As we continue together in our study of The Pursuit of Holiness, we learn in Chapter 3 that we are made holy in our standing before God through Christ and that we are called to be holy in our daily lives. We also see that “if there is not, then, at least a yearning in our hearts to live a holy life pleasing to God, we need to seriously question whether our faith in Christ is genuine.” This chapter also lists four key aspects to a successful Christian walk that are based on holiness.
We are excited to hear how Chapter 3 has impacted you. How will you put what you’ve learned this week into practice? As always, please remember to keep you comments current and on topic.
Comments for Chapter 3 will be accepted through June 23, 2008. We will cover Chapter 4 during the week of June 24-30.
13 comments:
Our discussion on "Holiness Is Not an Option" was quite lively. Knowing that we're made holy through Christ and called to be holy in our daily lives left us struggling with age old questions.
What is the balance between faith and works? Are we settling for "greasy grace" rather than setting our sights on heights of holiness?
Thankfully the Holy Spirit puts a yearning for holiness in our hearts. May we be stirred up and strive to be more like Him.
Thanks for doing this blog. Holiness should become a habit. Like brushing your teeth every day. Or personal hygiene. I agree with Bridges that it's not optional. Holiness is what God requires...it's a command. We can't always accomplish it, but we can always try.
While we all desire to be holy, we know that a life of perfect holiness is impossible. We all agreed with Bridges who said,God does not require a perfect, sinless life to have fellowship with Him, but He does require that we be serious about holiness, that we grieve over sin in our lives instead of justifying it, and that we earnestly pursue holiness as a way of life."
Two questions:
1) How have you justified sin in your life?
2) How are you earnestly pursuing holiness in your life?
I think it's easy to justify sin by saying, "Everyone else is doing it." Whether it's going to the same movies other people go to or walk and talk like the world.
I could pursue holiness more by trying to look less like the world. One of the Scriptures from question 3 was right on: Titus 2:11-12 tells us to deny ungodliness and worldy lusts.
Thanks for your thoughtful answers Jan. Many of us on the Steering Committee have talked about being convicted about allowing the world to creep into our daily lives.
One of our ladies said she had been guilty of being "lazy" spiritually. Others were being more diligent concerning what they watch, read, and listen to. It's a great reminder for all of us, isn't it?
Sometimes music says what words cannot...here's a Nicole Nordeman video from YouTube called Holy. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT7qAz3jk14
We agree, Jan! Simply click on the link below to listen to this beautiful song by Nicole Nordeman.
Nicole Nordeman:holy
Today Lenya and I were working on next semester's study. The thread that runs through the Bible truly is a call to holiness.
As we perused the Psalms in preparation, we saw that throughout the good times and bad the psalmists determined to look to God to cleanse them from unholy actions and remind them of God's holiness.
Even in the dark nights of our soul we can sing God's praise and remember that He is holy.
The Steering Committee has been praying and have decided to study the Psalms next semester. Skip has done such a great job of covering life after death and talked about resurrection during his current series. We believe God has led us to change our direction and know God will lead us to Praise Him in All Things through the Psalms.
The Psalms promote a clarion call to Live Radiantly! If you have any questions, please feel free to call the office at 338-3654.
The thing that touched me the most this lesson was that I CAN NEVER act like sin doesn't happen in my life because God WILL NEVER act like it doesn't happen. He is a holy God and calls me to be holy in my walk with Him. If I am saved then there should be a yearning to seek that holiness every day and become more Christ-like . He doesn't expect me not to sin, but to grieve like He does when I do falter because I am to become like Him daily. It really made me take another look at how I look at sin in my life no matter how small I may think it is.
Please forgive the pun, but this week I've found that there are several "holes" in my holiness. They mostly seem to pop through with the people I love most: my kids, husband, and friends. Sadly they take the brunt of my lack of obedience. Does anyone else struggle with this?
Misty, great point. We can so easily ignore our sin or justify it in our own mind. But God really can't. He is the holy God and we know our sin is ever before Him. Thankfully, "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
You're definitely not alone Jan. It's sad that the people we love the most too often see the ugly underside of our lives. Shouldn't it be the opposite? They should get the best of us, when often they get the worst. Maybe we're so busy putting on holiness for the outside world that we neglect putting on holiness for the inside. It's a sobering reminder to prioritize our pursuit of holiness. It really should start at home.
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