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Bible Study Lets Talk About Holiness.

Chopper

Chopper

Member
Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

Question: If I'm to follow or seek after holiness, for God says "Be holy; for I Am holy." (1 Peter 1:16). It appears to me, I must partner with God to make this possible. How do I do this? There are many times in my life that holiness seems like an attainable impossibility, other times I sense a closeness to God and holiness is very real....Thoughts?
 
A word comes to my mind when I think of holiness and that is OBEDIENCE. Another is SANCTIFICATION. Jerry Bridges once said "To be holy is to be morally blameless."

In one of my Christian Psychology classes, the phrase "Christo-centric" was to become a lifestyle to adhere too.

God wants us to walk in obedience, not victory. Obedience is directed toward God. Victory is directed at self. VICTORY IS THE RESULT OF OBEDIENCE.

God is holy because He is perfectly free from sin. This is perfectly praise worthy!! Romans 12:1 "Present your body (body soul & spirit) as a living sacrifice, holy & acceptable to God." Question: Is it holy & acceptable to God, or us?
 
Dear Brother Chopper, I may have come to this thinking from such articles as that below because it is mentioned here, but our obligation should be one of seeking God’s best as He works in us as a part of the separation He wills for us. Our spiritual growth should be progressive through the following three categories of God’s provided sanctification or holiness of us.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The following excerpt is from a study from Grace and Glory’s Study of the Book of Romans.
http://www.gracegod.com/Study Books/Romans1.pdf

THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF THE GOSPEL Chapters 12:1 - 16:27 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" - 12:1. We have in these three following chapters - 12, 13 and 14 - the practical side of the Epistle of Romans: for herein are contained all the exhortations and admonitions based upon the mercy of God declared in the Gospel. When the truth revealed in the former chapters has been grasped by the heart in living faith, the results will be manifested in practice. The twofold reckoning enjoyed in the sixth chapter is very effective in silencing the old man and awakening the new man. Paul begins this portion of his Epistle, which may very truly be called man's side of the truth, by the leverage of God's side - which wonderful provision has been his theme heretofore. Because of all the preceding matchless grace, we are now urged to present our bodies to God. And notice that each body is as "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God," because of the treasure which it contains - the new life. For when we count the old man dead, God sees the body as an earthen vessel - the receptacle for the display of the Life of Christ. And this is counted as our reasonable service. That is, it is in harmony with reason, that we should give to God that which He has redeemed at such infinite cost. Paul suggests it as a privilege, not a duty, of which we may gladly avail ourselves by his reminder. And this is real Christian service or worship. It displaces the forms of divine service as formerly connected with the law. This will necessitate nonconformity to the world, and will result in a transformation God-ward. The process will be accomplished by a continuous renewing of our mind; thus proving or finding, "what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" - 12:2. That is, we thereby learn God's will for us personally, of which there seems to be three distinctions - three progressive stages - we might say, in the school of Christ. The first is His GOOD WILL; later, we find His more ACCEPTABLE WILL, as we walk with Him; until finally we are in the very ocean of God's PERFECT WILL, fixed and unchanging as His own eternal decrees.
 
Chopper said:
Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

Question: If I'm to follow or seek after holiness, for God says "Be holy; for I Am holy." (1 Peter 1:16). It appears to me, I must partner with God to make this possible. How do I do this? There are many times in my life that holiness seems like an attainable impossibility, other times I sense a closeness to God and holiness is very real....Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Chopper said:
A word comes to my mind when I think of holiness and that is OBEDIENCE. Another is SANCTIFICATION. Jerry Bridges once said "To be holy is to be morally blameless."

In one of my Christian Psychology classes, the phrase "Christo-centric" was to become a lifestyle to adhere too.

God wants us to walk in obedience, not victory. Obedience is directed toward God. Victory is directed at self. VICTORY IS THE RESULT OF OBEDIENCE.

God is holy because He is perfectly free from sin. This is perfectly praise worthy!! Romans 12:1 "Present your body (body soul & spirit) as a living sacrifice, holy & acceptable to God." Question: Is it holy & acceptable to God, or us?
Click to expand...

