Solomon alludes to the Garden of Eden when speaking of wisdom. He personifies wisdom and compares her to the Tree of Life. He promises that those who eat of the fruit of wisdom will be blessed (or those who hold her fast).

In the Garden, though, were two trees: in addition to the Tree of Life there was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Judging on the names alone, if you were seeking wisdom, is which tree would most likely eat?

The names of both trees are bursting with promise. To eat of the Tree of Life may have meant life eternal. And who could resist the promise of knowledge. Wait, evil? “Forget about it! It’s just superstition.”

Humans are curious creatures. So curious, in fact, that we tend to ignore danger. God, though, attached a warning to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. “On the day you eat of it, you will surely die.”

Today, we face a similar choice. Embrace the love of God and His knowledge and wisdom, and we shall receive life everlasting, or seek the knowledge and kinsmanship of evil and surely die alone and full of regrets. Of course, the temptation presented by the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil never seems evil. Yet, it is.

It is the temptation to seek self. It is the temptation to seek pleasure. It is the temptation to dismiss sin. It is the temptation to embrace the world.

One of the rules for Christian living is to be holy as God is holy. How do we do that? I know I fail daily to live up to God’s standards. So how, then?

We may only over come sin through the wisdom and understanding given to us through the Holy Spirit. That may only be accomplished through loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.

How do you live holy? Trust in God.

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Having premised these two particulars,

I now proceed to show in what sense we are really to understand the words, that we must be converted and become like little children. The Evangelist tell us, “that the disciples at this time came unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” These disciples had imbibed the common prevailing notion, that the Lord Jesus Christ was to be a temporal prince; they dreamed of nothing but being ministers of state, of sitting on Christ’ right hand in his kingdom, and lording it over God’s people; they thought themselves qualified for state offices, as generally ignorant people are apt to conceive of themselves. Well, say they, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Which of us shall have the chief management of public affairs? A pretty question for a few poor fishermen, who scarcely knew how to drag their nets to shore, much less how to govern a kingdom. Our Lord, therefore, in the 2nd verse, to mortify them, calls a little child, and sets him in the midst of them. This action was as much as if our Lord had said, “Poor creatures! Your imaginations are very towering; you dispute who shall be greatest in the kingdom of heaven; I will make this little child preach to you, or I will preach to you by him. Verily I say unto you, (I who am truth itself, I know in what manner my subjects are to enter into my kingdom; I say unto you, ye are so far from being in a right temper for my kingdom, that) except ye be converted, and become as this little child, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven, (unless ye are, comparatively speaking, as loose to the world, as loose to crowns, scepters, and kingdoms, and earthly things, as this poor little child I have in my hand) ye shall not enter into my kingdom.” So that what our Lord is speaking of, is not the innocency of little children, if you consider the relation they stand in to God, and as they are in themselves, when brought into the world; but what our Lord means is, that as to ambition and lust after the world, we must in this sense become as little children. Is there never a little boy or girl in this congregation? Ask a poor little child, that can just speak, about a crown, scepter, or kingdom, the poor creature has no notion about it: give a little boy or girl a small thing to play with, it will leave the world to other people. Now in this sense we must be converted, and become as little children; that is, we must be as loose to the world, comparatively speaking, as a little child.

Do not mistake me, I am not going to persuade you to shut up your shops, or leave your business; I am not going to persuade you, that if ye will be Christians, ye must turn hermits, and retire out of the world; ye cannot leave your wicked hearts behind you, when you leave the world; for I find when I am alone, my wicked heart has followed me, go where I will. No, the religion of Jesus is a social religion. But though Jesus Christ does not call us to go out of the world, shut up our shops, and leave our children to be provided for by miracles; yet this must be said to the honor Christianity, if we are really converted, we shall be loose from the world.

Though we are engaged in it, and are obliged to work for our children; though we are obliged to follow trades and merchandise, and to be serviceable to the commonwealth, yet if we are real Christians, we shall be loose to the world; though I will not pretend to say that all real Christians have attained to the same degree of spiritual-mindedness. This is the primary meaning of these words, that we must be converted and become as little children; nevertheless, I suppose the words are to be understood in other senses.

