Holy Living in a Perverted World

We rarely hear the word “holy” in the church any more. Very few preachers are preaching about holiness.  Most believers in Jesus Christ treat this topic as old-fashioned and obsolete.  But it is not obsolete.  In fact, the word "holy" appears 581 times in the Bible, and "holiness" appears 21 times, including the New Testament!  Let’s look at a few of the Scriptures about this.

God is Holy
All throughout Scripture, God is described as holy.  Webster’s dictionary states: “Applied to the Supreme Being, holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character.” 

When Moses stood in God’s presence, he was instructed to take off his shoes, because the place he was standing was holy ground.  Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." (Exo 3:5)

Isaiah the prophet had a glorious vision of the Lord in His holiness.  He wrote: “In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.” (Isa 6:1-4)

This is a sight that very few people have ever seen while still in their earthly bodies.  The holy angels were around the Lord, calling to each other, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!”  When Isaiah saw all of this, he was undone.  He cried, "Woe is 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 hosts." (Isa 6:5)

The apostle John also saw the Lord on His heavenly throne, which a graphic artist has attempted to depict in the image above.  John wrote: “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.’ Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.’” (Rev 4:1-8)

What an awesome sight!  The same angels Isaiah saw in his vision 700 years earlier were still around the throne saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”  They never cease to say this!!

Be Holy
The Word of God says that we are called to be holy in body and spirit, just like the Holy One, in all our behavior.  According to Webster’s dictionary, when we use the word holy to refer to a person, it means, “Properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections.”

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.” (1Co 7:34)

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. (Eph 1:4)

“That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:27)

"For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit." (1 Thes 4:7-8)

Peter also instructed us to make every effort to be spotless and blameless:  "So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (2Pe 3:14, NIV)

“But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.” (1Pe 1:15)

“It is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’" (1Pe 1:16)

Holiness

The way that we as disciples of Christ take is called the Highway of Holiness, and the unclean will not travel on it.  “A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.” (Isa 35:8).  Jesus said that He Himself is the Way.

We are to serve the Lord Jesus in holiness.  “To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.” (Luk 1:74-75)

We are to conduct ourselves in the world in holiness. “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.” (2Co 1:12)

We are to cleanse ourselves from all defilement and perfect holiness in the fear of God. “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2Co 7:1)

Our new self has been created in holiness, and we are to put it on.  “Put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Eph 4:24)

God disciplines his children, so that we may share in His holiness.  “For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.” (Heb 12:10)

The writer of Hebrews goes on to exhort us to “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).  Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.

Be Perfect
We are to be perfect.  "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mat 5:48)

“And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (Jam 1:4)

We are not to be conformed to this world, but to prove what the perfect will of God is. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:2)

Even Paul did not claim to be perfect already, but his passionate aim was to lay hold of that.  “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” (Phi 3:12)

If you don’t stumble in what you say, you are perfect, because your tongue reflects what’s in your heart and it controls everything else in your life.  “For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” (Jam 3:2)

So it's clear from Scripture that the disciples of Christ are to be holy and perfect, but how does that look practically?  Does it mean we have to live in a cloistered community, standing around wearing white robes with our hands folded in prayer, chanting prayers in Latin?  Not at all!  The Lord expects us to live "in the world" without being "of the world."  Let me give you some examples of God's standards of holiness that are disregarded today.

Sexual Purity
So many in the church today are living immoral lives, and others accept it as normal.  The church today often tolerates it.  However, the Lord spoke against the churches in Pergamum and Thyatira, because they tolerated sexually immoral people in their midst (2:14, 20).  The Scriptural standard is still complete sexual purity.

We are not to associate or even eat with any so-called brother who is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one.” (1Co 5:9-11)

We are to flee immorality.  “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.” (1Co 6:18)

No immoral, impure, covetous, or idolatrous person has any inheritance in God’s kingdom.  “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” (Eph 5:5)

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; (1Th 4:3-5)

For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. (1Th 4:7)

There must be no immoral or godless person among those who are the disciples of Christ.  The writer of Hebrews wrote: “that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.” (Heb 12:16)

The cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, immoral persons, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will inherit the lake of fire, not the kingdom of Christ.  "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev 21:8)

Those outside the holy, eternal city include dogs (homosexuals), sorcerers, immoral persons, murderers, idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” (Rev 22:15)

Sobriety
Another popular pastime is drunkenness. According to Matthew Henry, “Drunkenness is excess in drinking of wine or strong drink, whereby the stomach is overcharged, the mind is intoxicated, and the body enfeebled and unable to perform its office.”

