Life, Love, and Legalism, Part 2
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
This desire for acceptance is at the very heart of holiness for us as Christians. The problem lies in two areas. First, this longing gives us an excuse to participate in activities that are contrary to what we really know we should be doing. Secondly, we do what we do for all the wrong reasons.
Our culture is possibly the most vile and ungodly there has ever been. Since I did not experience Sodom and Gomorrah or other historical cultures I may be mistaken on this point, but I know there are opportunities for evil at every turn. What was completely taboo when I was a child is now accepted (and sometimes encouraged) practice. Language that would only be heard in whispers and around corners is now heard commonly in movies, television, in the school hallways,and yes, even the pulpit (personal experience on that one folks!) Sinful activities or the results of those activities are seen as completely normal. Because we have been surrounded by all of these things for so long, we are almost immune to them. We become less shocked each time we hear/see these things. Then the shock turns to annoyance, and after a while we don't even consider it offensive anymore. It seems a natural part of our world.
When a behavior or event seems natural, the next step is often to consider it 'okay'. If everyone is doing it, it must be acceptable behavior. 'Everyone' can't be that wrong. The question isn't even asked if the behavior has been a part of life for as long as one can remember. It's just life. The way it is. Normal. Therefore, it's "not normal" to uphold standards that follow biblical principals. Rather than be considered odd , we sometimes tend to fall in with the crowd. This is really true for teenagers, whose desire to 'fit in' is tremendously important to them. But we adults do it too.
On the other end of the spectrum are those who are adhering to rules and behaviors they consider holy to impress. Because they have to. Because others are watching. Because it's what we are supposed to do as Christians. But true holiness is pursued only because of a deep love for God, a desire to please Him, to live our lives so others might see and want what we have. Not because we are holy necessarily, but because our love for God shines through our actions as the reason for them. We must strive to be holy for Him. Not for anyone else. Nancy DeMoss, in her book "Holiness: The Heart God Purifies" says:
"The call to holiness is a call to follow Christ. A pursuit of holiness that is not Christ centered will soon be reduced to moralism, pharisaical self-rightousness, and futile self effort. Such pseudo-holiness leads to bondage, rather than liberty; it is unattractive to the world and unacceptable to God. Only by fixing our eyes and our hope on Christ can we experience that authentic, warm, inviting holiness that He alone can produce in us."
Do we have guidelines for holy behavior? Absolutely. Some of those guidelines are general:
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
1 Peter 1:15
Some are more specific:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen
Ephesians 4:29
Let's look at that passage from Ephesians for a minute. If we try to get a handle on unwholesome talk to honor our Lord, what does that look like? What classifies as unwholesome talk? Here's what I come up with:
Here's another one:
1. Am I accepting things I should not because they are part of our culture and seemingly acceptable to everyone else?
2. Am I pursuing holiness to impress others, or out of a genuine love and appreciation for my Savior?
3. What things in my life need to be eliminated?
I know one thing. This life was given to me for one purpose.....to glorify the One who made me, and saved me. And whatever "sacrifice" on my part that needs to be made in lifestyle is nothing compared to His sacrifice for me. Next time we'll look at how love fits in to the subject of holiness. See you then......
Galatians 1:10
She loses 10 pounds because her husband mentioned her weight. She gains it back within a month. He works instead of attending his son's soccer game because he knows his boss will notice and approve. Resentment builds. She goes to the movie all her friends are wanting to see . The language and sexual content bother her, but her friends are happy she is with them. She feels guilty. He lies to his football buddies about his relationship with his girlfriend because he knows the other guys will think he's cool. His lies weigh heavily on his mind.