When our Lord says, we must be converted and become as little children, I suppose he means also, that we must be sensible of our weakness, comparatively speaking, as a little child. Every one looks upon a little child, as a poor weak creature; as one that ought to go to school and learn some new lesson every day; and as simple and artless; one without guile, having not learned the abominable art, called dissimulation. Now in all these senses, I believe we are to understand the words of the text. ÷ Are little children sensible of their weakness? Must they be led by the hand? Must we take hold of them or they will fall? So, if we are converted, if the grace of God be really in our hearts, my dear friends, however we may have thought of ourselves once, whatever were our former high exalted imaginations; yet we shall now be sensible of our weakness; we shall no more say, “We are rich and increased with goods, and lack nothing;” we shall be inwardly poor; we shall feel “that we are poor, miserable, blind, and naked.” And as a little child gives up its hand to be guided by a parent or a nurse, so those who are truly converted, and are real Christians, will give up the heart, their understandings, their wills, their affections, to be guided by the word, providence, and the Spirit of the Lord. Hence it is, that the Apostle, speaking of the sons of God, says, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are (and to be sure he means they only are) the sons of God.”

And as little children look upon themselves to be ignorant creatures, so those that are converted, do look upon themselves as ignorant too. Hence it is, that John, speaking to Christians, calls them little children; “I have written unto you, little children.” And Christ’s flock is called a little flock, not only because little in number, but also because those who are members of his flock, are indeed little in their own eyes. Hence that great man, that great apostle of the Gentiles, that spiritual father of so many thousands of souls, that man, who in the opinion of Dr. Goodwin, “fits nearest the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, in glory,” that chosen vessel, the Apostle Paul, when he speaks of himself, says, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Perhaps some of you, when you read these words, will be apt to think that Paul did not speak true, that he did not really feel what he said; because you judge Paul’s heart by your own proud hearts: but the more ye get of the grace of God, and the more ye are partakers of the divine life, the more will ye see your own meanness and vileness, and be less in your own eyes. Hence it is, that Mr. Flavel, in his book called, HUSBANDRY SPIRITUALIZED, compares young Christians to green corn; which before it is ripe, shoots up very high, but there is little solidity in it: whereas, an old Christian is like ripe corn; it doth not lift up its head so much, but then it is more weighty, and fit to be cut down, and put into the farmer’s barn. Young Christians are also like little rivulets; ye know rivulets are shallow, yet make great noise; but an old Christian, he makes not much noise, he goes on sweetly, like a deep river sliding into the ocean.
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Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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Marks of a True Conversion

I suppose I may take it for granted, that all of you, among whom I am now about to preach the kingdom of God, are fully convinced, that it is appointed for all men once to die, and that ye all really believe that after death comes the judgment, and that the consequences of that judgment will be, that ye must be doomed to dwell in the blackness of darkness, or ascend to dwell with the blessed God, for ever and ever.

I may take it for granted also, that whatever your practice in common life may be, there is not one, though ever so profligate and abandoned, but hopes to go to that place, which the scriptures call Heaven, when he dies. And, I think, if I know any thing of mine own heart,
my heart’s desire, as well as my prayer to God, for you all, is, that I may see you sitting down in the kingdom of our heavenly Father. But then, though we all hope to go to heaven when we die, yet, if we may judge by people’s lives, and our Lord says, “that by their fruits we may know them,” I am afraid it will be found, that thousands, and ten thousands, who hope to go to this blessed place after death, are not now in the way to it while they live.

Though we call ourselves Christians, and would consider it as an affront put upon us, for any one to doubt whether we were Christians or not; yet there are a great many, who bear the name of Christ, that yet do not so much as know what real Christianity is. Hence it is, that if you ask a great many, upon what their hopes of heaven are founded, they will tell you, that they belong to this, or that, or the other denomination, and part of Christians, into which Christendom is now unhappily divided.

