Pure and Holy

Pure and Holy

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” – 2 Corinthians 7:1

Do you try to follow the Bible in order to be right with God?

Tim and Sarah had just gotten engaged a week ago, when Tim announced to his buddy, Sean, that he was going on a diet and getting back to the gym. Sean chuckled a bit and said,

“Tim, man, she said, ‘yes.’ You don’t have to get in shape anymore. Let’s go to Taco Bell.”

Tim said, “It’s not that. I just want to be the best I can be for her.”

Earning Your Spot in Heaven
There are several passages in the Bible that tell us to live in certain ways. Don’t do X. Do do Y. Some have taken these passages and proclaimed that this is how we get right with God. This is how we get to heaven. They pile on a bunch of stress on people to live a godly life and then hit them with guilt when they fail.

The Bible, however, doesn’t tell us that following God’s Law is our way to heaven. In fact, it says you can’t get to heaven by the Law. Why? Because you can’t do it perfectly…no matter how good you think you are. You can’t earn your spot in heaven!

Worshiping and Giving Thanks
The Bible says over and over that we are saved by grace not by our works. It’s a gift. If God saved you when you were still a spiritually dead sinner, no amount of good work or avoidance of sin is going to make Him love you more. So, why, then should we follow God’s Law?

We do it as our way of worshiping God and giving thanks for the gift of salvation He has given us. Just like Tim, we aren’t worrying about whether God will change His mind, we just want to be the best we can for Him because we love Him and He loves us. It’s because of God’s promises that we act.

Three More Reasons
Worship and thanking God are great reasons to follow God’s ways, but there are two others as well.

  1. It’s Who You Are – You are a child of God, holy and righteous and the Spirit of God lives in You. So, you get to live like who you are.
  2. It’s A Better Life – God’s Law is good and true. Our lives and the lives of those around us are better off for following God’s ways.
  3. We Are Showing Love to Our Neighbor – Much of the Law of God deals with how we treat our neighbor. By following it, we love our neighbor.

So, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit. Let’s do it out of love, not fear. Let’s do it because it’s good. Let’s do it because we know God loves us and wants the best for us.

Heavenly Father,

You have given us salvation despite our sin. We could never earn it. Now, since I’ve been saved and given new life, help me to live that new life according to your ways. Forgive me and restore me when I fall. Help me to always remember that the good works I strive to do are not to earn Your love, but because You already love me.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt