaphor and comments specifically about the foundation of the house of God, and even more so, the seal or inscription upon this foundation:  The Lord knoweth them that are his.  Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 

Imagine for a moment a physical house or temple of God, immense, overlaid with gold, and rising into the heavens.  As you approach the magnificent ivory doors, your attention is drawn toward the peculiar inscription etched into the pure gold of the foundation – The Lord knoweth them that are his.  Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.  The doors slowly swing open, and as you enter you wonder about the inscription.  Why these words?  What do they mean?  What message does the builder of this house want to convey to those who enter?  But before any of your questions are answered, you are received by the countless inhabitants of the house – all naming the name of Christ – and in the new found excitement of being a part of this great house, your questions are forgotten.

So why are these words on the foundation?  And what do they mean?  Certainly there must be a message that God, the builder of this house, wishes to convey to those who will enter.  In considering what this message may be, we can break this verse down into three parts: the significance of the foundation itself; the statement, The Lord knoweth them that are his; and the exhortation, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Paul uses the term foundation, not merely because it is the place most likely to bear a seal or inscription, but rather to convey the ideas of strength, support, steadiness and longevity. When Paul wrote the second epistle to Timothy, he was dealing with the rise of false doctrines and increasing apostasy amongst believers, especially in Asia Minor.  Many one time friends of Paul had turned away from him, and many of his co-workers in the gospel were now his adversaries.  The result of this turmoil was that some believers had had their faith overthrown.  With the church being thus shaken, Paul declares that, “the foundation of God standeth sure,” or steady.  Though the visible aspects of the building (the people that were respected as pillars, the ministers that once preached truth, and the members that were seemingly so committed) begin to crumble and fall away, the foundation which is unseen will not be moved, for it is the handiwork of God himself.  

Now this foundation of God bears this seal: The Lord knoweth  them that are his.  Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.  The Holy Spirit thus signifies that the church of Jesus Christ shall consist of two classes of believers: those that profess to know God, but who are not truly his people, and those whom God declares to be his very own.  Also, that if any man will profess to be Christ’s follower he must break off from his sins.  

This statement, The Lord knoweth them that are his is a significant part of the New Testament’s teaching concerning judgment and eternal life.  Remember the words of Christ concerning the day of judgment when many believers will seek entry into his kingdom saying, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”  (Matt. 7:22)  But what is Christ’s response?  He does not challenge the legitimacy of their prophecies in his name, nor does he chastise them for their casting out of devils.  He does not deny that they have done many wonderful works in his name.  But what does he take issue with?  He declares to them, “I NEVER KNEW YOU, depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  (Matt. 7:23)

Years ago within the church, there was a strong emphasis on “knowing the Lord.”  It was more common then to hear expressions such as: “Do you know the Lord?”  “How long have you known the Lord?”   “Before I knew the Lord,” and, “He doesn’t know the Lord yet.”  These expressions, although fine in themselves, actually take away from what the real emphasis should be – It is more important that the Lord knows us than that we know the Lord.  It is wonderful that you say that you know the Lord, but does the Lord know you?  I may claim that I belong to him, but does He claim me as his own?  Our final destiny is not determined by our profession of Christ and the works that we have done in his name, but rather by God’s knowledge of who truly belongs to him.

Now we come to the second part of the seal upon God’s foundation: Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.  This is an exhortation to all those who would enter God’s house.  This is a warning to all those who profess to be Christians.  If you will name the name of Christ, take heed that you live a holy life.  Be careful not to develop theologies and doctrines that allow for continuation in sin while promising eternal life.  Do not hold to a “form of godliness” while “denying the power” of true Christianity. 

 

It is interesting to compare the statement of Jesus concerning the judgment, “I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity,” with the words upon the foundation of God’s house, which serve as a message to us in this time of grace.  In the time of grace, professing believers are commanded to depart from iniquity.  In the time of judgment, those who failed to do so are commanded to depart from Christ.  In this time of grace, the Lord declares that He knoweth them that are his.  In the time of judgment, He declares that He knoweth them that are not.

 

So where do you stand within the house of God?  Have you departed from iniquity?  Does the Lord know you as one of his own?  “If any man love God, the same is known of Him.”  (1 Cor. 8:3)  Now if you do love God and have departed from iniquity, you are being built together with the countless saints that have gone before you  upon a good foundation, and although many around you may fall away, leaving you with sorrow and grief, know for certain that the “foundation of God standeth sure” – The Lord knoweth them that are his.  