If you ask others, upon what foundation they have built their hope of heaven, they will tell you, that they have been baptized, that their fathers and mothers, presented them to the Lord Jesus Christ in their infancy; and though, instead of fighting under Christ’s banner, they have been fighting against him, almost ever since they were baptized, yet because they have been admitted to church, and their names are in the register book of the parish, therefore they will make us believe, that their names are also written in the book of life. But a great many, who will not build their hopes of salvation upon such a sorry rotten foundation as this, yet if they are, what we generally call, negatively good people; if they live so as their neighbors cannot say that they do anybody harm, they do not doubt but they shall
be happy when they die; nay, I have found many such die, as the scripture speaks, “without any hands in their death.”

And if a person is what the world calls an honest moral man, if he does justly, and, what the world calls, love a little mercy, is not and then good-natured, reacheth out his hand to the poor, receives the sacrament once or twice a year, and is outwardly sober and honest; the world looks upon such an one as a Christian indeed, and doubtless we are to judge charitably of every such person. There are many likewise, who go on in a round of duties, a model of performances, that think they shall go to heaven; but if you examine them, though they have a Christ in their heads, they have no Christ in their hearts.

The Lord Jesus Christ knew this full well; he knew how desperately wicked and deceitful men’s hearts were; he knew very well how many would go to hell even by the very gates of heaven, how many would climb up even to the door, and go so near as to knock at it, and yet after all be dismissed with a “verily I know you not.” The Lord, therefore, plainly tells us, what great change must be wrought in us, and what must be done for us, before we can have any well-grounded hopes of entering into the kingdom of heaven. Hence, he tells Nicodemus, “that unless a man be  born again, and from above, and unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” And of all the solemn declarations of our Lord, I mean with respect to this, perhaps the words of the text are one of the most solemn, “except, (says Christ) ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

The words, if you look back to the context, are plainly directed to the disciples; for we are told, “that at the same time came the disciples unto Jesus.” And I think it is plain from many parts of Scripture, that these disciples, to whom our Lord addressed himself at this time, were in some degree converted before. If we take the words strictly, they are applicable only to those, that have already gotten some, though but weak, faith in Christ. Our Lord means, that though they had already tasted the grace of God, yet there was so much of the old man, so much indwelling sin, and corruption, yet remaining in their hearts, that unless they were more converted than they were, unless a greater change past upon their souls, and sanctification was still carried on, they could give but very little evidence of their belonging to his kingdom, which was not to be set up in outward grandeur, as they supposed, but was to be a spiritual kingdom, begun here, but completed in the kingdom of God hereafter. But though the words had a peculiar reference to our Lord’s disciples; yet as our Lord makes such a declaration as this in other places of Scripture, especially in the discourse to Nicodemus, I believe the words may be justly applied to saints and sinners; and as I suppose there are two sorts of people here, some who know Christ, and some of you that do not know him, some that are converted, and some that are strangers to conversion, I shall endeavor so to speak, that if God shall be pleased to assist me, and to give you an hearing ear and an obedient heart, both saints and sinners may have their portion.

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 1. Christian holiness is not the following of the Ten Commandments. While I truly believe that the Ten Commandments are the basis of good government and holy living, I don’t believe that following those commandments make one holy. Obedience to those commandments may make one morally strong, it will not make one pure. Holiness is not a life full of “Thou Shalts” and “Thou Shalt Nots,” rather such commandments serve to chain us, enslave us.

2. Christian holiness is not about obeying church bylaws. Rules and regulations within the church are fluid, changing from denomination to denomination, from generation to generation. As a boy, I visited a revival service where the evangelist preached that if we had not spoken in tongues today, we had likely lost our salvation. I can list dozens of rules that were once written in church manuals that have now fallen by the wayside. I realize now that what passed for Christian holiness then was nothing more than a struggle to maintain cultural norms in a changing society.

3. Christian holiness is not about church attendance. I understand wanting to be at church at every opportunity. Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night services once were the norm for a Christian in American culture. But, being in church every time the door is open does not make one holy.

