Holiness

We must admit that the true Christian is a rather strange person in the eye of the unbeliever.

I use the adjective true in regard to the Christian not only to point out the necessity for the new birth but to indicate, also, the Christian who is living according to his new birth. I speak here of a transformed life pleasing to God, for if you want to be a Christian, you must agree to a very much different life. The life of obedience to Jesus Christ means living moment by moment in the Spirit of God and it will be so different from your former life that you will often be considered strange. In fact, the life in the Spirit is such a different life that some of your former associates will probably discuss the question of whether or not you are mentally disturbed. The true Christian may seem a strange person indeed to those who make their observations only from the point of view of this present world, which is alienated from God and His gracious plan of salvation.

Consider now these glorious contradictions and you will no longer wonder why the true believer in Jesus Christ is such an amazement to this world.

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I have been debating some proponents of the prosperity “gospel” on a local forum and got to know about this particular piece on popular culture written by Kong Hee, the senior pastor at City Harvest Church (a mega church in Singapore) in the church’s quarterly newsletter Harvest Times.

To say that I am saddened and very much worried by what I read in the article would be an understatement, so I’m going to do a rebuttal of the article in response, in the hope that the same young people who have read and taken the advice within to heart will look at the article again, this time with the Bible as the final authority and not the words of a man.

Text referenced from the article will be in italics and in blockquotes.
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“Man,” said a thoughtless, ungodly English traveller, to a North American Indian convert, “Man, what is the reason that you make so much of Christ, and talk so much about Him? What has this Christ done for you that you should make so much ado about Him?”

The converted Indian did not answer him in words. He gathered together some dry leaves and moss and made a ring with them on the ground. He picked up a live worm and put it in the middle of the ring. He struck a light and set the moss and leaves on fire. The flame soon rose, and the heat scorched the worm. It writhed in agony, and after trying in vain to escape on every side, curled itself up in the middle, as if about to die in despair. At that moment the Indian reached forth his hand, took up the worm gently and placed it on his bosom. “Stranger,” he said to the Englishman, “do you see that worm? I was that perishing creature. I was dying in my sins, hopeless, helpless and on the brink of eternal fire. It was Jesus Christ who put forth the arm of His power. It was Jesus Christ who delivered me with the hand of His grace, and plucked me from everlasting burnings. It was Jesus Christ who placed me, a poor sinful worm, near the heart of His love. Stranger, that is the reason why I talk of Jesus Christ, and make much of Him. I am not ashamed of it, because I love Him.”

If we know anything of love to Christ, may we have the mind of this North American Indian! May we never think that we can love Christ too well, live to Him too thoroughly, confess Him too boldly, lay ourselves out for Him too heartily! Of all the things that will surprise us in the resurrection morning, this I believe will surprise us most, that we did not love Christ more before we died.

Ryle, J.C. Holiness. Evangelical P, 1979. 245.

HT: Tony Miano.

Some say I am harsh, unloving, and even having a “profound self-righteousness in my own denomination” as one comment puts it on another blog. I am not concerned with these brickbats though on many occasions I do re-examine to see if I was indeed being self-righteous, so please accept my thanks for those reminders.

Initially, I did get riled by the comments, but since reminding myself constantly that I don’t labor for the applause of man but of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and that I must never seek gratification for my flesh, but the honor and glory of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I strive on leaning on His strength.

So, to those who wonder why I am such a Christian, seemingly harsh and unloving, please take some time to watch this sermon (104 minutes) that turned my Christian life 180 degrees away from carnality. I’ve never, prior to hearing this sermon by brother Paul, understood the holiness, love and mercy of God thus. It broke me and had me in tears the first time I heard it, and hearing it again and again never fails to break me and spur me on to seek the face of my Lord.

I pray that you, too, shall be broken, and come to live a life acceptable to God, and that even if you have to appear harsh and even be ostracized, you seek that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be honored and praised and glorified above all for He alone, and only He, is worthy.

The Greatest Words in All of Scripture

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Romans 3:23-25

Paul Washer addresses the “presence of God” phenomenon and our attitude towards the holiness of God in this sermon jam.

Here’s the download link (right-click and select “Save As…”), and I hope you will enjoy it!

This addresses so very directly what I have not done with my sins, and how much I am troubled and have not peace when I sin. Jonathan Edwards exhorts us to commit violence against sin — to stone our sins, bury them for good, not even allowing the children of such sins to live.

I am learning so much from this book Pursuing Holiness in the Lord that I greatly recommend it to anyone struggling to truly live a life of holiness as God commands (2 Corinthians 7:1).

Whatever troubles there are for sin, yet if the troubler is not slain, it cannot be expected but that there will be trouble still. Before there will be no true comfort. The soul may return to stupidity and carelessness, and may receive a false peace and hope, and sin be kept alive; but no true hope.

Persons may be exceedingly troubled for sin, and yet sin be saved alive. Persons may seem to lament that they have done thus and thus, and weep many tears, and cry out the sinfulness and wickedness, and yet the life of sin be whole in them. But if so, they shall never receive true comfort.

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We are all taught that God is love, and that’s all we seem to hear very often nowadays, from the pulpits down to bumper stickers. Yet, very few people remember to remind themselves that above all, God is holy!

Oh, we all get that fuzzy feeling that God loves us despite of all our shortcomings, but that’s a dangerous road because that leads to us continuing to sin while the back of your mind tells you that if you confess, God shall forgive.

Because, top and foremost, God absolutely hates sin because He is holy! And if you cannot grasp this concept, and put it above all the bumper sticker messages of “God is love” or “God loves you”, then you will never ever be able to follow the Apostle Peter’s exhortation to be holy as our God is holy.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:14-16

To start off, do you know how much God hates sin? Let me just give you some examples.

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