I recently read an article in Leadership Journal called When Clean and Unclean Touch. Author Mark Buchanan challenged his readers to think about who Jesus touched while He walked this earth. As I read this article, one thought continued to run through my mind: the difference between holiness and righteousness.
Several years ago I was approached about a couple in the church who were living together. They both had recently confessed Jesus as Lord and were beginning to learn what it meant to live as a Christian. Little by little the Word began to convict them. When they realized they were living outside of God’s Holy standard, they would come to my office and I would give them counsel. However, not long after they began attending I was asked when I was going to dismiss them from the church. They were, after all, living in sin (as if I wasn’t aware of that fact). You should have seen the look I got when I said “Never”. In my mind I felt that to remove this couple from the church would be to remove them from hearing God’s call to Holiness; something I preach quite often. And I just didn’t want to drive them away and lose any opportunity to lead them toward holiness.
“Holiness”, as described in the Bible, is living according to God’s standard. In Old Testament times God gave Israel the Law; not as a means to righteousness but a means to holiness. As Paul points out, “Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” (Romans 3:19-20). In other words, righteousness is not found in perfect obedience to God’s laws, but, as Paul points out, “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” (Romans 3:22). A person was holy when they lived according to the Law, but not Righteous; not right with God. Righteousness has always been and will always be a gift from God for our faith. “Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” (Romans 3:24).
Righteousness is given to us by God because of our faith in Jesus Christ. Likewise, we are not made right with God through obedience to His Holy Laws. And the Bible says that the Law was given to reveal our sin. So does that mean a Christian no longer must obey the Laws of God? Does than mean we can live any way we want, living just as we did before we came to Christ? These questions are important because it is here at this point we find the greatest tension. Some will say that we must obey the Law, while others say we are off the hook and can live any way we wish; for our salvation is not based upon our deeds, but upon our faith. Who is right? Which side is correct? Well, I’m beginning to realize that we should be asking a whole different question.
If Salvation comes by Faith and not by obedience, then what do we gain by obeying the Laws of God? That’s the question we should be asking. What do we gain by being truthful, honest, loving, and kind (and remember that Salvation will not be our reward; that came through faith in Christ)? What reward will we receive by submitting our sexuality to God’s standard of Holiness (see Leviticus 18) or in the ways we interact with others (see Leviticus 19)? Well, truthfully, those kids of questions reveal just how selfish and arrogant we have become. And it demonstrates that we have forgotten the whole reason God calls us to holiness in the first place. God calls us to be Holy because He is Holy. And if we are to represent God to the people of this world, we need to act in a way that reflects His holiness. “You must be holy because I, the LORD, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own” (Leviticus 20:26). “You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the LORD who sanctifies you” (Leviticus 22:32).
Righteousness is a gift from the Father; holiness is our gift to the Father. We strive to be holy so that God might be glorified and so that the world might know He is Holy. As Christians, we follow God’s commands of Holiness not because it benefits us, but because it demonstrates the character of God to the people in this world.
I do not question the salvation of those who still have way too much of the world in them, but I do question their understanding of what it means to live as a Christian. Truthfully, if the people of this world cannot see a difference between a Christian and a non-Christian (except for what they do on a Sunday morning), then the Christian is not honoring God, not serving God, and probably not submitted to God. If a Christian has been called to love God with all their heart, mind, and strength, then perhaps the best way to demonstrate that love is to simply strive each and every day to surrender those parts of our lives that do not honor His holiness.
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