Does God Really Care About Holiness?

Sin has been the struggle of every man and woman since the serpent charmed Eve in the garden. It didn’t take much persuasion for him to alter the destiny of every human being created in the image of God.  There is a belief held among many Christians that the loving God who gave His only Son to forgive our sins, will forgive us even if we knowingly choose to sin, as long as we confess the sins we commit.  But that isn’t quite how it works.  Sure, God will forgive our sins if we confess and repent, or turn away from them.  But, He also justly allows us to suffer the consequences of our sinful choices even when He forgives us for them.

God’s rules were not given to restrict us, but to protect us from the inherent evil and dangers of living in a fallen world.  His requirement that we “...Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16) wasn’t made to frustrate us, but to bring us to a place of peaceful, abundant living, where our fellowship with Him is unrestricted by our sin.  Only by walking in obedience to His Word can we experience the joy and fulfillment that He promises us.  Trust me.  I know what I am talking about because I tried to live life outside the borders of His righteous laws for a number of years, and am still suffering lasting consequences from my own sin.

You might wonder, does God really care about holiness?  Absolutely!  It was a number of years before I understood the agony behind Christ’s words on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)  For a brief moment, which to Christ must have seen like an eternity, His Father turned His face away from him because of our sin.  He who knew no sin became sin for us, and his Holy Father could not bear to look upon that sin!

So why would you want to do anything that would stand between you and the blessings of eternal life?

 It has taken decades for me to come to this realization for myself. I received Christ as a young child, then rededicated my life to him as a teenager. I studied His Word and was very active in my youth group during high school, but I became entangled in the cultural revolution of the sixties and seventies, and I rebelled against God, against family, and against society, searching for that elusive “something” I felt was missing in my life.  I had the whole world before me and I wanted to see what it had to offer.  So I turned my back on God and set out to find my own way.  From that point on it was a downhill slide. 

This was the 60’s, and the country was well into the counter culture era.  A time of hippies, free love, and drugs, and I became enmeshed in that Cultural Revolution very quickly.  My parents were so excited when I decided to follow my father’s footsteps into the Navy, and had great hope this would change my perspective on life.  After the military, I spend many years traveling through life without a nickel’s worth of an idea what I was doing and where I was going.  The next nine years was a journey spanning three countries in search of peace, happiness, and contentment, but all I found were drugs, alcohol, and broken dreams. I wandered from one town, one drink, and one relationship to the next.  Always wondering what was over the next hill, always seeking that next adventure.

But each step I took into what appeared to be an exciting new adventure quickly became misery and emptiness.  I had such a rebellious attitude I could not find and hold a job for very long.  Most of those years were spent on the street trying to pan handle enough money for a meal, although most of it went to purchase alcohol and cigarettes.  Surprisingly, the easiest to find were drugs.  In those days it was much cheaper, and there were always so called friends around who would share a joint or a needle with you.  My “great adventure” saw the years going by without the purpose I was seeking, or anything else for that matter. 

I lived with a tremendous amount of guilt and shame because I knew the truth, knew that God could see, and was hurt, by everything I did.  Yet, I chose to put Him on the back burner while I exerted my rights as an individual.  Only God’s grace protected me from the full consequences of my sins, consequences which I deserved, because he knew that one day I would turn back to him in complete surrender.  I didn’t escape without deep scars, however, and habits that I formed then always lurk in the background looking for an opportunity to resurface and ruin me for anything God might have for me to do.

I don’t know what pet sin you may be holding onto.  Perhaps it is a relationship that you know God disapproves of, or a tendency to eat or drink just a little too much.  Or maybe you are prone to use profanity, thinking that a curse word or two here and there isn’t really that harmful.  Or it could be that you simply complain a little too much about all that is wrong with the world and the people in it.

What you may not realize is that every negative thing you say, every vile image you see with your eyes, and every seemingly innocent teasing gesture you make toward someone else’s spouse is a foothold you give the enemy, and a wedge you drive between you and God.  These are things we all struggle with, but God is swift to forgive, and will cleanse us from our sins if we will confess and turn away from them, and walk in obedience to His Word. (See Romans 10:9)

Take it from one who has been there and done that.  Drop your sin like a hot potato, and run like crazy into the arms of Jesus.  He was tempted in every way just as we are, yet was without sin. (See Hebrews 4:15)  

He understands the pull of this world, and He is waiting to pull you into His arms and out of harm’s way. But He can only do His part if you do yours. With the power of His Holy Spirit living inside you, it is indeed possible to live fully surrendered and obedient to God’s Word.

It won’t be easy, but believe me, it will be so worth it!

 

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