Right Here to be Rightly Holy

 

I know, its been yet another long gap since I've posted. The thing is, I write stuff as inspiration hits me. Sometimes i get lots of ideas, sometimes they trickle slowly.

This time around, I've had an idea for a while, but its been simmering on a backburner until I got the angle I needed this morning. 

It started when I received a text with a quote by C.S. Lewis from his essay collection, "God in the Dock", which goes, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

This weighed heavily on my mind, as I often feel like I treat Christianity as only moderately important. Indeed, sometimes it feels like the modern church at large is doing this with great unity.

As I mulled over this for some weeks, my church started a sermon series in the book of 1 Peter. What particularly stood out was Chapter 1, verses 13-16.

"Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy."
1 Peter 1:13-16, BSB

Now I really had a lot to think about. And then while reading Ecclesiastes, I kept coming back to, "When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man."
Ecclesiastes 12:13 BSB

But this morning, it all started coming together as I thought about John the Baptist telling people what they needed to do, and then Jesus talking to the rich young ruler. And let me be clear, when I say it all came together, that just means I started connecting everything. It does not mean I came up with answers.

But I'm not looking to get answers from my readers, either. I'm looking to make y'all start asking questions of your own. Because here's the deal:

The whole purpose of man is to fear the Lord and keep His commands. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

We are to do this while abiding in the world, while not being of it, (John 17:14-16, Romans 12:2)

Which begins with loving the Lord with everything you are, and loving your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-40)

Further, we are called to seek the Lord's righteousness (Matthew 6:33)

And repent of wrong living. (Luke 3:8-14)

You can not love the Lord if you love something else more. (Mark 10:17-21)

This requires a fundamental shift in the thinking and spiritual maturity. (1 Corinthians 13:11)

It often requires painful sacrifice, (Mark 10:22-27)

Fleeing the lusts of our immaturity, (2 Timothy 2:22)

So that we do not conform to the passions of our old sin natures, (1 Peter 1:13-16)

For we have been bought at a price, consecrated as temples of the living God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Rather, as foreigners in this world, we conduct ourselves in the reverent fear of an impartial judge, (1 Peter 1:17)

Who will bring us into judgement for everything we do. (Ecclesiastes 11:9)

For though we have been grafted in, we can just as easily be cut off for unbelief. (Romans 11:17-24) 

But what does it mean to be holy? What does it mean to seek righteousness? What does it mean to live as foreigners, in the world but not of it? If Christianity is of infinite importance and can not be merely moderately important, how does this affect how we live our lives every day?

Ecclesiastes says to enjoy life and its pleasures, and not overthink trying to be overly righteous. But where is the boundary line?

We will start with 1 Peter 1:13-17, where we are given several instructions.

1. "Therefore having girded up our minds,": The Greek word for girded is anazónnumi, meaning 'to fasten, to prepare, to remove the slack'

2. "being sober-minded,": nēphontes, meaning 'self-controlled, level-headed, guarded, rational'

3. "not fashioning yourselves according to the former in the ignorance of your desires": the Greek for fashioning/conforming is syschēmatizomenoi, meaning "identifying with; having the same shape, expression, or pattern"
The Greek for desires is epithumia, meaning "passion, eagerness, longing, lusts"

4. "But as the One having called you is holy, also yourselves holy in all your conduct be": Holy in Greek is hagios, "set apart, consecrated, sacred"
 

Now, the word for conduct is anastrophé, which takes an interesting turn. According to Strong's Concordance, this means "mannerisms, way of life". But the most literal translation of the word means "a turning around, an inversion"

Think of how Yoda talks in Star Wars. "When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not." "Question him, we will." "Patience, you must have." His speech is an example of anastrophe, inverting the words from the natural order you would expect.

 So Paul is saying, "don't keep looking like your old, ignorant worldly self, rather invert it. ALL of it.

5. In verse seventeen, we are told, "If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;" NASV

If you are going to call him 'Father', then act like it. Unlike some modern "worship" music, the Lord is not your boyfriend. Unlike some western theology, the Lord is not a blessings vending machine. He is a judge, who will rule without partiality according to our work (Greek: ergon, meanong "deed/action that carries out/completes an inner desire/intention/purpose). You must live in fear (Greek: phobo, yes the same root as phobia), meaning "intimidation, respect, respectful, reverence, sense of awe.

In other words, although we are not saved by works, they reveal our inner desires and intentions, and the Lord is going to judge everything we do and the intent behind why we did it. So we must train our thoughts, logic, feelings, emotions, and impulses to come into submission.

