I know what you’re saying after the
last article, “OK, Pastor Brian, I know that the Old Testament is all about
God’s holiness and following all those rules about holiness and relating to
God, but in the New Testament it’s different. The New Testament is all about
grace, not holiness, right?”
Right! And wrong! The theme of God’s grace, God’s desire to
forgive people when they mess up and admit it, is found in both testaments, but
so is the theme of holiness. If you stop
and think about it, God’s grace doesn’t make sense without God’s holiness. Without holiness, grace means that God
forgives us for doing things that really weren’t that big of a deal in the
first place. That’s not very impressive. But when we understand God’s holiness we
realize what a big deal sin is and what a big deal grace is.
In fact, if you are thinking that
the pressure lets up a bit in the New Testament, check out these words from
Jesus.
You
have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and
anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who
is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. You have heard
that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone
who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his
heart. Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28
Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, quoting
the Old Testament passages I quoted in the last article, “Be perfect (holy) as
your heavenly Father is perfect (holy.)”
In 1 Thessalonians 4:3 Paul says that it is the will of God that we
should be sanctified (made holy.)
Perhaps the following passage from 1
John gives us the best summary of the New Testament view of sin, forgiveness,
and holiness.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have
not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. My dear
children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does
sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is
the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins
of the whole world. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because
God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been
born of God. 1 John 1:8-2:2; 3:9
What John
is saying here is basic theology.
1.
Everybody
has sinned.
2.
Nobody
has to sin.
3.
Forgiveness
is always available.
4.
The
child of God will not continually, intentionally, and willfully
sin because God is working their hearts. (NOTE:
Do not miss the nuance here. When we sin
it does not mean the game is over; we simply go back to the top of the
list. Sanctification is a process of
being changed by God from the inside out.)
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