4. Christian holiness is not about serving or tithing. I believe in giving of both my money and my time, but neither of those make one holy. One cannot be holy by what one does. Holiness is not about service, actions, church attendance, tithing, or keeping the rules.

Face it, it is impossible for sinful, fallible humans live a life of Christian holiness. You may as well give up and stop trying.

It is simply impossible for a human to be holy. There is only one who is holy: Jesus Christ. It seems a paradox, but the first step to Christian holiness is the realization that you can never achieve it. The second step is the absolute surrender of your will to Christ. The next step is building a relationship with the one who created you, died for you, and was raised from the dead for you. Only an active, ongoing, daily walk with Christ can lead to holiness. Do you want to live the life of Christ? Then spend every moment that you can in prayer. Do you want others to see Christ through you? Then praise Him with every breath you take. Do you want to know what it means to really be Christ-like? Then devote your life to God’s Word.

Christ says in Luke 10.27 there are only two commandments that matter: “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

Those two commandments will be the focus of this blog.
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Holiness is, perhaps, the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Anyone who has striven to follow the life of Christ can likely tell you that it is impossible to do. No one can match His love, His grace, or His compassion. For no one but Jesus is perfect. Once the believer is filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit, though, he or she is filled to the brim with the love of Christ, and desires nothing more than to please God and follow in Christ’s steps. The love of sin is gone. In its place is a love and passion for others. That is Christian Holiness. This is Christian Holiness Daily.

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In an earlier devotion on Christian Holiness Daily, we learned that it is God’s will that we be sanctified, or filled with the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:3). After Paul proclaims this to his readers, he expounds on what is expected out of those whom Christ sanctifies.

• Abstain from sexual immorality
• Love one another
• In verse 11 of that same chapter, he says that we are to live a quiet life. What does Paul mean, though, when he uses the word quiet?
• Paul’s life seemed to be anything but quiet. He traveled from town-to-town preaching first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, bringing a new message – and one that few wanted to accept – and stirred up so much trouble that he found himself often in jail, stoned and left for dead, beaten, and eventually martyred. Ask and the definition of quiet life, I doubt any of the items on that list are mentioned.
• When I think of a quiet life, I think of a cabin in the woods, off grid, and a room full of books.
• Others may think of a sailboat on a calm sea, or a fishing boat on a still lake. Some might picture a horseback ride or a cross-country trip on a Harley. Though peaceful, I doubt any of those images are what Paul had in mind when he wrote of the quiet life. Paul’s idea of quiet can be determined from his other epistles.

• The first clue that we find about Paul’s definition of quiet is Romans 12:18, where he gives similar advise:

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. – ESV

Peace and quiet are synonymous. In this passage Paul ads a qualifying clause, If possible…

In Paul’s life, peace and quiet wasn’t always possible, for it wasn’t always up to him whether he lived at peace.

• Galatians 5:22 tells us the same thing that Paul tells us here in 1 Thessalonians 4, but it is more succinct: the fruit of the Spirit is peace.
• In Philippians 4:7, he urges us to allow our hearts to be guided by the peace that comes through the Holy Spirit.
• In Romans 14:19, he urges us to make every effort to bring peace into our lives.
• As with every aspect of sanctification, living in peace or living a quiet life is only possible if we allow the Holy Spirit to rule (take charge) in our lives daily.
• If He is not the King of our hearts, then the best that we can hope for is brief calm often followed by a ferocious storm.
• If we allow the Holy Spirit to reign, then we too can say (like Paul),

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

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I do, though, often ask to spend time with her. Though we work different hours, we manage to eat dinner together often, go to see a good movie occasionally or watch a TV show when we can. I love spending time with her. I want to be with her and I want her to be proud of me. Why? Because I know she loves me and also wants to be with me.

Isn’t that why we want to walk with Jesus? Don’t we want to be like Jesus because we love and admire Him? And, one reason we love and admire Him because He first loved us? Didn’t He demonstrate that love for us by rescuing us from sin and death through the sacrifice of His own life?