Now, certainly, we do not need to make ourselves perfect in order to become Christians. Or we would all be doomed. Rather Jesus carries out the work of sanctification. But as He brings things to your attention, deal with them. Put effort into acting on convictions. Put effort into aligning yourself with scripture. He can only shape you if you are willing to be shaped.

To explain this, let's jump over to John the Baptist in Luke 3. The crowds asked him what they should do in order to be saved.

1. If you have two shirts, share with the one who has none.
2. If you have food, share with the one who is hungry.
3. Tax collectors, collect fairly and don't cheat.
4. Soldiers, don't bully or demand bribes. Be content with your pay.

But John was not literally saying that these works bring salvation. He's pointing out that we often tend to value worldly matters higher than salvation. We become greedy, so we hoard, we cheat, we steal, because possessions and money are more important to us than our eternal destiny.

An this is reiterated in Mark 10, when a rich young noble comes to Jesus and asks for eternal life. Jesus says that if he sells all he has and gives the money to the poor, he will inherit eternal life. The man walks away sad.

Was Jesus saying that we can get to heaven by selling all our stuff? No. rather, the nobleman simply had a higher value on his possessions than on heaven. The point is the heart condition.

You may think you are not like this. But how many other things do we all tend to hyperfixate on?

Social media status? Politics? Freedom, Gun rights? Relationships? Sports? Entertainment? Traditions? Emotions? Money? A big house? Comfort? Experiences? The American Dream? Sex? Addictive substances? Amusement? Marriage? Popularity? Celebrities? TV, books, movies, and music?

If Jesus pointed out the thing in your life that is most important to you, and told you that the way to eternal life was giving that thing up, how would that affect you? Are you capable of setting that aside and becoming obsessed with desiring the Lord's heart, or is that thing an addiction and distraction that consumes every idle moment?

Because when John 3:16 says that all who believe will be saved, this is more than believing Jesus exists or that He died and rose again for the forgiveness of sins. Indeed, the demons believe this much.

No, believing in Jesus means believing in His way. Believing His words are true. Believing that the life He desires for us is so much better than the things we desire for ourselves. And in this belief, taking on the fullness of His identity, and living as He lived. Because if the world is not questioning our conduct, are we living like Jesus, or are we living like the world?

So where, then, is the boundary line? When it comes to our fashion, jewelry and styles? When it comes to our books and music? When it comes to our entertainment? When it comes to our work, our relationships, our lifestyles? When it comes to our celebrations, our traditions, our observances? When it comes to how we interact with politics? The way we talk, the activities we partake in, the places we go? What we feel like doing or not doing? What we want or don't want?

Paul said that he becomes all things to all people in order to reach them for the Gospel. Which is a real thing. People do receive a perceived equal more than a perceived "holy roller". Jesus himself ate with sinners and tax collectors. But this takes great caution and consideration, and should only be done with much prayer and wisdom. What should we permit ourselves to do like the world does, and what should we do differently? How far can you go into being like the world without giving them a watered-down, worldly gospel? How far can you go before the worldly begins to ensnare you and drag you down into the mud?

The Lord did give us the Earth and all creation for us to enjoy and dominate. but when does enjoyment and pleasure begin interfering with our mission to carry out the great Commission? Sometimes when I go out paddleboarding on the river, the Lord shows me things and inspires lessons that I can share here. But sometimes I get so caught up in playing out in nature that I become distracted from ever actually writing those lessons out. This requires a balance.

 But as I said in the beginning, I'm not here to give answers. The church at large concerns me. I know fellow believers whose conduct concerns me. But I don't have the answers, because my own conduct concerns me most of all. I'm only here to try and invoke questions, because I am not satisfied with my way of life, and I don't think any of us should be. We should continually be searching for and pursuing that higher way of life to which we have been called.

And it can bring difficult sacrifice. It can be a challenge to be honest with ourselves about the things we do and why we do them. It is a challenge to place righteousness foremost above everything else.

But Christianity can not be of moderate importance. It is either of no importance, or it is of infinite importance. Thus, how we do it is either of no importance or infinite importance. getting it right is either of no importance or infinite importance. Our words are either of no importance or infinite importance.

Are there things that we call good that the Lord would condemn? Are there things that we choose to condemn that the Lord deems right?

How much of what we do on a daily basis, without a second thought, might very well be inhibiting our prayer lives?

Is Christianity something we take seriously, or is it something we tack onto our to-do list? Is our God a sovereign and righteous judge, or is He merely fire insurance?

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 BSB