To
those who subscribe to extra biblical teachings on the topic of holiness,
whether or not it can be attained, or whether or not we ought to pursue it, the
entire thing can be a real head scratcher. Because men would rather believe the
words of other men than the Word of God, there are entire passages of Scripture
individuals conveniently avoid, or refuse to read, because to do so would mean
to be confronted with the reality that what they believe is contrary to what
the Bible says.
Today’s modern, sophisticated, open minded, all inclusive, all
embracing, tolerant Christian does not like the notion of holiness, nor do they
take kindly to the idea that the Bible tells them they must be holy in all
their conduct. As such, they’ve taken it upon themselves to put forth the idea
that holiness is either that elusive, unattainable thing that we can get within
reach of, but never quite acquire, or that man has no input, or contribution
when it comes to the notion of holiness in his life.
To
those embracing the new doctrine, holiness is not some restrictive thing
wherein we are called upon to embrace such antiquated practices as
self-control, mortification of the flesh, or self-denial, but in a mind bending
feat of mental acrobatics, they insist that we are simply made holy without
ever aspiring to holiness, and in spite of any habitual sin we might still be
clinging to in our day to day lives.
You
can live however you want, do whatever you want, conduct yourself in whatever
vile manner you want, and you’re still holy, and nothing you can do can take
away that holiness that you’ve done nothing to acquire, or changed nothing in
your life to attain.
It’s
basically the best of both worlds, wherein you can roll in the mud with the
rest of the hell bound masses, and still sit at the King’s table pretending to
have the whitest of garments on, enjoying the benefits of being called a son or
daughter of the most High God.
Granted,
we’ve become a generation which subsists on a steady diet of platitudes and
one-liners, and have boiled intellectual discourse down to the 140 characters
allowed by Twitter. Hence the reason things are going so smashingly in this
country, and why so few are bothering to stir from their slumber to see the
train nearing the brick wall.
I
have no great expectations of the world. Those in darkness will live as those
in darkness, but I do have some expectation of those calling themselves
redeemed and sanctified, and one of the expectations I have is that they be
diligent when it comes to the Word of God, and God’s expectations of them as
His bondservants.
We
can’t play it fast and loose when it comes to the Word of God, because there
are eternal consequences and ramifications to deal with. We cannot embrace a
certain doctrine or teaching just because it pleases the flesh, because there
will be a day of reckoning for every lie we embraced as truth, and every truth
we rejected as lies.
The
church today has a real problem with holiness. Mention it and you’re quickly
branded an extremist, someone to be avoided and rejected at all cost, because
to insist upon holiness is to turn our back on progress and the new libertine
gospel we’ve all come to love and embrace.
Holiness
has become a dirty word, something to be snickered at, derided, and maligned,
even though it is something the Word of God insist we ought to pursue, and can
rightly attain as obedient children of God.
Would
God be so petty as to tell us to pursue something He knew we could never
acquire? Would God be so small as to make us seek after something we had no
hope of ever attaining? Did He just include certain passages in Scripture
because He likes to watch us fail, and chase our own tails endlessly?
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
This is a bit more than a conundrum it appears and grabs all of "Christianity" by the horns
ReplyDelete"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy". Ex 20:8 is a commandment of YHVH (note the word "remember" in the above verse). Does YHVH need to make it any clearer ?
When the Council of Nicea did away with YHVH Sabbath, Passover / Lords Supper, and calendar, it was in direct violation to the OT/NT scripture. They did away with the YHVH commandment of "holiness".
The above mentioned are "YHVH" days, feasts, and calendar given to His people.
Btw, nowhere in the entire NT is Yshua or the apostles ever break the Law of Moses in fact quite the opposite they were falsely accused.
I'm sorry, Michael, I cannot let this comment pass without rebuttal. I will understand if you do not wish to post it.
ReplyDeleteChrist fulfilled the Law with His sacrifice. He said it Himself (Matthew 5:17) "Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill." Until He said, on the cross, “It is finished” the Law was still in force during Christ's ministry, and so, of course, He and His disciples followed it. But at that game-changing moment, Christ became our Law. He is our Sabbath rest, our Feast Days, our Latter Day Rain. It is He that we must obey in order to be holy, not the Law, not performance, repetitious religion. (Colossians 2:8) "Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ: (2:9) for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, (2:10) and in him ye are made full, who is the head of all principality and power: (2:11) in whom ye were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ; (2:12) having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (2:13) And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, [I say], did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses; (2:14) having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out that way, nailing it to the cross; (2:15) having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (2:16) Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day: (2:17) which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ's. (2:18) Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshipping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he hath seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, (2:19) and not holding fast the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increasing with the increase of God. (2:20) If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances, (2:21) Handle not, nor taste, nor touch (2:22) (all which things are to perish with the using), after the precepts and doctrines of men? "
This is a perfect example of what Michael is saying here. We either ignore the command to be holy or we strive to be holy by doing all the things that don’t matter anymore. Somewhere in the middle is the reality. Christ in us, if we allow Him in, causes us to be holy because we surrender to His holiness.
Are you saying the ten commandments are done away with? That the very commands of God are not immutable and forever? Yes those things that where not in the Ark, mosaic law were pinned to the cross. The ordinances indeed gone, the very thing men used to make others stumble, while they who used lay on their faces.
ReplyDeleteYou stopped short I think.
Matthew 5:18, " For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
I ask then has heaven and earth passed? Has all been fulfilled? I ask what Law is spoken of here?
Indeed we must be holy, for no sin gets into heaven. We can't sit around picking lint out of our bellys, works without faith, faith without works is dead. How do you become holy by not keeping what we are told are immutable and forever. What rules, precepts, laws, commandments are we to follow?
John 14:15, " If ye love me, keep my commandments"
I ask what commandments did Christ mean in this verse?
I with absolute love and deisre to know our Lord and savior ask, to learn, to know, to edify, to reprove myself by others who love the King of Kings.
I pray and say all things in the name of Christ Jesus, amen.