1 Thessalonians 4, Paul urges us to live in a manner that pleases God. Then he mentions specifics. Let’s read it together. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 (NKJV):

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Paul is writing to the Christian Church; he calls them brothers and sisters. He distinguishes their behavior from that of the pagans, and tells them that God expects them to be different. The pagans are sexually immoral, depraved, and are ruled by passion and lust. He encourages Christians to control their bodies and to be act with honor, to be holy.

It is God’s will that we be sanctified, Paul says. God called us to be holy, not impure.

So what does God mean when He tells us to avoid sexual immorality? The Greek word used to express sexual immorality is porneia, which is from where we drive the terms pornography and fornication. While the term pornography likely needs no definition, many may be unfamiliar with the word fornication. Fornication means two people who are not married to each other sharing sexual relations.

So, is that the definition of sanctification? Does it mean giving up certain sexual practices that are sinful? No. There is much more to it than that. Sexual immorality is what Paul wished to address, but it is simply one small part of living a holy life.

Is we love God, we will want to please Him, and turning away from sexual immorality is just one of many things that Paul mentions in this book.

That, though, is not the real point is this devotion. I am not here to create an updated list of thou shalt nots.

I am here to tell you that God loves you and doesn’t want to see you hurt, and sexual immorality leads to destruction.

Avoid destruction and let Him rid you of sexual perversion and lust and fill you instead with His love.

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“Awww… Why do I have to take a bath?” Nancy complained as her dad called her into the house. “Yeah,” agreed her little brother, Billy. “We already washed!”

Their dad tried his best to suppress his grin, but didn’t quite succeed. Mother, on the other hand, was not amused in the least. She gently swatted at Nancy’s bottom as she came in the house. “Take a bath, now, young lady.” Turning to Billy with folded arms, she said, “and you, too, young man.” The children avoided Mom’s eyes and marched into the bathroom.

Billy, four, just could not understand why he needed a bath, for – after all – they had been playing in the rain. The rain is clean, isn’t it? When he climbed up on a step and looked in the mirror, he saw was a clean face and a bright smile. He licked his finger and smoothed his curly black hair. “But, Mom!” he called. “I don’t need a bath!”

“You did it now,” said Nancy, who had already crawled into the waiting bubble bath, and was dutifully scrubbing away mud and grime.

“Get in the tub,” Mom said, grabbing Billy by the ear with just a little less force than a bulldozer. She led him to the tub and made him crawl in. “WASH,” she commanded. She stormed out of the room.

“Now look, you made her angry at us,” said Nancy.

“Did not.”

“Did, too.”‘

“It’s your fault. If you hadn’t already started taking a bath…”

“It’s not my fault,” insisted Nancy.

Dad came in and sat down by the tub. Wash cloth in hand, he checked behind their ears, and rewashed their necks. “Now,” he said. “Good as new. Now, get dressed for bed.”

Billy climbed up to the mirror again. “I don’t look any different than before.”

“You still look like a wild pig,” said Nancy, laughing at her little brother.

“You don’t think the bath did any good?” Dad asked Billy.

“Nope,” replied the boy. “I had already washed outside in the puddles.”

Dad nodded at the slow-draining tub. “Then where did all this dirt come from?”

Billy and Nancy peered into the tub of dirty water. Their jaws dropped.

“It’s all from her, Dad. I was already clean,” said Billy.

Sometimes, even when we think we are clean, our Father knows better.

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There comes a time in every Christian’s life when God allows us to reap what we’ve sown. Specifically, immature Christians often see the wages of sin, especially sin from which we have not repented. I have.

I found myself flat on my back, having sunk lower than I could have ever imagined. I had nowhere else to turn… No one else to turn to, but to God.

Actually, that has happened a few times in my life. Call me a slow learner. Each low, after that first one, was more of a plateau. As a result, each crisis led to an ever closer relationship with God.

That’s our topic today: the life crisis that leads to surrender.