The Lord told Abraham, the same thing He told us.

Walk before Me, and be blameless.

Walk in my presence...

Walk with Me....

Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust's of the flesh.

When I draw near to Him, and focus my attention on Him, to be with Him... worship just flows spontaneously from my heart.

In this way, my desire for Him, to please Him, only increases.


I totally agree with you, sir.

VICTORY, IS THE RESULT OF OBEDIENCE.

HE IS MY VICTORY!


JLB
 
A quick search of the word obedience .... We strive to obey because of HIS Grace
1Sa_15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Rom_1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Rom_5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Rom_6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Rom_16:19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
Rom_16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
1Co_14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
2Co_7:15 And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.
2Co_10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2Co_10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Phm_1:21 Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.
Heb_5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
1Pe_1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.



 
Eugene said:
Dear Brother Chopper, I may have come to this thinking from such articles as that below because it is mentioned here, but our obligation should be one of seeking God’s best as He works in us as a part of the separation He wills for us. Our spiritual growth should be progressive through the following three categories of God’s provided sanctification or holiness of us.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The following excerpt is from a study from Grace and Glory’s Study of the Book of Romans.
http://www.gracegod.com/Study Books/Romans1.pdf

THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF THE GOSPEL Chapters 12:1 - 16:27 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" - 12:1. We have in these three following chapters - 12, 13 and 14 - the practical side of the Epistle of Romans: for herein are contained all the exhortations and admonitions based upon the mercy of God declared in the Gospel. When the truth revealed in the former chapters has been grasped by the heart in living faith, the results will be manifested in practice. The twofold reckoning enjoyed in the sixth chapter is very effective in silencing the old man and awakening the new man. Paul begins this portion of his Epistle, which may very truly be called man's side of the truth, by the leverage of God's side - which wonderful provision has been his theme heretofore. Because of all the preceding matchless grace, we are now urged to present our bodies to God. And notice that each body is as "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God," because of the treasure which it contains - the new life. For when we count the old man dead, God sees the body as an earthen vessel - the receptacle for the display of the Life of Christ. And this is counted as our reasonable service. That is, it is in harmony with reason, that we should give to God that which He has redeemed at such infinite cost. Paul suggests it as a privilege, not a duty, of which we may gladly avail ourselves by his reminder. And this is real Christian service or worship. It displaces the forms of divine service as formerly connected with the law. This will necessitate nonconformity to the world, and will result in a transformation God-ward. The process will be accomplished by a continuous renewing of our mind; thus proving or finding, "what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" - 12:2. That is, we thereby learn God's will for us personally, of which there seems to be three distinctions - three progressive stages - we might say, in the school of Christ. The first is His GOOD WILL; later, we find His more ACCEPTABLE WILL, as we walk with Him; until finally we are in the very ocean of God's PERFECT WILL, fixed and unchanging as His own eternal decrees.
Click to expand...

Thank you so very much for taking the time to post this extremely important addition to my thread. I LOVED IT. I read the intro to the site you suggested and already I saw the need to continue to the end, thank you.

I have always been amazed at the Spirit filled threads and posts you enter in this wonderful CF.net Forum. I want you to know how much I look forward to your every thought. You are simply an amazing Brother in Christ and everyone who studies your posts gain knowledge that focuses on our Lord and Savior and our very fortunate relationship with Him.

God bless you Eugene. I know that your personal life is no picnic. Oh, may Jesus the Son of God touch you thru His holy Spirit with a great love for your dear Wife as you continually serve her with a glad heart. I continue to pray, as God views your situation, that His will, concerning the future, will be, what His great love unfolds for you both, and will come soon.

I love you Dear Brother. :hug
 
JLB said:
The Lord told Abraham, the same thing He told us.

Walk before Me, and be blameless.

Walk in my presence...

Walk with Me....

Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust's of the flesh.

When I draw near to Him, and focus my attention on Him, to be with Him... worship just flows spontaneously from my heart.

In this way, my desire for Him, to please Him, only increases.


I totally agree with you, sir.

