{"id":6237,"date":"2018-03-04T13:55:50","date_gmt":"2018-03-04T19:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/?p=6237"},"modified":"2018-03-04T13:55:50","modified_gmt":"2018-03-04T19:55:50","slug":"holiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/03\/04\/holiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0By Brad Harrub, Ph.D<\/strong><\/span>
\nHaving looked into the tearful eyes of parents whose children have abandoned the Faith, I have learned there are a million miles between our children \u201cgoing through the motions\u201d in reference to their spiritual lives versus our children possessing hearts that dictate their actions. In this column, I plan to share with you what I hope to instill in the hearts of my own children and those whom I love.<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>
\nOne of the biggest questions plaguing\u00a0congregations\u00a0all across the globe is, \u201cHow can we increase our numbers?\u201d At a time in which many church families\u00a0are either declining or simply swapping members with other congregations, many have turned to all kinds of programs and gimmicks to attract people. In addition, many church leaders have shifted money away from mission work and external outreach,\u00a0and instead,\u00a0are focusing much of the\u00a0churches\u00a0resources inwardly. But how many congregations are focusing on the spiritual health of\u00a0their\u00a0own\u00a0members?\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe Bible\u00a0records\u00a0over and over that we are to be holy\u00a0or sanctified. Sadly, many congregations have lost their passion for holiness.\u00a0Some of these congregations have focused\u00a0all<\/b>\u00a0of their attention on getting worship \u201cright\u201d rather than getting those who worship right.\u00a0(Just to clarify, I do insist worship should be done right\u2014but\u00a0is it possible in some cases that\u00a0have\u00a0we\u00a0gotten the letter of the law right to the neglect of the actions and attitudes of the worshippers?)\u00a0Other\u00a0congregations\u00a0have turned toward entertainment\u00a0in an effort to please the masses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nHere\u2019s what I intend to teach my<\/b>\u00a0children regarding<\/b>\u00a0<\/b>holiness<\/b>.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\nBeing a Christian is more than just checking off a box on Sunday and Wednesday. It is my prayer that while you will seek to worship and praise God on Sunday, that you will also devote your life to Him, seek to serve Him, and to be holy. Holiness and sanctification are a part of what should define you as a Christian.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf everyone who\u00a0wanted to go to\u00a0Heaven ended up there,\u00a0it would soon be full of\u00a0adulterers, murders, slanderers, and the like.\u00a0Imagine what\u00a0Heaven would soon be like!\u00a0Only those who are holy will\u00a0be there,\u00a0as God cannot have anything to do with sin and still be God. But here is the catch\u2014man is unable to be\u00a0holy on his own. It is only through the spotless\u00a0Lamb of Christ that God can see\u00a0us\u00a0and\u00a0treat us<\/b>\u00a0as holy.\u00a0\u00a0Look at what the prophet Isaiah wrote:\u00a0\u201cA highway shall be there, and\u00a0a road,\u2028and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.\u2028The unclean shall not pass over it\u201d\u00a0(Isaiah 35:9).\u00a0In verse nine the prophet continued, \u201cBut the redeemed shall walk\u00a0there.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0<\/i>Will there be murderers, adulterers, and slanderers in\u00a0Heaven? Yes, but they will be individuals who were washed with the blood of Jesus and gave up their sinful ways to pursue holiness. To be holy means we are \u201cin Christ.\u201d\u00a0Look at how Paul addressed those in Corinth: \u201cTo the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are\u00a0sanctified in Christ Jesus<\/b>, called\u00a0to be\u00a0saints\u201d (1 Corinthians 1:2, emp. added). To the church at Rome Paul wrote, \u201cbeing justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is\u00a0in Christ Jesus<\/b>\u201d (Romans 3:24, emp. added). Do a word study and notice how many times the Scriptures mention being \u201cin Christ.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nGod is the source of holiness.\u00a0The Greek root word for holy is\u00a0<\/i>hagios<\/i>, and means\u00a0\u201clikeness of nature with the Lord.\u201d The way I want you to remember\u00a0holiness\u00a0is this: holiness moves you away from sin and moves you toward God.