The Splendor of Holiness

Last week in my daily devotions I was reading Colossians 3 and suddenly had an insight I had not experienced in earlier readings of this chapter. Strangely, it was these words that spoke to me:

Col 3:5 – Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness

Now, I am sure you are wanting to ask, “What’s up, Steve? Do you have a problem with the sins in this list?” It’s not the specific items in the list but the fact that the Holy Spirit has placed in Scripture a number of lists of things to avoid and things to cultivate. Why are these specific sins listed and others are not? Paul identifies just three verses later the following additional sins: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying. It seems that it’s not especially the specific items listed but that God wants a change in our lives when we surrender to Jesus.

Just a few of some other lists in the Bible include:

Things to Avoid

Mark 7:21-23 evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness

Gal 5:19-21 sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies

Rom 1:29-31 envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossiping, slanderer, hating God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless

Things to Cultivate

Gal 5:22-23 love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

2 Pet 1:5-7 faith, virtue, knowledge,, self-control, to self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love

James 3:17-18 purity, peace, gentleness, willing to yield, merciful, having good fruits

As I understand it, there are two principle purposes to the plan of salvation: 1) eradicate the plague of sin in the Universe and 2) develop a people who will demonstrate to all the “watchers” that God is both loving and just. These lists are telling us that God wants us to be holy. With the power of the Holy Spirit and the righteousness of Christ, we are to set aside the elements in our hearts that are inconsistent with these two purposes. We are to strive for the character of Jesus, not just legally, but in reality. Going back to Colossians 3, we are admonished to “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you.” Holiness is a gift from Jesus if we are willing to “put to death” our hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil. This requires an effort on our part to identify these things, renounce them, and surrender them to Jesus. Jesus then cleanses us by the renewing of our minds.

Many Christians are unwilling to put parts of their characters to death. The big and visible things are renounced, but there is no heart searching for the seemingly small defects, for example, impatience, intemperance, short temper, irritations, unkind words and actions, uncontrolled imaginations. If we are unwilling to challenge the order of our lives and exercise self-denial, can Jesus trust us to be citizens of His heavenly kingdom? How foolish it is to be careless with our sins and let them ruin our witness and our salvation.

At our baptism, we symbolically died to our old, worldly ways and were symbolically resurrected into a new existence that has partaken of the divine nature. Does not this divinely appointed ritual represent God’s will for our lives – “putting to death” our “minor” sins? (“Minor” sins are those we are all too quick to excuse in our own characters.) Will we cooperate with God by surrendering our wills now to let Him create holiness in us? All heaven is interested in our salvation and of our achieving holiness to enter heaven. Shall we be indifferent about it? Shall we be careless, as though it were a small matter whether we are saved or lost? Shall we slight the sacrifice that has been made for us?

1 Pet 1:15-16 – as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.