VICTORY, IS THE RESULT OF OBEDIENCE.

HE IS MY VICTORY!


JLB
Click to expand...
Thank you friend JLB. I like this that you said. "When I draw near to Him, and focus my attention on Him, to be with Him... worship just flows spontaneously from my heart." You are sooo right. There have been times JLB that perhaps from my morning Bible studies, that all of a sudden I sense a "hugging" of the Holy Spirit inside of me and it will last for the rest of the day. Wow, your quote reminded me of those occasions.

You and I don't always see each point of view clearly, that's good in a way because I know that you are a dear man of God and I have a huge amount of respect for you. When I first see something that I disagree with, it drives me into the Word of God to evaluate what I believe compared with your statement. I love that!! So, in short, I love you, and value your instruction.
 
reba said:
A quick search of the word obedience .... We strive to obey because of HIS Grace
1Sa_15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Rom_1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Rom_5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Rom_6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Rom_16:19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
Rom_16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
1Co_14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
2Co_7:15 And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.
2Co_10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2Co_10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Phm_1:21 Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.
Heb_5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
1Pe_1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Click to expand...
Thank you so very much Reba for that wonderful addition to the thread. Scripture tells it all. You certainly are a Lady of the Scriptures. For some reason, my mind goes to your Dad when, like this, When centering on holiness. You know your Dad better than me, of course, I only know him in the Spirit. I imagine that he was a preacher of holiness. Those old preachers were holiness preachers. We need more of them like your Dad today, our Churches would be a lot different.

I love your quote of 1 Peter 1:2, may we all live up to that high standard.


:hug From reba
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My thoughts;
He should dwell in us.
Fulfilling His will in us.
He works through us, using our hands to heal, comfort, feed and so forth.
It should be Christ in us in anything we do and speak.
We should walk as He walked.
We are dead, that He may live...
John 14:20-23
John 15:4
Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.
 
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Teaching that all of us can live a Holy Life and that, based on Romans 12:1, it is our reasonable service will empty a Sunday School Class in a single Sunday. In my opinion this single facet of our on going Salvation Experiance has a great deal to do with our position in Heaven but e very, very, careful.

This, like so many "LAWFUL" items can be performed in a very damaging manor. God knows our every thought and if we are not living under the influence of the guidence of the Holy Spirit to glorify our God, but are living to glorify, to magnify ourselves or to ensure we are not Guests (Matt. 22:1-14) instead of Members of the Bride of the Christ, it is questionable that it counts for anything to our LORD.

I see our Holy Life Attempts as our reactions to pure love, as what we, progressively, seek to become. It is not impossible but neither is it simple, it require genuine devotion, devotion to live to glorify our Savior.
 
dianegcook said:
My thoughts;
He should dwell in us.
Fulfilling His will in us.
He works through us, using our hands to heal, comfort, feed and so forth.
It should be Christ in us in anything we do and speak.
We should walk as He walked.
We are dead, that He may live...
John 14:20-23
John 15:4
Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.
Click to expand...

Thank you Diane. I love John 15, the Vine and branches. I can't tell you how many times I'm reminded in the Spirit to read and meditate on those verses....Also thank you for adding your wonderful thoughts to this thread. :hugLove You!
 
Chopper said:
Thank you friend JLB. I like this that you said. "When I draw near to Him, and focus my attention on Him, to be with Him... worship just flows spontaneously from my heart." You are sooo right. There have been times JLB that perhaps from my morning Bible studies, that all of a sudden I sense a "hugging" of the Holy Spirit inside of me and it will last for the rest of the day. Wow, your quote reminded me of those occasions.

You and I don't always see each point of view clearly, that's good in a way because I know that you are a dear man of God and I have a huge amount of respect for you. When I first see something that I disagree with, it drives me into the Word of God to evaluate what I believe compared with your statement. I love that!! So, in short, I love you, and value your instruction.
Click to expand...


He truly is our Holiness.


JLB
 
God is our Holiness and when we are transformed into the image of Christ we crucify this flesh daily as it is no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me. How do we do this? Colossians chapter three gives us the answer

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
 
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