While the experiences that have led me to a deeper walk with Christ are certainly unique, the crisis experience itself is not. Most people endure at least two such experiences in their spiritual journey.

The first such crisis is the one through which God worked to lead us to salvation. Since I can rightfully assume that most of my readers and listeners are Christian, I won’t expound upon it.

The second crisis is the one that God uses to sanctify us. It is at that point that He fills us with His Holy spirit. It is that point that we realize that God is cleaning house, revealing to us or wicked hearts and asking us to repent of sins big and small. He sweeps those sins out the door and fills us with more of His love.

The great holiness preacher of the early 20th century, Buddy Robinson, described sanctification as a boiling pot in which sin rises to the top, and is skimmed away by God. At one point, he thought that if God didn’t turn down the fire, there would be nothing left to skim.

It is not a fair analogy to compare the journey of an Old Testament prophet to a Christian journey, but the parallel is so close, that I cannot resist it.

We read 1 Kings 19 where Elijah is exhausted. He’s flat on his back and tells God that he’s ready to die. He hit bottom. Here’s the lesson:

It wasn’t until Elijah told God that he was ready to die that God gave him the strength to live.

There is the parallel. Take a look at Ephesians 2. I urge you to read the entire chapter. Even will focus on verses 4 and 5 from the NIV.

…because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved.

This – described in Ephesians 2 – is the crisis experience that leads to salvation.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV – For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;

I encourage you to read Roman’s chapters 6-8. This describes the crisis experience and a before and after picture of sanctification. Here are some key verses: Romans 6:11-14 NIV

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

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What is your favorite sin? Come on. I know your have one. All but the most mature Christians always have a favorite sin, one that is always in the back of our minds, waiting until we are physically tired, spiritually weak, or in emotional turmoil to pounce and take control of our lives.

For many, it is uncontrollable anger or rage. For others it is sexual perversion or pornography. For some it is overeating. For some it is out-of-control spending. For someone else, it may be abusing drugs or alcohol. For a few it may be a combination of some of these or all of these things.

Truth be told Christians still struggle with sin – correction: most Christians still struggle with sin. But, why? Christ came to rescue us from sin and death, not just death! Why, then do we struggle? Is it because we have never been taught that Christ conquers sin? Is it because we have never heard of anyone overcoming sin?

We cannot fathom eternal life. Yet, we accept God at His word that we will live in His presence eternally. If we can believe that, then why can we not believe that He will presently free us from sin?

Holiness is perhaps the most difficult concept for a Christian to comprehend. It is a paradox. On the surface it is at once an

While we will NEVER be perfect while in this life, God will help us to overcome sin and fill us with His perfect love.

act of faith and an act of discipline. Our sins flee from the presence of God never to return, but then God reveals to us sins that are rooted even deeper in our lives and gives us the power to overcome even those. And He does this again and again. Holiness is not a goal to be reached only upon death, rather it is a journey that begins on the day of salvation and ends only at the foot of His throne.

Holiness is an act of mutual love. God loves us even in our sin, and he beckons us to come to Him. He loves us too much to let us continue wallowing in the filth of our sins. He demonstrates to us that we must fully abandon or sins.

Once we acknowledge those sins and ask Christ to rid us of them, then He will empower us with the power and love of His Holy Spirit, so that we may overcome those sins. As a result, we love Him too much to continue in sin. That is sanctification. It is at once an act of surrender: we surrender our life to God and lay down our sins on the altar of the cross. And it is an act of the Holy Spirit: He fills us with His love and gives us the power to walk away from those sins, never to return.

And it is a journey of discipline, for God’s Spirit moves into our lives. Daily we surrender our will to Him and ask that His love continue to empower us; we die daily.

We have God’s promise, though: He that began the good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. He will never give up on you. So never give up on Him.

If the struggle you’re facing

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I fought back but to no avail. If I ran into the backyard, Jerry pelted me in the head. If I ran into the front yard, David bombarded me, but much gentler. Eventually, I ran inside.

