Is holiness just boring legalism?
Sadly, that is the perception of many. But growing in holiness is not becoming a dry, boring, legalistic fuddy-duddy. Rather, growing in holiness is to have the peace and joy that all of us want in our lives. It’s to become more like Christ, to have the wisdom to live a God-honoring life, to make wise decisions, and to avoid painful consequences. It’s to shine the light of a life well-lived in a dark world.
If that’s true, shouldn’t we all want to grow in holiness? If so, how do we do it?
And by contrast, how do some people end up pulled down into so much darkness? How does a habitual liar become one or some other life-dominating sin become a way of life? How does a truly evil person become that way?
Today’s Readings:
Isaiah 65 & 66
Psalm 116.1-4
Proverbs 26.28
Philippians 2.1-30
Is Holiness Just Boring Legalism?
Proverbs 26.28:
Walking in Sin or Growing in Holiness
A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
Lies hurt people. But an outright lie is not the only way to “lie.”
When we deceive or twist the truth to suit our purposes, justify our behavior, make ourselves look good, or gain sympathy, it’s lying just as surely as if we make up a tale out of whole cloth.
An even bigger problem with lying is that, like all sin, it leads to more lying and more sin of every kind. Paul said that lawlessness leads to further lawlessness (Rom. 6.19).
Look at Proverbs 26.28 again. It says, “A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it.” Lying is a form of hatred. 1 John 2.11 says:
But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Sin leads us into darkness and that darkness affects our ability to think, reason, and make clear decisions because “the darkness has blinded [our] eyes.”
If you’ve ever met someone who is a habitual liar, for example, you may have realized that he or she will often lie when the truth makes more sense. But lying isn’t the only blinding sin.
Other Examples
Pre-marital and extra-marital sex often affect someone’s ability to recognize a bad, even dangerous, relationship. And they blind one’s ability to see the hurt and devastation they cause.
Drunkards and addicts are often blinded to their problems. Many will say, “I can quit any time I want,” while they destroy their careers, their families, and their reputations.
And angry people often feel completely justified in their anger and abuse. Everyone else is to blame. They are blind to their own sin.
Obedience Leads to Holiness
But just as sin leads to more sin and blindness, we grow in holiness when we turn to God and walk in obedience. Romans 6.18-19:
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
But growing in holiness doesn’t just happen. We must choose to walk in obedience. When we are saved by faith in the gospel, God gives us new desires and we’re set free from the power of sin. But if we push those new desires aside, we can become dull of hearing and our spiritual growth will be stunted. Hebrews 5 says:
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Growing in holiness happens “by reason of use.” The more we choose to obey out of a desire to please God, the more like Christ we become. The more we choose to submit to God’s providential work in our lives without grumbling, complaining, or responding sinfully, the more we grow in holiness.
Holiness, Peace & Joy
And, as I said in the introduction, growing in holiness does not equal boring legalism. In fact, growing in holiness is to have the peace and joy that all of us want in our lives. It’s to become more like Christ, to have the wisdom to live a God-honoring life, to make wise decisions, and to avoid painful consequences. It’s to shine the light of a life well-lived in a dark world.
You can read more about the myth that merely being a Christian and expecting holiness and spiritual growth to just happen in this post:
“Does Salvation + Time = Spiritual Maturity?”
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
Today’s Other Readings:
Isaiah 65 & 66:
He Found Me!
I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by My name (v. 1).
We often say, “I found God,” but the truth is, it’s always Him who “finds” us!
Psalm 116.1-4:
He Has Heard My Voice!
I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the LORD. ‘O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!’
The psalmist desired to remain faithful, to call on God as long as he was alive. That is the kind of faith we should all desire, faith that will not only allow us to run the race but to complete it, as well!
Philippians 2.1-30:
Dear Friends
I know many of you have already experienced this, but the more you read the Scriptures, the more certain verses and passages become like “dear friends.” Philippians has many such “dear friends” to me.
I mentioned verse 6 of chapter 1 yesterday:
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Also in chapter 1:
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.
What a great verse for married couples to pray!
And in chapter 2:
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
The world talks a lot about high self-esteem and low self-esteem. But the truth of the matter is that both are wrong. Believers are not to “esteem” themselves, but to esteem God and others!
Verses 14-15:
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
You have no greater opportunity to “shine” than when you have every reason by the world’s standards to grumble, complain, and dispute!
Your Thoughts:
How has God spoken to you today? Perhaps you saw a passage in a new light or an area where you need to grow and change. Did you find a promise to hold on to? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Coming Up:
In the next few days, we’ll evaluate how much we really want to know Jesus, talk about what our state of mind has to do with our relationship with God, look at how Paul prayed, and talk about itching ears, false worship, and the queen of heaven.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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