Drunkenness is a work of the sinful nature (Gal 5:21).   The apostle Paul wrote, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph 5:18). 

Quietness, proper behavior, and avoidance of reveling
Another aspect of holiness is to lead a quiet life, to behave properly, and to avoid carousing. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.” (Rom 13:13)

The word carousing comes from the Greek word komos, which means carousal, reveling, or rioting. According to Matthew Henry, “Reveling is excess in feed, nocturnal riotings in eating, drinking, dancing, singing, chambering and wantonness. The Syriac version renders it, זמרא, ‘lascivious singing’; and the Arabic version, ‘songs’ which are a part of the nightly revels: and such like which are of the same nature and kind.” To put it in modern terms, reveling is jamming to worldly music, nighttime dancing, partying, “kicking,” singing lascivious songs, “rocking,” letting loose, etc.   It means to make a racket, make whoopie, make merry, make happy, whoop it up, jollify, wassail, “kick” it up, or participate in orgies. 

While many believers condone reveling today, according to the Bible, it is a work of the sinful nature, and has no part in a life of holiness (Gal 5:21). That is why Paul instructed us to pray "for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." (1Ti 2:2)

Don’t love the world
We need to take care that we do not love the world.  The apostle John wrote, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1Jo 2:15)

If we love the world, the Father’s love is not in us, and we become His enemies.  James wrote, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: ‘He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?’” (Jam 4:4-5).

What kind of music do you listen to?  What kind of movies, TV programs, and videos do you watch? Are they ones about lust and sexual immorality, murder, stealing, lawlessness, and drunkenness?  Do they mock true Christianity and model a compromising, watered-down form of Christianity? Are they secular, worldly ones? If so, then you need to make some hard decisions, in order to eliminate compromise and chose that which pleases the Lord. Also see my article about The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, in which a famous bishop missed heaven due to worldliness and covetousness.

Holiness in Spirit, Soul, and Body
The Lord requires holiness in every part of our lives, including spirit, soul, and body:

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." (1 Thes 5:23-24)

"What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.' Therefore, 'Come out from them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.' And, 'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty.' Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”  (2Co 6:16-18; 7:1, NIV).

"...The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit..." (1Co 7:34b)

Yet many Christians fail to realize that there are areas of their lives that are not holy. In summary, the following are some of the most commonly overlooked sins, some of which I have already mentioned: not keeping Sundays holy, watching secular TV, women wearing trousers, jewelry, artificial things like wigs and fake eyelashes, and/or make up, tattoos, body piercing, smoking cigarettes, addiction to drinking alcohol, worldliness, masturbation, immoral practices on the marital bed, divorce, abortion, using contraceptives, idolatry, rock, rap, and reggae music, dancing that does not glorify Jesus or the Father, embezzling money and accepting bribes, gossip, abortion, keeping boyfriends and girlfriends, failing to evangelize, as well as witchcraft, video games, movies, art that does not glorify God, and secular cartoons.  This is by no means a complete list, but it's a good place to start allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal to you anything in your life that must go. 

Putting it All Together
The Lord is holy, perfectly pure and immaculate.  He is on His heavenly throne right now with angels surrounding him that never cease to cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!”

When we come to Christ, He makes us holy from a positional perspective.  But then He expects us to walk that out practically and to be holy, as He is holy.  That means we need to be perfect, in a moral sense.

While the topic of holiness may not be popular in the world or even the church today, it’s still God’s way for His people to live.  We’ve got to be holy in all our behavior, like the Holy One who saved us.  He’s called us to be perfect, even as He is perfect.

While we can’t say we’ve attained to this yet, we should passionately strive for it in our lives as disciples of Christ.  Our orientation must always be one that is moving forward toward this goal.  Playing church doesn’t impress God and neither does religion. 

If we want to be perfect, we need the Lord to do a deep work in our hearts.  Give Him permission to bring His discipline to bear in your life, which is the only way he can make us holy practically speaking.  Then listen to what comes out of your mouth.  Once you become perfect in what you say, then you can control your whole being. 

Today in the church, immorality has become acceptable.  So have carousing or reveling, idolatry, loving the world, drunkenness, and many other sins.  But the Word teaches us that people who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ and you have come to realize you’re not living a holy life, then here is what James tells you to do: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (Jam 4:7-10).  It’s not too late to repent and change the way you’re living.