Discipleship Denied

And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, ’this man began to build, and was not able to finish.’  Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”  Luke 14:25-33

Access denied.  Request denied.  Application denied.  We are all familiar with these terms and the many others like them.  Perhaps you have received from a court or government office an official “application denied,” or “request denied,” or maybe you have been greeted with “access denied” when seeking entry into an event or particular private setting.  Oftentimes these denials are temporary obstacles that we are able to circumvent, and thus continue on our way.  At other times, they are final and force us to alter our plans and re-evaluate our course.  

But of all the denials and rejections that we may endure in this life, none can compare with the possibility of having our discipleship denied.  What I mean by discipleship denied is this: Our claim that we are the disciples of Christ may be denied by the Lord himself if we fail to meet the conditions of discipleship which He has established.  Yes believer, there are conditions of discipleship, and no man or woman should think that these conditions do not apply to him or her personally.  

In the above text from Luke, Jesus explicitly set forth three conditions or requirements for those who would consider becoming his followers.  Failure to meet these requirements resulted in a failed bid to be a disciple.  As Jesus set forth his conditions, He was emphatic that those who came short could not be his disciple.  In other words, discipleship denied.

Here are the three conditions.

Condition #1

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.”  Luke 14:26

This first condition deals with our love for Christ.  We are to love Jesus supremely and at all costs.  We are to prefer Him above every earthly relationship.  Jesus uses the word “hate” to convey what our affections toward our loved ones are to be in comparison to our love for Him.  We are not to hate our relatives in the sense of ill will or malice, but we are to prefer them less than we do Christ.  We are not to disobey Christ, or slight Him to please our mothers or fathers.  We are not to compromise our faith to keep peace with our spouses.  

Included in this condition is the charge that we are to “hate our own lives” as well.  We are to prefer Jesus over our very lives – for our relationship with Him is more important than life itself.

Now you may say, “No one really lives this way, and it can’t be necessary to do so.”  But what have you said, other than that you do not live this way, and that you do not take Christ seriously?  “But isn’t this condition unreasonable?”  Unreasonable!  Was your mother crucified for you?   And your father, was he scourged?  Did your wife bleed for your sins?  Have your children died for you?  Unreasonable?  It is your “reasonable service.”  (Romans 12:1) 

Condition #2

“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.”  Luke 14:27 

The second condition addresses our suffering for Christ.  The cross is the symbol of suffering and shame.  In the first century, “bearing one’s cross” had both a literal and figurative application.  Many of those who heard these words directly, ended their earthly lives upon a Roman cross.  They denied themselves the comforts of this life that they might promote a higher purpose – the honor and glory of God.  

This condition is still the standard for believers today.  If we do not bear our cross, if we live lives of self-preservation and compromise in order to avoid suffering and humiliation, we CANNOT BE, and ARE NOT his disciples.  

Condition #3

“So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.  Luke 14:33

This condition stresses our sacrifice for Christ.  We often hear of the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf.  This is the great truth of the gospel.  Yet He does require a small sacrifice from us in return – we are to forsake all that we have.  All that we possess is to be at his disposal.  In some cases there is a literal forsaking of everything required.  In all cases, there must be a willingness to do so.

Now what can be said about Christ’s teaching concerning discipleship?  Jesus taught that men were to “count the cost” before they began to build – not half way through, lest they find themselves unable to finish and thus become a laughing stock.  In other words, before one chooses to follow Christ, he needs to know what is expected of him so that he can make a proper decision. 

What a gross disservice we have done to the Christian faith, by not only neglecting to set before those coming to Christ the conditions of discipleship, but more so, even hiding these truths from them!  In our desire to make disciples, we have omitted Jesus’ own words on the subject!

Now what have we done?  We have told people that all they need to do to be saved is to “ask Jesus into their hearts.”  We have said, “You don’t have to change.  If the Lord wants you to change, He will change you.”  And again, “It doesn’t matter why you become a Christian, as long as you become one.  Jesus doesn’t care, He loves you so much He will take you any way you come!”  “You should try to obey Jesus, but if you are unwilling to, pray that He will someday help you to become obedient!” 

