Holiness vs Grace?
What is love and what does it look like?
I've been wondering lately about the tension that seems to exist between holiness and grace within the church. If we try to live life to a higher standard, we are labeled legalists and declared to be out of touch with Grace and Mercy. And yet if we live life without the higher standard, we are very much missing out on the blessings of a holy life.
These thoughts were born out of this morning's worship service at the USA East School for Officer Training. Brigadier Clifton Sipley spoke on a video about his service as an officer and it struck me that he truly was a holy man; a man whose very life flies in the face of those who would declare that holiness this side of glory is nothing more than the life of someone with good intentions.
There have also been extensive discussions in the forums at CampNeosa.com in relation to the movies we choose to watch and the words we choose to use. Some have suggested that to question movie choices based on conviction is paramount to returning to the days of "Attendance at any and all movies constitutes sin." I don't think I am saying this, but I must admit that I do wrestle with this as what seems a reasonable approach to the entertainment choices of the 21st century.
The SFOT also serves as a convenient case study in human behavior and the judgment that can so easily be declared upon it. That's not meant as a shot at the SFOT, it just recognizes the realities of living in close community.
In the end, it became clear to me that God is not asking us to weigh each of our decisions throughout the course of a day against our WWJD bracelet. He is asking us to allow His Holy Spirit to change our heart.
A holy, changed heart will naturally look for reasons why a person may be acting outside of what may seem righteous before it seeks to condemn that person. A holy, changed heart, wants blessing to come to those around them.
A holy, changed heart wouldn't dream of watching a movie that would cause difficulty for a brother or sister in Christ even if it could defend how it was OK based on "freedom in Christ."
And yet, the temptation will remain for someone to create the exhaustive list of things a holy, changed heart would or would not do, which, if that could somehow promote holiness, would deem the need for holy, changed hearts unnecessary.
If we could only learn what love is.
posted by Jim @ 2:59 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
You hit on a very important thought regarding condemnation. I think much of the stigma attached to Christendom is as a result of people mistaking holiness for piety. Piety is an attempt at godliness with out the power of the Spirit. When the Spirit falls on you, you learn to love, not condemn. You learn to disagree passionately and lovingly. You learn that holiness is best lived and not talked about. Finally, you learn that holiness is less about actions and more about attitudes of love and grace. This enables us to confront ungodly behavior in ourselves and others with mercy, while not being apologetic and forcing our standards on others.
A good read on this subject may be Brian McLaren's "A Generous Orthodoxy."
Hey Jim! This is a good Blog. I think we all struggle at times with how much grace is too much grace? I always try and ask my self....If it is me who needed the grace how much would I want or hope for?....then that is what I should extend. It's always undeserved and I would rather err on Grace than standards any day.
eddy, I think you are exactly right. And it seems that in my experience, if the person points out that something in my life is incongruent with my witness, I start by resenting them and eventually end up convicted if they are right. But when someone just lives differently, I tend to start right off with conviction. Either way, I end up in the same place, but I kind of like the road I travel in the second example better.
Great blog! Jesus was full of grace and truth and yet was considered a drunkard and a glutton by many. Jesus accepted everyone and never compromised his “biblical” position. He came, not to judge the world, but to save it.
I believe that as we become more like Christ we will naturally do more saving and less judging. If you think about it, sinners weren’t Jesus’ problem. It was the religious leaders that gave him a hard time. Has much changed?
Blessings,
Bret
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