So, when I left off I was talking about the Yin and Yang struggle between the "Holiness" camp and the "Liberty" camp that has had me fluctuating back and forth.
I have friends who are seeing lives changed and hearts renewed, baptisms and Holy Ghost outpourings who don't teach anything but modesty. And I have been a part and have witnessed incredible moves of God in some of the strictest and rigid churches that are hard core pulpit pounders and won't even let their dogs wear studded collars. The point being, God doesn't look at the outward appearance in order to determine His relationship with someone. HE looks at the inward parts of a person. But it is impossible for us to know what someone's soul and spiritual status is. And that has been the greatest part of my journey toward revelation on this subject.
Outward sanctity has been a hot-button issue as long as it has been an issue. And it has at times been sold as a means to becoming righteous. "Wear this and it will seep into your insides all that separation you are exhibiting." You know, stop wearing pants, ladies, and you will start to become more submissive to your husbands. This kind of thinking is harmful at best and leads to Pharisee-type religion at worst. No one ever got closer to God by doing an outward act. This is legalism and it is wrong.
However, the topic turns on one particular hinge: faith without works is dead. We are justified by our faith according to Paul's writings. But if we only talk about it, we are dead and cold according to James'. The entire concept of an outward holiness has been misconstrued and poorly communicated by the majority of folks I have heard talk about the subject. It is not about being rejected by God if we don't hold fast to certain ideals. It is about the salt losing its savor. We are to be lights in this dark world. But if we do not adhere to God's principles, then how are we to convince others that those principles are worthy of their acceptance?
It really has more to do with the buzz word "submission" than it does anything else. See, our faith causes us to submit to God's design. We trust God's Word and identify with its instructions. This causes us to become Righteous by imputed Grace. That Righteous standing then empowers us to become Holy through imparted authority. So, Righteousness is right standing with God, and Holiness is an expression of that position.
Okay, some of you are reading this saying to yourself "what does this have to do with salvation?" To which I say, "Plenty". Ananias and Sapphira were knocked down dead at Peter's feet because they lied to the Holy Ghost. Lots of folks lie to God every day. They cheat Him and steal from Him. But God was angry at those two in particular because they had a revelation that we don't have today. They had been around the upper room. They were first generation disciples. They were judged more harshly than we are today because they had more understanding of God's nature and power than we do. And that is another turning point: do we really want to know Jesus? If we want to know Him like we say we do, then we need to be ready to live by the revelation He gives us. I am convinced that some people stop searching for God in earnest because they find a revelation that they are afraid to live by and then stay where they are at spiritually. They have an outward relationship with God, but internally they know that God is struggling with them about a certain area. this is a miserable existence encapsulated in Scripture by Romans 7. Ultimately, God is transforming us into the image of His Son, the God -man. His flesh was COMPLETELY submitted to the Spirit of God.
"What you talkin' 'bout, Jesus?"..........................To Be continued................................
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