And what wonderful results have we produced with this steaming pile of garbage that we wrongly call the gospel?  We have made countless converts who are worldly, selfish, rebellious, “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,” who never have repented a day in their lives; they are shallow, do not overcome sin, justify continuing in iniquity, excuse their own sinful state, are unreasonable and unreachable.  They are religious hippies, drunk on the hippie love message, and know just enough of the Bible to be happily deceived.

But where will they stand when they are judged by the “words in red?”  They will be deficient.  Their claims of discipleship will be denied.  It will be a day of sorrow, grief and woeful surprise.

And what about us who knew the words of Christ but were afraid to declare them to these poor souls?  We did not want to scare them off, and so we watered down the gospel and presented to the masses a “Jesus” who bears almost no resemblance to the Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Did we do them any favors by changing Biblical Christianity into a non-threatening love message of unconditional acceptance?  How will we be judged who have “changed the truth of God into a lie?”

People, it is not too late to sit down and “count the cost.”  If you never have, you must, if you are to be found acceptable to God.  Then let us go from there and present Jesus in a way that is worthy of His approval.  We might be surprised to find that there are yet souls out there who will meet the conditions of discipleship, and “follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.”  Who knows, we may have our discipleship approved as a result.

Who is On the Lord's Side?

Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me.  And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.  And he said unto them, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.  Exodus 32:26, 27

Picture this scene.  Moses, whom God had chosen to be both prophet and leader of the Old Testament Church, has just finished forty days alone with God in the mountain.  He has sat in God’s presence, and heard his voice.  He has received directly from God tablets of stone which contain the Law of God – written, rather chiselled, by the finger of God.

Suddenly, this sacred moment is interrupted.  The Lord tells Moses, “Go, get thee down, for thy people have corrupted themselves.” (Ex. 32:7)  The fierce wrath of God has been ignited, and He bids Moses, “Let me alone…that I may consume them.” (Ex. 32:10)  Moses, however, pleads with God to spare them and his prayer is heard.

As Moses enters the camp he finds a golden calf, idolatry, revelry, immorality and lewdness.  He breaks the tablets which God had given him and burns their idol as well.  Moses then positions himself in the gate of the camp and utters, “Who is on the Lord’s side?”

 

What then takes place is probably very difficult for today’s Christian to identify with.  Those who respond to “Who is on the Lord’s side?” are commanded by Moses to go through the congregation – not with words of encouragement, not with sympathy and understanding, not with promises of forgiveness, but with swords unsheathed!  They are exhorted to “slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.”  The result was the execution of three thousand men – most likely the main offenders in this rebellion against God.

Now what shall we take from this lesson?  Certainly we are not to go through our congregations and literally slay our brethren, companions and neighbors for their sins.  But we are, however, required to have the same zeal against sin and be willing to unsheathe the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  And if this sword slays our relatives, friends and neighbors – so be it.  For indeed, whose side are we really on?  And again, “Who is on the Lord’s side?”

The question at hand is not whether we should be loving and charitable – that we should be is evident.  The question is this:  When presented with a dispute between God and sinners, or between God and the church, or between God and your relatives, friends or neighbors, or lastly, even between God and yourself- whose side are you on?  With whom do you ultimately sympathize – with those who are sinful and wrong, or with Jesus Christ?  Do you feel more sorrow for those who rebel against God, or for God who is the recipient of their injurious treatment?  Do you feel more pity and have more love for those who by their impenitence do yet crucify Christ, or does your heart go out to Him whom they spit upon, scourge, and nail?  

More often than not, Christians are on the wrong side rather than the Lord’s side.  We are unwilling to let the sword divide us from relatives, friends and neighbors, and thus we stoop to all manner of compromise to make sure that everyone likes us and that no one is threatened by us.  We want their approval.  We want their friendship.  So we commit their iniquity and drink the cup of their death, and never consider that we who are so sure of God’s love toward us, have indeed become his enemies.

His enemies!  God forbid!  Why, we are the children of our loving God, and are the bride of Christ!  On the contrary, O adulterers and adulteresses: “Do you not know that friendship of the world is enmity with God?  Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world IS the ENEMY of God.” (James 4:4)  Whosoever means you!  If you drink with them, you will drown with them.  If you sleep with them, you will sleep the sleep of death with them.  If you live like them, you will die like them.