If you are not a disciple of Christ, then let me explain something to you.  You can never earn God’s love.  You can only accept it.  You can never obtain His acceptance by trying to be holy.  Rather, you need to admit you are a sinner in need of Christ’s salvation.  You need to repent of your sin, which is a total change of mind, and ask Him to forgive you.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The artist's rendition of God's throne as the apostle John saw it in his Revelation is taken from Lighthouse Missions.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Garments of Godliness, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, Keeping Sundays Holy,  Faith Works!, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Two Divine Revelations, Tattoos and Body Piercing, and One Thing. I highly recommend reading, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies and Holy Fire Baptism. You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."   Purity painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Righteousness, Peace, and Joy

In my previous post on the Self-Help gospel, I made the point that we should not let anyone judge us regarding what we eat or drink. It’s true that we shouldn’t do that. The point is that all things are clean and the reality is found in Christ, not man-made regulations. But today I would like to look at this from another angle, namely how our freedom affects others.

What if someone with a weak conscience is offended by my freedom? What am I to do? Do I flaunt my freedom? Do I allow myself to come under the legalistic regulations of man? Or can I avoid both of those options and seek to live another way? Let’s see what the Scriptures teach us.

Accept the Weaker One
The apostle Paul taught that we should accept the one whose conscience is weak. He wrote to the Romans: “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.” (Rom 14:1-3)

So there are two basic kinds of people in this passage. One is the person whose faith allows him to eat all things. This person has great freedom in Christ, and should not let anyone take that from him. The other is the one whose faith is weak and feels he cannot eat certain things without sinning. In Paul’s day, when the Gentiles would buy meat in the market place, sometimes the meat had been offered up in sacrifice to idols in a pagan temple before it was sold. A person with strong faith would just not ask any questions about that before buying it, then give thanks for the meat and eat it. But one with weak faith would feel like he was sinning to eat such meat, due to the likelihood that it was offered to idols.

Another example is regarding observance of days. Paul wrote, “One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.” (Rom 14:5-6). Paul shows here that those with weak faith, who observe certain days, do so for the Lord. And those who regard every day alike do so for the Lord.

So if you are the one with a strong faith that allows you greater freedom, you need to accept the brother or sister in Christ whose faith is weak. As Paul said, “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” (Rom 15:7). Try to avoid passing judgment on his or her opinions. Don’t regard your brother with contempt over these things. Ultimately, the most important thing is that we all live for the Lord. Jesus Christ makes us stand. And we will all stand before the judgment seat of God (Rom 14:10). I will not need to give an account for my weaker brother’s actions, and he will not need to give an account for my actions. “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Rom 14:12). We will all need to give an account of our own self to God.

Stop judging and making others stumble
Knowing this, what are we to do? Paul tells us, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.” (Rom 14:13). First, we’ve got to stop judging one another. Doing so is focused on whether my brother is right or wrong.

Instead, we need to start with our own life and walk in love. We need to determine in our own heart not to put an obstacle in our brother’s way. This is a loving attitude. It acknowledges my brother’s weakness and avoids making him stumble.

Do we avoid making one another stumble because we believe certain foods are unclean? Certainly not! As Paul wrote, “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; (Rom 14:14-16). All things may be clean, but to the one who thinks anything is unclean, to him it is unclean. Once we understand that, then we come to realize the connection between our faith and our practice. The one whose faith is weak would be sinning if he did the things he considers unclean. So I must be careful not to make him stumble. If I have freedom in an area where he is not free, I should be careful how I exercise my freedom. Flaunting it in front of him would cause him to stumble. It would hurt him.

There are some practical ways we can put this into practice. If you have freedom to drink wine and your brother does not, then when you are together, don’t drink wine. It’s that simple. This is a loving attitude. It seeks to help the weaker brother.

But how could my drinking wine cause another to stumble? He may be tempted to join you, but due to his weak conscience, he would be sinning. In his own heart, he would be doing something he regards as unclean. Remember that as long as he thinks it’s unclean, to him it is so. Paul wrote, “He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Rom 14:23). This is key. If your brother doubts when he drinks, then his drinking is not from faith. If he doubts when he eats, then his eating is not from faith. It’s a good thing if you have faith that gives you freedom, but don’t let that good thing become something others speak of as evil. Your weaker brother would be condemned to do what you do, because anything we do that is not of faith is sin.