How many times have we done things in our lives to gain approval of others? Personally, I can't count the times I have done this. I do it now, maybe in different ways than I did it before, but I still do it. Somewhere deep in our psyche, we yearn for others to admire our behavior. We want to have the emotional 'pat on the back' of acceptance. Sometimes we do things ONLY for that reason. We want to belong. We want to make others happy. We want them to like/love us.......sometimes at any cost.This desire for acceptance is at the very heart of holiness for us as Christians. The problem lies in two areas. First, this longing gives us an excuse to participate in activities that are contrary to what we really know we should be doing. Secondly, we do what we do for all the wrong reasons.
Our culture is possibly the most vile and ungodly there has ever been. Since I did not experience Sodom and Gomorrah or other historical cultures I may be mistaken on this point, but I know there are opportunities for evil at every turn. What was completely taboo when I was a child is now accepted (and sometimes encouraged) practice. Language that would only be heard in whispers and around corners is now heard commonly in movies, television, in the school hallways,and yes, even the pulpit (personal experience on that one folks!) Sinful activities or the results of those activities are seen as completely normal. Because we have been surrounded by all of these things for so long, we are almost immune to them. We become less shocked each time we hear/see these things. Then the shock turns to annoyance, and after a while we don't even consider it offensive anymore. It seems a natural part of our world.
When a behavior or event seems natural, the next step is often to consider it 'okay'. If everyone is doing it, it must be acceptable behavior. 'Everyone' can't be that wrong. The question isn't even asked if the behavior has been a part of life for as long as one can remember. It's just life. The way it is. Normal. Therefore, it's "not normal" to uphold standards that follow biblical principals. Rather than be considered odd , we sometimes tend to fall in with the crowd. This is really true for teenagers, whose desire to 'fit in' is tremendously important to them. But we adults do it too.
On the other end of the spectrum are those who are adhering to rules and behaviors they consider holy to impress. Because they have to. Because others are watching. Because it's what we are supposed to do as Christians. But true holiness is pursued only because of a deep love for God, a desire to please Him, to live our lives so others might see and want what we have. Not because we are holy necessarily, but because our love for God shines through our actions as the reason for them. We must strive to be holy for Him. Not for anyone else. Nancy DeMoss, in her book "Holiness: The Heart God Purifies" says:
"The call to holiness is a call to follow Christ. A pursuit of holiness that is not Christ centered will soon be reduced to moralism, pharisaical self-rightousness, and futile self effort. Such pseudo-holiness leads to bondage, rather than liberty; it is unattractive to the world and unacceptable to God. Only by fixing our eyes and our hope on Christ can we experience that authentic, warm, inviting holiness that He alone can produce in us."
Do we have guidelines for holy behavior? Absolutely. Some of those guidelines are general:
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
1 Peter 1:15
Some are more specific:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen
Ephesians 4:29
Let's look at that passage from Ephesians for a minute. If we try to get a handle on unwholesome talk to honor our Lord, what does that look like? What classifies as unwholesome talk? Here's what I come up with:
- profanity or any hint of profanity, including some of those 'acceptable' words
- gossip, and gossip disguised as anything else (prayer requests, concern, etc.)
- criticism given as a put down or opportunity to show myself better than someone else
- making fun of others or building myself up at others' expense
- unloving talk about others who may not be quite as spiritually developed as we might be
- lying or any type of false representation
- insincerity
- questionable jokes
Here's another one:
And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
Matthew 18:9
What can we do with our eyes to cause us to stumble? And let's include ears too. Gosh, how much time do we have?
- television shows and movies with inappropriate content
- books that cause us to think upon 'unlovely' things
- music with violent or sexual lyrics
- questionable internet sites
- crude jokes and/or language we listen to
1. Am I accepting things I should not because they are part of our culture and seemingly acceptable to everyone else?
2. Am I pursuing holiness to impress others, or out of a genuine love and appreciation for my Savior?
3. What things in my life need to be eliminated?
I know one thing. This life was given to me for one purpose.....to glorify the One who made me, and saved me. And whatever "sacrifice" on my part that needs to be made in lifestyle is nothing compared to His sacrifice for me. Next time we'll look at how love fits in to the subject of holiness. See you then......
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