Ah!  But what about the love of God?  Again to the contrary, what about the love for God?  What about loving the things He loves and hating the things He hates?  What about genuinely caring about his feelings?  It is this sympathy with God which defines our faith as to whether it is true or not.  It is the foundation of our fellowship with Him and with one another.  I would rather be with one believer who truly cared about and sympathized with Jesus Christ, than with ten thousand believers who care little about Him, and sympathize only with themselves.

So reader, whose side are you on?  Are you on his side when He offers love to all mankind?  I’m sure you are.  Are you on his side when He extends forgiveness and mercy to sinners?  Yes, you are.  Are you on his side when He is patient and kind toward you? - Definitely.  But are you on his side when He rises to execute judgment upon sinners?  Do you agree with Him then?  Are you on his side when He casts the impenitent into hell, though they be your relatives, friends, and neighbors?  Or do you feel that He is somehow unfair and cruel to treat your loved ones so?  And lastly, would you take his side if he weighed you in the balance and found you wanting?  Or do you feel that somehow God owes you grace, and favour, and unconditional acceptance?

Thus brothers and sisters,  let us learn from the example set before us.  The Israelites turned away from the Lord when Moses was absent, and indulged in idolatry and immorality.  At his return, a distinction was made as to who was on the Lord’s side and who was not, and the guilty were slain.  So it will be in the end of this age.  The King of kings and Lord of lords shall descend from heaven mounted on a white steed and clothed in a robe dipped in the blood of transgressors.  Distinctions will be made. “The slain of the Lord will be many.”  And who is on the Lord’s side will be manifest.

Quit You Like Men

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.  1 Corinthians 16:13

The Corinthian church was a church beset with many problems.  After a promising beginning, the church became afflicted with a host of issues:  doctrinal errors of various kinds, ambitious teachers who opposed the apostle Paul, divisions and strifes, and moral scandals.  When the news of these troubles reached Paul, he was stirred by the Holy Spirit to take up his pen and address the situation with an epistle.

After a lengthy letter in which Paul employed rebuke, correction, reproof, encouragement, doctrine – and every other means to affect a spiritual cure – he inserted a short, parting command:  quit you like men.  Quit you like men is old English for “act like men.”  The Greek signifies to “make a man of,” “play the man” or “act manly.”  

What a glorious command!  As Paul had pleaded with and exhorted the Corinthians to overcome their faults and bring forth fruit becoming their profession of Christ, he then summed up the whole of his exhortation:  QUIT YOU LIKE MEN!  ACT LIKE MEN!  ACT MANLY!  PLAY THE MAN!

You see Christian, there comes a point in time after we have heard all the sermons, debated all the doctrines, philosophized about the great love of God and His immeasurable grace toward us, after we have been coddled and stroked, encouraged ad nauseum, have made every excuse for our failures, blamed everyone but ourselves – from Adam to our parents – when we must answer the question:  Do we have the guts to be real Christians?  Will we “quit like men,” put off our compromise and set before the world a Christianity that beams with light and stings with salt?  Will we be willing to proclaim the true Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, who never begged for followers nor made his message palatable for the masses, who never apologized for who He was or what He said?   

I am convinced that the Christianity of today is a completely different faith from that of the first century.  The differences are vast.  The early church’s message was powerful, but ours is weak.  Their leaders were rugged men with grit, our leaders are soft and compromised.  Our leaders are afraid to confront sin, their leaders would not tolerate it.  The early Christians died in the circus, today’s church is a circus.  

And perhaps one of the saddest exhibits of the modern church circus is the demasculated man.  Do you see him on the midway?  There he is now, the weak one, unable to stand without the aid of his support group, begging, “Be my mentor!  Be my mentor!  My father didn’t love me and I can’t relate to God, I can’t show emotion and I can’t keep my word!”  Isn’t he pathetic?  But do not fear, for there is hope for him.  For at the end of the midway, behind the booth where the "cotton candied" religion is sold, there is a gathering of other demasculated men ready to mentor and be mentored.  Now our demasculated man is in good hands, for here he will learn the valuable lessons of “how to get in touch with his feminine side,” so that he can become a more caring, motherly man!  And finally, empowered by the support of his snivelling peers, he rises to hold hands with his brethren (I’m getting sick) to give God praise!  

