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.