Childhood memories like these are precious, but I am reminded of the Bible story of the woman caught in adultery. When the Pharisees brought her to Jesus, they asked Him to sentence her to death by stoning. This incident is found in the 8th chapter of the gospel of John if you want to read it. The only thing I can think right now is how much those rocks would have hurt, given how much the snowballs hurt.

If you are familiar with this incident in the life of Jesus, then you know that Jesus rescued the woman by challenging the Pharisees. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

This week here at Christian Holiness Daily, we begin studying holiness and sanctification, two sides of the same coin, both of which are widely misunderstood.

Holiness is loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit that enables believers to love God in such a manner. One result of loving God so fervently is that we learn to love other people in the same way that we love God, even our enemies. We’ll discuss that as well.

One of the misconceptions about holiness is the belief that those who are sanctified are suddenly sinless, or perfect, or believe that they are miraculously without sin. This is not true. I know of no true Christian who, if challenged by Jesus to cast the first stone, would have thrown the rock. I wouldn’t have. Living the life of holiness doesn’t mean you are perfect. It means that God has filled you so full of His love that there is no room for the love of sin.

We’ll talk more about the perfect love of Christ as we travel together on this journey. For now, let’s just say that I wish I had had the wisdom of Jesus during that late winter snowball fight. Maybe I wouldn’t have gotten beaned upside the head.

Until next time, put down those rocks. None of us are without sin.

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Here is an email from one of our faithful readers in the U.S.:

Dear Christian Holiness Daily,

I have seen a decline in holiness preaching over the past 30 years. There is very little emphasis placed on how the Holy Spirit works in our lives in empowering us to live above sin. The church we attend now is wonderful but I think there has only been one time that I have heard the word sanctification, sin, salvation, saved, holiness, or Holy Spirit over the last year! This is not an exaggeration. In years gone by, every Sunday morning service ended with an open altar.

The changes I’ve seen seem to be pulling our denomination away from its roots in the message of holiness. The preachers who used to preach holiness are either retired or passed away. The younger ones ‘teach’ but don’t preach. I guess they each have their own style, but I feel like I’m attending a college pep rally followed by a college seminar on generalized topics. Sorry if this sounds like I’m complaining or ranting. I’m just really concerned.

Do you see the same things in your church?

Thanks,

Southern Gal

Here is what we’d like her to know:

Dear Southern Gal,

I am fortunate that I go to a church where the pastor still preaches holiness. But, your letter actually addresses two very important and timely issues, and I see a third issue that stems from those two. Your first question is, do I see many pastors abandoning the message of holiness. Your second question is, do I see many pastors that still “preach?” 

Like you, I see a great number of pastors and evangelists who no longer preach that Christians can draw on the power of the Holy Spirit to live above sin. I’m sad to say that I am not surprise that you rarely hear the doctrine of holiness preached in your church. 

I, too, see a great number of ministers whose priority seems to be to entertain their congregations. God’s Word seems to come in second place behind professional performances. Some ministers, it seems, would rather rely on talent than the Spirit. They would rather appeal to the congregation’s egos and emotions than their hearts. As you adeptly word it, they would rather give a “pep rally” than an altar call. Because of this trend (and many others), many believers – including myself – fear that the Church in America may soon be unrecognizable. 

This is the third issue I see in your letter: Is there hope for the Church in America? 

Honestly, I don’t know. I fear that the Church in America has been marginalized so much, and has so forgotten what it means to be a Christian, that its immediate future seems relegated to a cultural minority, devoid of spiritual power. America’s only hope is a true revival on a national level, and soon. 

Here, though, is the hope for the Church found within the tragedy. From what I see and hear from my readers, the decline of Christianity is limited to parts of the western world. I hear of revivals and growth in India, Pakistan, and Malaysia. The church is strong in the Philippines, Nigeria, Argentina, Columbia, Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East. The Church in America may be in decline, but it is on the rise elsewhere. 

Fear Not. The Christian Church will never die, for God always has a people. The Church is alive and well. 