Gentlemen, can we make an end of unmanly Christianity?  Can we do away with a religion that is unworthy of our Prince?  To make excuses for sin is weak.  To blame others for our faults is detestable.  I am what I am, not because of my environment or upbringing, but because of my choices.  

I maintain that a man who is in Christ does not need a “feminine side” (If you have one repent of it!).  A Christian man is capable of great feeling and compassion without needing to become effeminate.  He is bold yet meek; he is strong yet merciful.  He is filled with resolve; he has guts – he has grit.  He has counted the cost of following Christ and has suffered for it.  He does not care what the world thinks or if he must walk alone.  He is a good soldier; he will not forsake his post.  

So as we toil in the trenches of life and the battle is sore against us, as the war rages and darkness surrounds us, as we stumble and fall with our strength spent and our hopes crushed, a distant shout from an old battle scarred general may still be heard:  “QUIT YOU LIKE MEN, BE STRONG!”

Here I Stand, I Can Do No Other

Diet of Worms- April, 1521

CHANCELLOR OF TREVES:  “You have not answered the question put to you.  You were not summoned hither to call in question the decisions of councils.  You are requested to give a clear and precise answer.  Will you, or will you not, retract?”

LUTHER: …”it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience.”  And then looking round on this assembly before which he stood, and which held his life in its hands, he said:  “HERE I STAND, I CAN DO NO OTHER; MAY GOD HELP ME!  AMEN!”

Nearly five centuries have passed since the bold monk of Wittenberg uttered this most famous quote of the Reformation.  A prisoner of his own conscience and bound by his faith, Martin Luther “could do no other” but stand by his convictions, and thus joined the ranks of the thousands of saints and martyrs that had gone before him.  Unwilling to surrender his faith to the secular authorities and the worldly church of his day, he counted the cost and willingly offered himself as a sacrifice for the truth – he could do no other.  

As the evangelical church of our day slips further into compromise and spiritual darkness, I wonder where our Martin Luthers are.  I wonder where our reformers are who might transform the church of today and not allow it to continue on its present path toward apostasy.  I wonder where those true saints are who by their lives declare, “Here I stand, I can do no other.”  

And as I wonder about these things, I find myself more and more afflicted by the continual decay of the moral standards of today’s church.  I am pressed on every side as I watch an apostate form of Christianity subtly, yet rapidly, infiltrate our churches and claim both preacher and church member as its converts.  Yet as this darkness increases, I for one am stirred to fight against it.  I have counted the cost; I am ready for war.  So in the spirit of Luther:  Here I stand, I can do no other.

I can do no other but to reject a Christianity that does not require a man to “deny himself, take up his cross and follow Christ.”  Christianity is and must be a full surrender to Jesus Christ.  Here I stand.  

I can do no other but despise a “salvation” that tolerates and excuses drunkenness, fornication, and immorality among professing Christians.  If the drunken and immoral are embraced as true Christians in today’s church, I want no part of it.

Here I stand for a gospel that transforms the sinner’s moral character from self indulgence to self denial, from unholiness to purity, from darkness to light.  If the New Testament promotes something less, I am unaware of it.  

Here I stand against the modern church’s weak message of love and forgiveness - a message that omits love for God and offers forgiveness without repentance.  I can do no other but disdain this modern “gospel,” which is entirely consumed with temporal happiness and cares little for the honor and glory of God.  

Here I stand against the modern prophets and evangelists who “wear soft clothing,” who “love to be called ‘Rabbi’,” and “receive glory one from another,” who “suppose that gain is godliness,” and “devour widows’ houses,” all while promising a hundredfold return.  I can do no other than reject both their visions and teachings.

Here I stand against the adulterous church leaders who cannot overcome their weaknesses, but indulge themselves with “silly women laden with sins.”  If you must be an adulterer, do it elsewhere and leave the pulpit to those who fear God.

I can do no other but oppose and reject anyone or any church that is sympathetic toward homosexuality.  Any preacher or church that declares that a practising homosexual has eternal life, I oppose.  Here I stand.  Cut me, bleed me, burn me, but I will never bend on this point – I can do no other.

Finally, I can do no other but to call black, black and white, white; to “abhor that which is evil and hold to what is good;" to “judge a tree by the fruit it bears;” and to “hold faith and a good conscience.”  This is where I stand.

How about you?