A Christian is a person who is aware of the sin in his own life and seeks personal holiness through confession of sin, repentance, growing in the understanding of God’s Word, and learning to be led by the Holy Spirit in his everyday life.
Welcome again to Powerful God – Practical Faith and our series… “Bringing Clarity to the Term Christian”.
So, in this blog, I want to continue this theme we begin last time, as it relates to reverence for God and our response to His holiness.
In our last discussion, we talked about the importance of who God is, and for the Christian, how important it is to have a heart and posture of awe, reverence, and worship. During the end of our last blog, we also referenced a passage from the book of Isaiah, which will be the springboard to our 11th Statement in this series, Bringing Clarity to the Term Christian.
In the book of Isaiah Chapter 6, Isaiah makes this statement when he found himself in the presence of the Lord God. He says in verse 5……
“Woe to me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies.”
Isaiah 6:5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
If you remember from our last blog, we recognized that unclean lips were representative of being a sinner. This meant that being in the presence of a Holy God, we were unworthy, unholy, vile, and wretched, with no righteous answer we could give with our lips. This understanding of the majesty and holiness of God leads us to our next statement.
Statement 11 says….
A Christian is a person who is aware of the sin in his own life and seeks personal holiness through confession of sin, repentance, growing in the understanding of God’s Word, and learning to be led by the Holy Spirit in his everyday life.
Now there is much to discuss regarding this statement because it highlights the “active” response of the believer who has been in the presence of God, meaning one who has genuinely received the gift of salvation through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in his life. So, let’s dive right into it!
To begin, we see the first part of Statement 11 says that a Christian is one who is “aware” of the sin in his own life. Now what does it mean to be “aware” of sin in your life? Does it mean that you are simply cognitively aware that you sin from time to time? Is it just an inevitable state of imperfection that you have come to terms with? If this is how we define being aware of our sin, I think the Holy Scriptures would definitely differ with us. For the Christian, being aware of our sin means to actually “see” it for what it is, in you, and what it does to you. Sin is an ever-present enemy within us that only produces death and destruction. Paul, the apostle you have heard from frequently in this blog series, expresses this awareness of sin in a very succinct but profound way. Listen to his words in Romans 7:14-25
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So, I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:15-25 New American Standard Version (NASB)
Now if this in not an extremely accurate description of the Christian experience with respect to sin, I would be hard pressed to find something else that is. Paul very plainly explains the experience each Christian has had or will have on this earth while still housed in his yet unredeemed human body. In this passage, Paul immediately identifies the opposing influence within us; this internal opposer, Paul calls the “inner being”, the regenerated spirit, that was not previously there until after the Christian placed faith in Christ and the Truth Teller, the Holy Spirit, gave him new life and a new desire for righteous and holy living.
Paul says initially that the Law is spiritual but he is not. He says that he is unspiritual, carnal, fleshly, and subject to sinful activity. Is not this exactly who we are? The Christian understands that even though he has been born again to a new life in Christ, this propensity toward unrighteous behavior looms strong while still living in these yet un-renewed bodies. Paul then goes on to explain the dichotomy, contradiction and struggle that stirs up in the believer whenever he is challenged by God’s Law. Paul says in verse 15…
‘‘I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
How interesting it is for Paul to make this statement. Paul, one of the most influential apostles in New Testament history, the major writer used by God the Holy Spirit to write the majority of the New Testament, a reputable student of the Law, says essentially, “Listen to me brothers and sisters of, Rome, when it comes to actually doing what is righteous, I don’t even understand….me”. The dilemma that Paul faced, as well every Christian, is that he finds himself doing the very thing that he hates. He gravitates toward those things that he does not want to do. Now how can we do what we don’t want to do? It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense does it? Many of us would say to Paul; “Of course you wanted to do it, that’s why you did!” Well, this would be correct if Paul did not clarify who the “I” was that did not want to do good.
In verses 16-17 Paul says….
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
Paul here is making a distinction between himself, and…. himself. This sounds confusing but when you view this within the context of one’s self-awareness of sin, it becomes clear. Paul first of all says that if he does what he does not want to do, he agrees with the goodness of the law of God. Why? Because what he does not want to do is the same thing the law of God prohibits. Paul is simply saying that his heart is actually consistent with God’s Word. His heart is in the right place. I would also add here that Paul’s heart is in the right place because he had an encounter with the risen savior, who changed his heart through the realization of who Jesus is and the truth of the gospel. This is the heart of the “redeemed” Paul, the “spiritually born again” Paul, the “true” Paul. But then, Paul also goes on to explain that… those things that are not consistent with God’s Word, the things that he desires not to do, Paul says, paraphrasing, “I will go ahead and do those things”. Now what is it that prompts this obvious contradiction in Paul? It is sin living in him.