Love avoids tearing down the work of God, and your weaker brother is the work of God. Paul continued, “Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.” (Rom 14:20-21). Paul determined that he would not eat meat or drink wine in front of anyone who was offended in his walk with Christ as a result of it. Even though he was free to eat or drink, he did not want to make a brother stumble. That would tear down the work of God.

Pursue peace and edification
This is a refreshing way to live, isn’t it! Rather than demanding my rights, I willingly give up my rights for the sake of others. That’s how Paul lived, and I want to do the same.

He wrote, “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” (Rom 14:17-19). Of course, you are free to eat and drink. But when you understand that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, then you are truly free! The kingdom of God is all about righteous, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you determine to live in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, then God will accept you and you’ll find that men approve of you also. Therefore, let’s pursue the things that make for peace and building up one another.

“Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.”
(Rom 15:1-2)

It’s wonderful that you have faith. But have it before God and exercise your freedom before Him. “The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.” (Rom 14:22). Let your convictions about food, drink, and other things be subject to your love for others. Seek to please your neighbor for his good and to his edification. If you can avoid condemning yourself by the things you approve, you’ll be happy and blessed! That's righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit -- joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Self-Help Gospel

There is a self-help gospel preached in the world today, which is not the true gospel at all. It is a gospel of self-improvement. Just look in the bookstores and you will find them stocked with best selling books about how to do this or that to improve yourself. I’m not saying that every “how-to” book is bad. I’m just saying that much of what is written in the name of the Lord is not what the Lord would say to us. Let’s look at what the Lord says in His Word.

Hollow and Deceptive Philosophy
The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians and said: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ." (Col 2:8). That's a clear warning for us today, as well. We need to make sure we don't let anyone captivate us through hollow and deceptive philosophy. It doesn't matter who they are who teach it. This kind of philosophy does not depend on Christ, but on human tradition and the basic principles of this world.

He went on to challenge those among them who had already begun to fall for these teachings. He wrote: “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!’ (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.” (Col 2:20-23)

Let's remember that Paul was writing to the Colossian church, not to non-believers. They had already died with Christ, and Paul is asking them a question. He asks: “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!’” Essentially he is saying that they already died to the world, so why do they act as though they need to live according to basic, worldly regulations about what you can and cannot handle, taste, and touch?

We could ask the same question of the church today. Why do these self-help preachers fool the church? Why do we keep falling for their lies? These are simply the commandments of men and the teachings of men, as Paul puts it. He gives the reason why some people listen to them. He says that these things definitely have the appearance of wisdom. That’s why it’s so enticing. But he exposes it for what it really is: self-made religion, self-abasement, and severe treatment of the body. Let's explore those three things.

Self-made religion
The word in the original Greek language, which this passage was written in, connotes voluntary piety that is arbitrary and unwarranted. It also may connote sanctimony or will worship.

This brings up thoughts of many different practices we see today. For example, we see people exercising voluntary piety that is unwarranted and arbitrary. Outwardly they try to seem pious and sanctimonious. They are part of the “do not handle,” “do not taste,” “do not touch” crowd. Where the Word has given us freedom, they have chosen to forbid themselves and others.

Paul also refers to will worship. The best thing I can use to illustrate what I see as will worship is the phrase, “Believe in yourself!” Or the philosophy that “I can do whatever I set my mind to do.” People who live according to this philosophy essentially worship their own will. They exult in the power of their own will to accomplish good things for themselves. These teachings range all the way from positive thinking and positive confession to various humanistic philosophies that teach man to try and be a good person without God.

All of these are self-made religion. They are man’s attempt to worship according to a way that he in himself determines is right. But these fail to please God. They fail to save anyone or make anyone holy, because they focus on outward performance and outward appearance, rather than on a change of the heart within. They focus on what man can do, rather than on the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and what He can do.

Self-abasement
This word for self-abasement connotes false humility. This is another aspect of the worldly regulations Paul is talking about, which entice us away from the Lord. These regulations may appear to make you humble, but they really don’t do so. You can deny yourself from eating or touching anything you like, and it may appear that you are extremely humble. But we’ll find out how humble you are when someone throws up on you. Some things can be put on like a mask and you can pretend, but under the right circumstances, your pride will shine through.

Only the gospel has the power to save. Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16). And when Jesus prayed for his disciples, He prayed, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." (Joh 17:17). He didn't pray that we would be sanctified through the commandments and teachings of men, or through man-made regulations and traditions. Only the Word of God has the power to make you holy.

