Holiness and Love

Third of a new series on “Doing what’s right without being legalistic”
- For most of the ideas here I have borrowed from New Covenant Morality in Paul
This is the most amazing message—It has just gripped me with its importance
- My main fear is that I won’t do justice to it, I won’t properly communicate it
- It is a Key Truth
What does the word “holy” mean? —we use it a lot!

0. Review from previous times

God did an amazing thing by choosing a nation to be his special people
In a remarkable way, we inherit this relationship
- so our self-identity can be defined as “the People of God”
Looking as how God and the nation of Israel related to each other can be a real help for us
Three things in particular relating to holiness:
1. We are pure and united because: God’s special dwelling place is with/in us
2. We are pure and united because: We represent God to the nations
3. We are pure and united because: God’s presence actually makes us pure
But there is a NEW covenant now
- The New Covenant is God’s Spirit in us
  - God has commanded us, but he is also ‘doing’ what he commanded
- God’s transforming power is flowing into you, making you a new person
  - So don’t try and block the flow

1. The Holy Spirit cannot be separated from Jesus

Quote from Deidun
- …for Paul there exists no church of God which is not at the same time the church ~of Christ Jesus~
- and no Spirit of God which is not at the same time the Spirit ~of Christ~ Rom 8:9; cf. Phil 1:19,
  - the Spirit ~of his Son~ Gal 4:6,
  - the Spirit of the Risen Christ cf. Rom 1:4; 8:9-11,
- inhabiting the Temple of which Christ is the sole foundation cf. 1 Cor 3:9,11,16f
- The Spirit that is imparted to Christians at the moment of their Baptism into the ~body~ 1 Cor 12:13; 2 Cor 1:21f,
  - into ~Christ~ Gal 3:27,
  - into ~his death~ Rom 6:3,
- and which is continuously assimilating them to their glorified Lord cf. 2 Cor 3:18,
  - as sons in the Son cf. Gal 4:6; Rom 8:14,29.
- Further, there is no eschatological newness except in Christ cf. 2 Cor 5:17,
- and no New Covenant except that which is in my blood 1 Cor 11:25
  - and realized in the hearts of the faithful by Christ himself cf. 2 Cor 3:3:.
- Finally, there is no Gospel which is not the Gospel ~of Christ~,
  - the Gospel ~of his Son~ Rom 1:9,
  - concerning ~his Son~ Rom 1:3…
- Christians participate in the New Covenant when they hear the message of Christ Crucified,
- accept it in faith and thus receive the Spirit Gal 3:3.
- This New Covenant community is defined as those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God Rom 1:4 and is Lord Rom 10:9
- It is through his sacrifice that their sins are forgiven cf. Rom 3:24f; 1 Cor 15:3
  - “…and through him that they receive the Spirit cf. Gal 4:4f; Rom 8:2f.
The New Covenant was prophesied to be about the gift of the Spirit
- But when it came, it was “Jesus shaped”
- Lord’s supper: “this is the new covenant in my blood”
To continue with the quote:
- Christians live in Christ and he lives in them
- “…the activity of the Spirit is the activity of the Risen Christ”
- Christians are baptized into Christ
  - They put on Christ
  - They are his property
  - They must love, serve, please and imitate him
- It is essential, for a complete understanding of the theological context of christian morality, to appreciate the profoundly personal nature of the Christian’s relationship with Christ.
  - Christ loved and delivered himself for me,
  - and this is the faith that makes me live;
  - my fellow Christian is ‘my brother for whom Christ died’ 1 Cor 8:11; cf. Rom 14:15;
  - Paul yearns to depart and be with Christ

2. Jesus in his own self completed all that Israel failed to do

Very briefly:
- His death fulfilled and completed the whole sacrificial system
- He demonstrated that total self-giving love was what the Father wanted

3. Jesus Defines Holiness

2 Cor 5:14-15
- For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this:
  - that Christ died for all; therefore all have died.
  - And he died for all so that
    - those who live should no longer live for themselves
    - but for him who died for them and was raised.
Deidun:
- …so consecration, at its deepest level, consists
  - not simply in separation from the idolatry of the Gentiles,
  - but in separation from self
    - through the orientation of one’s existence to the other.
Rom 12:1 makes it very clear:
- I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
  - to present your whole person as a living sacrifice
  - holy and pleasing to God
  - which is your spiritual worship.
- “whole person” refers to our mind and body.
- Do we belong to our selfish self, or to Christ?
- We can picture it like this living sacrifice
Another passage that makes this very clear is:
- Romans 6:3-11
If we define:
- Worship: giving offerings to God —praise, worship, gifts all that he wants from us
- Morality: living the right way according to God’s standards
Then the two have now become one:
- If the worship God wants is to take our persons from self and give them to him by laying them down for others
- And living the right way can be totally summed up in loving God and loving others, then the two are the same
So if we say:
- “John is such a good and upright person”
- “Mary is such a worshipper”
  - They should be identical descriptions!
- The worship God wants is giving our whole selves as a living sacrifice of love
- And this is the same as being a good and upright person
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
1. Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you,
2. and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,
3. so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Definition of holiness:
- It has always meant: total dedication/consecration to God
- perfect in self-giving love towards God, to each other and to all
1 John 3:14,16
1. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.…
1. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
- We love not just because of Jesus’ example, but because he is in us!

Summary

The Holy Spirit cannot be separated from Jesus
- he is the channel by which Jesus lives in us, transforming us into “little Jesus’es” (=Christians)
Jesus in his own self completed all that Israel failed to do
- His death fulfilled and completed the whole sacrificial system
- He demonstrated that total self-giving love was what the Father wanted
So when the Spirit makes us “holy”
- It looks like self-less, self-sacrificial love!

Do you remember when we looked at Jesus’ gospel message?
- Follow me!
- Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him
  - deny himself
  - and take up his cross daily
  - and follow me.”

Response:

Offer yourself as a living sacrifice
- Now and every moment
- It really is this simple!
Next time: How being a sacrifice works out in practice

Updated on 2009-08-31 (r.48) by Andrew Fountain