What is one thing you were convicted about when you were younger, but now being older and wiser you have changed your mind on that belief? Why? Or on the other side - What is one thing you may have not held a conviction on that you now do? Why?
I now hold to the conviction that if I am a Christian, then I should pursue holiness.
For most of my Christian life, I believed that Jesus saved me from my sin's, but that He doesn't require much out of me. Basically, I ignored Bible verses like:
Romans 8:13-14 For if you live by it's (your sinful nature's) dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
1 John 1:6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
1 Peter 2:21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
My husband and I just recently realized this need for holiness. A few months ago, my husband talked to one of our pastors about his desire to help Christian men with a sin that they struggle with. The pastor said that the reason men even struggle with this sin is because they are not pursuing holiness. If Christians would grow in holiness, then they would stop being a slave to their sinful nature.
That basic statement from our pastor motivated my husband to get the book and study guide - The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. We've been learning about holiness together. There is verse after verse in the Bible telling us that growing in holiness is not an option for the Christian. If we are a Christian and Christ is Lord of our life, then we will need to pursue holiness.
If you are interested in pursuing holiness, I suggest getting the books by Jerry Bridges. If you'd like to do a Holiness Bible study now, then I'll list some verses about holiness to get you going. This is just the beginning of what the Bible says about living a holy life.
Holiness in not an option for Christians
Psalm 66:18
2 Timothy 2:21
2 Corinthians 5:17
Verses about Holy Living
Hebrews 12:14
Ephesians 4:1, 30
1 Thessalonians 4:7
Titus 2:11-12
Psalm 15:1-5, 32:3-4
Isaiah 64:6-7
Matthew 1:21, 7:21-23
1 Corinthians 1:2, 2
Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 1:4
James 2:14-26
1 John 3:2-5
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The Pursuit of Holiness
Posted by Maisie at 1:05 PM
Labels: Bible Study, Spiritual Growth
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5 comments:
Amen!
"A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool,"Shall not go astray." Isaiah 35:8
Great post.
That's great! It is easy to only think of the "faith" part. No, our works don't save us, but if we have that faith we will want to "pursue holiness". :)
Very true! I wish to live pure and holy. The world, or more specifically satan, really fight against that.
Great post!! My Small Group is doing a study on the book of James, and this very matter is discussed in great length.
We are not saved by our works or good deeds, but we are to "show" our faith in God "by" our works and deeds.
And, I say once again, "Thank you, God, for sending us Jesus. He is the perfect example of holiness, the One we are to pursue and use as our example for living our lives".
Beth
Well, I actually have a copy of that book in my "collection of books that looked really good but I just haven't gotten to yet."
Got any of those?
Thanks for the reminder and the prodding...I think I'll have to pull that out. :-)
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