The Christian must first of all be conscious of the fact that “sin” lives within him. This does not mean that he actively seeks to sin, or that he even anticipates enjoyment from it. The Christian does however, recognize that his sinful nature is still present, waiting to be activated at any moment if unchecked by his submission to the Holy Spirit and a desire for holiness, which leads us to our second point in the statement.
The Christian is or should be known for his desire for personal holiness and should be in constant pursuit of it. This holiness is not pursued because of some legalistic piety or need for moral superiority. It comes from a deep need to be like Christ because of love for who He is and what He has done in bringing about the Christians salvation and spiritual life.
Holiness is also a command. Listen to what the Apostle Peter says in his 1st letter…..
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
I Peter 1:14-15 New American Standard Version (NASB)
The desire for holiness will deter the activity of sin in the life of a true Christian.
Now holiness is developed and preserved in the life of the Christian as he continuously confesses and repents of the sin in his own life. The Christian will recognize that becoming holy is a process. It does not happen instantaneously, but it should be ever increasing in his or her life. In the book of 1 John, the apostle tells us….
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9 New American Standard Version (NASB)
What an extraordinary truth. The apostle tells us that if we confess our sins, which, if you remember from our previous blog posts means, (homologeo), to “say the same thing”, or to say the same thing God says about your sin, He is faithful and righteous to forgive them. John is telling us that if we are consistently acknowledging our sins to God, agreeing with Him that they are in fact sin, God can be continually counted on, having the perfect righteousness necessary to both forgive you and cleanse you of every unrighteous deed. And why does He do this?
To make you…. holy!
This is God’s ongoing loving process, whereby through the work of the Holy Spirit, He graciously and consistently makes us aware of our sin, which results in our longing to confess and turn away from them in repentance, and replace sin with obedience. This is how God creates righteousness in us…. sanctifies us….makes us…holy!
The Christian is also a person who has a longing to know God’s Word and to be led by the Spirit of God day by day. The congruency between knowing God’s Word and being led by His Spirit is unquestionable. In the Holy Scriptures, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the necessity of understanding, relying on and doing what God says. Listen to these passages of scripture that express the importance of God’s Word…..
All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.
II Timothy 3:16-17 New American Standard Version (NASB)
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
Psalms 119:9 New American Standard Version (NASB)
But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4 and Deuteronomy 8:3 New American Standard Version (NASB)
You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unscrupulous people and lose your own firm commitment, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
II Peter 3:17-18 New American Standard Version (NASB)
The Christian recognizes that the Word of God is “the source” for Christian truth and that understanding it properly is essential for the life of one who genuinely believes. The Holy Scriptures, God’s Word, is…. God speaking
Finally, the Christian aught to be ever seeking to be led by the Holy Spirit. Now being led by the Spirit of God has been defined many ways by many people. Some define it as a very mystical experience, where they feel that the Holy Spirit is almost audibly speaking to them and telling them directly, where to go, what to do, and what to say. Understanding that God the Holy Spirit could lead someone in this manner if He wanted to, in most cases “how” He leads is much more practical, often less eventful, but no less powerful or effective.
Amid the backdrop of the early church and the miraculous activities of the Holy Spirit occurring during this time, Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit does not emphasize the miraculous. Paul rather encourages the believers in his day with these words:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16 New American Standard Version (NASB)
“Walk by the Spirit”, Paul says. What does it mean? Simply put, walking by the Spirit is submitting to the Holy Spirit’s leadership in your life by consistently being obedient to the Word of Christ that the Holy Spirit enables you to come to know and understand. When Jesus Speaks of the Holy Spirit’s activity, He says this:
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you.
John 16:15-16 New American Standard Version (NASB)
The Christian learns to be holy when he, day by day, listens and heeds to the Holy Spirit of God directing him to be like Christ in all facets of his life. This yielding to the Holy Spirit should be the pursuit of all of us who are Christians.
We have more to learn as we continue this series “Bringing Clarity to the Term Christian”.
God Bless.
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