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For Smart People Lesson 33 - What About Holiness? Part 2(Text Version) Do all churches believe, teach, and practice holiness? (Cont'd.)
2. Some also misapply the words of Jesus in Mark 7:15: "There is nothing from without a man that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man." They will use this to justify drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking, and perhaps even the taking in through the eye and ear gates the moral filth that is on television and the movies, looking at lewd or pornographic pictures and books, and listening to worldly music. The world, if they had the opportunity, might force alcohol or cigarette smoke into the body of a Christian and it would not defile his soul, but when a Christian chooses to take in the things that are wrong, his choice makes him guilty before God. It is then the thing that is coming out of the heart that is defiling him. 3. Many say they believe in holiness, but, either through ignorance or rebellion, live as though holiness or Christian living has nothing to do with whether a man or woman's hair is long or short, whether women wear men's clothes or whether men dress in an effeminate manner, whether clothes expose the body in lust provoking ways, nor the matter of following other fashions of the world that are associated with sinful living, even what the Bible calls, "the attire of an harlot." 4. Many people are receiving enough of the Gospel to come and accept the Lord's free salvation and thus be born again, but do not receive teaching along the lines we mention here. If the Word of God teaches it, should we not pay attention and be careful to do and teach what it says? Will God hold the preacher responsible if he does not do it? Will Jesus not judge people by the His Word, regardless of whether our preacher tells us? We have the Bible to read and obey. 5. The apostacy has brought such confusion to the church. A Christian will look at someone else who "is a good Christian," a Charismatic, or "Spirit filled" Christian who does not follow what the Bible has to say about externals and concludes that God has put his approval on what they are doing and therefore conclude he will not be condemned if he or she does the same. Is it the heart only that matters? Is it only "what's on the inside"? Or does the outside also matter to God? Are there rules of dos and don'ts that we should be concerned about or should we talk against the people who have rules and dos and don'ts and even call them "legalists"? Copyright © 2018 Swiss Valley Web Design |