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Nothing on heaven or earth compares to the beauty of God’s holiness. No landscape, no face, no starfield can compare to the beauty of our holy God. 

If we seek after His holiness, and if He graciously imparts even an infinitesimal part of that holiness to us, then perhaps those who know us will see that spark of beauty and seek its source. 

Never forget, nothing you and I can do can earn God’s holiness. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. God’s righteousness is bestowed upon whom He wills. Surrender to Him. Seek after His holiness like one seeking buried treasures. 

Hymn by Isaac Watts, 1803

Let all the earth their voices raise

To sing the choicest psalm of praise,

To sing and bless Jehovah’s name:

His glory let the heathens know,

His wonders to the nations show,

And all his saving works proclaim.
The heathens know thy glory, Lord,

The wond’ring nations read thy word,

In Britain is Jehovah known:

Our worship shall no more be paid

To gods which mortal hands have made;

Our Maker is our God alone.
He framed the globe, he built the sky,

He made the shining worlds on high,

And reigns complete in glory there:

His beams are majesty and light;

His beauties, how divinely bright!

His temple, how divinely fair!
Come the great day, the glorious hour,

When earth shall feel his saving power,

And barb’rous nations fear his name;

Then shall the race of man confess

The beauty of his holiness,

And in his courts his grace proclaim.

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It amazes me that a man with Peter’s flaws could go on to be such a man of God. His story is one of God’s mercy and grace. He exemplifies Apostle Paul’s assertion that God chooses the lowly and despised (1 Corinthians 1:28).

So, if one looks at the writing of Peter, what can we take away from his message? If we condense his work into one verse, it may be this:

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to [the return of Christ], be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

-2 Peter 3:14

To Peter, holiness and godliness were not an option. Our fear of God leads us to a deep relationship with God. Our relationship with God leads us into His love. Our love of God compels us to obey Him. Our obedience to Him allows Him to bestow upon us His holiness.

How, though, can I, a weak and sinful man, ever hope to achieve a close enough relationship to God that my sole desire is to please Him? The truth is, God has already given us the tools necessary to live a godly life.  Peter assures us of this earlier in 2 Peter 1:3

…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

What are those tools? Prayer, The Word of God, and fellowship with fellow believers. Peter summarizes this as the knowledge of Him who called us. How do we obtain knowledge of Him? Through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers.

How do we live a holy life? Get to know God so well that our love for Him outshines our desire to sin.

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A few moments later, the guide turns on an insignificant, old fashioned penlight. At that point, one can here multiple sighs of relief, for in a world of utter darkness, the smallest of lights can point the way. 

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 

         – Matthew 5:16

At different points in the Gospel, Jesus says that He is the light (John 8:12), and He says that you and I are the light (Matthew 5:14-16). Both are true statements. When I look back on the state of my mind when I lived in sin, I realize now that there was no light in me. Had God not been merciful, I would have perished and spent eternity cast into utter darkness, in torment, drowning in endless fire. He showed me the Light, and – praise God – I followed that Light. 

Now that He lives in me, His light shines through me (no credit to me). My prayer is that those around me may also see the light. I pray that everyone from my family to complete strangers may see something of Jesus in me, something that will compel them to follow the Light of Jesus Christ. 

I was a fool to wander and stay

Straight is the gate and narrow’s the way

Now I have traded the wrong for the right

Praise the Lord, I Saw the Light. 

                    – Hank Williams

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There was no preaching. Just earnest prayer for one another. They prayed to save families. They prayed for lives to be changed. They threw themselves on the altar of God and begged for mercy. The prayer meetings spread to Philadelphia, to Chicago, then across country, then to Europe.

Newspapers reported on its effects daily. There was no leader in this revival, no hysteria, no show, and little preaching. There were many changes lives.

Businesses nationwide began to close at noon to attend daily prayer. Most historians believe that 1 million souls were brought to salvation. Conservative estimates put that number at 300,000.

It began with one man’s desire to pray. Revival always begins in prayer. It is time once again for us to pray.

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