\u00a0If you are going to be holy,\u00a0you must conform your heart and life to God. You must also conform to the examples set forth by Jesus Christ. And you must be willing to conform to the laws and commands of God. \u201cTherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest\u00a0your\u00a0hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;\u202f<\/b>as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts,\u00a0as\u00a0in your ignorance; but as He who called you\u00a0is\u00a0holy, you also be holy in all\u00a0your\u00a0conduct,\u00a0<\/b>because it is written,\u00a0\u2018Be holy, for I am holy\u2019\u201d\u00a0(1 Peter 1:13-16).\u202f<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\nThis same sentiment was given to God\u2019s chosen people in the Old Testament:\u00a0<\/span>
\nFor I\u00a0am\u00a0the Lord your God.\u00a0You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy;\u00a0for I\u00a0am\u00a0holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.\u202f<\/b>For I\u00a0am\u00a0the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God.\u00a0You shall therefore be holy, for I\u00a0am\u00a0holy\u00a0(Leviticus 11:44-45).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\nRealize that today you are God\u2019s chosen people. \u201cBut you\u00a0are\u00a0a chosen generation, a\u00a0royal<\/b>\u00a0priesthood<\/b>, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light\u201d\u00a0(1 Peter 2:9).\u00a0<\/span>
\nI\u2019m not sure why Christians don\u2019t pursue holiness like they did in the past. Maybe it is because we have lost confidence in the authority of Scripture.\u00a0I suspect some of it has to do with the reality that most people (even Christians) don\u2019t think they are that bad, and thus we are not thankful for the gift Christ provides.\u00a0Or maybe it is because the bar seems too high. Or maybe\u00a0we have been deluded by the Father of Lies. Personally, I believe some of it is that Christians today have become more comfortable with conforming to the world and thus we have an absence of strong role models to follow. I\u2019m afraid this lack of holiness is part of why the church has been declining. If we want\u00a0our congregations to grow,\u00a0then we must make sure the members are spiritually healthy.\u00a0<\/span>
\nAs you continue to grow up,\u00a0please do not forget holiness\u2014remember what Christ did for you on the cross.\u00a0Don\u2019t return back to sin, but rather strive to be like Christ.\u00a0Paul wrote, \u201cTherefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God\u201d (2 Corinthians 7:1). Strive to be different. Do not conform to the world. I\u2019ll leave you with one of our favorite passages: \u201cAnd do not be\u00a0conform<\/b>ed<\/b>\u00a0to<\/b>\u00a0this<\/b>\u00a0world<\/b>, but be\u00a0transformed<\/b>\u00a0by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what\u00a0is\u00a0that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.\u201d Remember you can\u2019t do it without Christ\u2014never forget that He\u00a0must be your example. This is a lesson that I still work on everyday.\u00a0<\/span>
\nLove,\u00a0<\/span>
\nDad\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0By Brad Harrub, Ph.D Having looked into the tearful eyes of parents whose children have abandoned the Faith, I have learned there are a million miles between our children \u201cgoing through the motions\u201d in reference to their spiritual lives versus our children possessing hearts that dictate their actions. In this column, I plan to share […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46,59,66],"tags":[904,58,236,886,1434],"class_list":["post-6237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-children","category-christian-living","category-think-excerpts","tag-brad-harrub","tag-children","tag-heart-of-the-matter","tag-holiness","tag-october-2013","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nHoliness - Focus Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampaseo.expert\/focus\/2018\/03\/04\/holiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Holiness - Focus Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0By Brad Harrub, Ph.D Having looked into the tearful eyes of parents whose children have abandoned the Faith, I have learned there are a million miles between our children \u201cgoing through the motions\u201d in reference to their spiritual lives versus our children possessing hearts that dictate their actions. 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