Severe treatment of the body
The word Paul used to describe severe treatment of the body literally connotes a kind of asceticism, austerity, and neglecting of oneself. The Christian monks of old were famous for sleeping on beds of nails or broken glass, taking vows of silence and depriving themselves the company of other people in order to achieve deeper spiritual lives. It appeals to some people, because it looks spiritual, and it seems so disciplined, orderly, and hard on the flesh. But Paul says that these regulations are of no value against fleshly indulgence. That’s the reality. It’s not that they have some or little value, but they have no value when it comes to dealing with the sinful impulses inside of man.

Again, only the gospel has the power to deal with the flesh, by putting it to death with Christ, and giving us new life in Him.

Food, Drink, and Holiday Police
Some people still teach that certain days are more special or holier than other days.

Paul wrote to the Colossians about such people, saying, “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Col 2:16-17)

If you aren’t in church or celebrating the festival or holiday on that day – whether its Christmas, Easter, Ash Wednesday, or All Saints Day, you’re looked at by these people as if you are less spiritual. This is what happened to the Galatians. Paul wrote to them saying, “You observe days and months and seasons and years.” (Gal 4:10) Because of this, Paul was concerned that he had labored over the Galatians in vain. There is no Scripture that says you must celebrate the birth of Jesus or His resurrection on a certain day each year. If you love Him, you will worship Him every day.

And we should certainly not let anyone judge us and make us feel less spiritual with regard to the Sabbath Day or any holiday. I have no problem if someone wants to worship the Lord and hold their church meetings on Saturday, rather than Sunday. But when they claim it is more correct, more biblical, or more spiritual to do so, that’s all part of these worldly regulations.

Neither should we let anyone judge us regarding what we eat or drink. For example, there are some who teach that certain diets are scriptural or more spiritual, like being a vegetarian. I'm not saying the Lord condones gluttony or drunkenness. And I agree that some foods and drinks are more healthy than others. But when you are partaking of food or drink in moderation with thankfulness, and someone looks down on you because of it, that’s not the heart of God. It’s all just a shadow of things to come. But reality is found in Christ. Our focus should be on Him, not on the calendar, the cup or the dish.


All these things are part of the written code that has been cancelled. As Paul wrote: “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Col 2:13-14)

Paul speaks to disciples of Christ. He says, when you were in a place where you could do absolutely nothing for yourself, because you were completely dead in sin, it was then that Christ made you alive together with Him. It was then He forgave all your transgressions. It was then that He canceled out the written code that was against you with all its decrees and regulations. The Holy Spirit described it like this through the prophet Ezekiel when He said, “When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, 'Live!'” (Eze 16:6) It’s a picture of you lying there in their own blood, squirming and about to die. The Lord saw you there as He passed by and said, “Live!” By His mighty power, He made you alive with Christ. His Word has power! His cross has power! It was through no effort of your own.

The true gospel
This is the true gospel – repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 2:38; 16:30). Paul says to the Romans, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." (Rom 10:9-11). This means you need to believe in your heart that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and confess Him as Lord of your life with your mouth. If you do so, you will be saved.

Putting it All Together
I think the Scripture is very clear about all this. Don’t let anyone judge your spirituality based on what you eat or drink or whether you observe certain festivals or Sabaaths. We’re not supposed to observe days and months and years on the calendar. And it’s not what you put into your body, but what comes out of your mouth that defiles it.

Don’t pay attention to those who preach the self-help gospel. They tell you not to taste, touch, or handle certain things. They are the ones who promote self-made religion, unwarranted piety, self-abasement and harsh treatment of the body. None of these things has any power to restrain the sinful nature with its self-indulgence. They deal with the outward performance, not the inward matters of the heart and character.

Instead, focus on Jesus Christ. Reality is found in Him. He alone can save you in your most depraved and helpless state. And it's only through the power of His Word and His Spirit that you can become more like Jesus.

For more on this topic, be sure and see the other posts in this blog, especially Righteousness, Peace, and Joy. There are also some other authors on this topic, including one by Mark Lauterbach, and another article by the American Presbyterian Church, with which I am not associated in any official capacity.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: This "Seeking the Lord" blog has become very popular in France. The reason for this is uncertain, but I am humbled and delighted that it has generated such a great interest there. To God be all the glory! If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.