12. At the Crossroads
12
AT THE CROSSROADS
Today we all stand at the crossroads on the question of personal holiness. Each of us must make the choice about which way we are going to go. This isn’t a choice only preachers or Christian leaders must make, although I pray that it will start there. No, every believing man, woman, boy and girl must decide personally.
“Will I surrender to the spirit of our age, or resist and join the company of overcomers?” is the question to ask.
Do we want to continue to live in defeat, failure and unrighteousness? Or will we decide to follow the path of excellence that leads to quality of life, inward purity and separation unto God?
Of course, we also can continue in a life of hypocrisy and legalism and be content to put on an external show of righteousness.
Even if we are able to fool others for a time with religious sham, we cannot lie to God for even an instant. If, after seeing clearly God’s desire for us to live a life of purity and holiness, we still do not obey and commit our lives, the Bible tells us in Revelation 22:11–12 that God will not always strive with us but come with judgment: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:13 and 4:5 that “every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. ... Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
We must realize that while God really wants us to be shining lights in this world, winning the lost and making an impact upon our generation or religious activism can never substitute for a separated life.
But let us remember that it is equally important that we are not offering service to God in the power of the flesh, with an impure heart. All the work and sacrifice we accomplish—even in the cause of world evangelism—can never be pleasing to the Lord unless it is done from a pure and holy heart.
No wonder the writer of Hebrews warns us to “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28–29).
The Dangers of Legalism
You now may be saying, “That sounds like legalism to me.” I assure you it is not. We must stop confusing obedience to God with legalism. We must stop confusing holiness with legalism.
There is a very real danger of legalism—but that’s not what the Bible is talking about here. Jesus hated legalism and rebuked legalists in some of the strongest language He ever used. But He also taught obedience, holiness, purity and separation.
Let’s define legalism in biblical terms. Legalism is obeying the teachings of men as the Pharisees did, adding human rules and standards of behavior onto what God has given. Obedience to the Word of God is different altogether. It comes out of a true commitment and genuine love for the Lord. It is not based on external things and following the interpretations of men.
This is the reason why the Lord Jesus Christ frequently told His audience that to follow Him meant they would have to walk with Him as He walked. He said, “No man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). To live for Jesus and follow Him, you must give up your own desires and wishes for your life. That’s what we need today so desperately.
There are two sure ways to avoid legalism.
First, we must stop comparing our lives with others. This can happen anywhere, even in the best churches and organizations, and it is a terrible sin. Instead, we must bring our lives before the light of His Word. We must yearn to become like Jesus. We must take our eyes off ourselves—and others—and gaze at Him. He alone becomes our standard.
Second, I urge you not to be satisfied with fulfilling externals that may be prescribed by your denomination, fellowship, organization or any other traditions of men. Again, you must pursue knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. Learning all about Jesus and His teachings and theology is not what I am talking about. You must spend time with the Lord Himself and learn to know Him personally in your spirit. Fall in love with Him, and get to know Him intimately. You’ll find as you do this that you can obey all that He commands without any danger of falling into legalism.
Steps to Holiness
For many, entering into a life of holiness and separation unto the Lord may appear to be a mystery. But this need not be so. Like all the other blessings and requirements in the Christian’s life, all it requires is a simple act of faith.
The first step of entering into holy living is to rediscover the full work of the cross. God has provided not only for us to be saved from the penalty of sin on Calvary, but He also provided for us to have victory over sin on a day-to-day basis. Every Christian needs to study this great truth in Romans 6 through 8 until it becomes reality in his or her daily life. The normal Christian life God has ordained for each of us is one of triumph over the world, the flesh and the devil.
To begin living this pure, separated lifestyle, we must recognize we are not our own, that we are bought with a price; and blood was the price the Lord paid for us. He has purchased us and has a right to control us in the same sense a slave has no right to his own life. A believer must come to the place of reckoning he is totally dead with Christ—crucified with Him and living no more for self. Now we live every minute and second to please our Master. We are His; we belong to Him, body and soul and spirit.
Second, holiness requires waiting on God. Without spending time in the presence of the Holy One, no one can become holy—for God alone is the source of all holiness. We need to control our television sets and the other idols that are binding us and keeping us away from the presence of the Lord and His written Word. Give up the secret sins that are enslaving you, and reclaim the areas in your life that have been given over to the Enemy.
Put Satan on notice that all the claims he has on your life have been settled by Christ’s blood on the cross and that you have recognized you are free from sin. Tell him you have turned yourself completely over to the Lord.
Third, confess and repent from all known sin. Be sure you have purged yourself from any claims the Enemy still might have on you through habits in your life. Make a list of everything the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, small or big, that you need to turn away from. These could be people or habits or even your thought life and that which feeds it such as books, videos or the Internet. Anything the Holy Spirit brings to your mind must go. Give the Lord time to turn His spotlight on those areas that are keeping you from growing closer to Him.
A year ago, I did a series of broadcasts aired from Sri Lanka called “The Changes That Take Place When Jesus Comes to Our Home.” Day after day, for 50 days, I asked my audience to think in terms of living their lives as though Christ Himself had actually come to live with them. How differently we would live if Jesus in human form were sitting and walking with us every moment of the day!
Tens of thousands of people wrote in and told of the radical changes that took place in their lives as they began to live consciously, imagining in their mind’s eye that Jesus Christ was actually living with them.
The truth is, of course, the Lord Jesus is living in us by His Holy Spirit. He is with us always. We have no plans that are secret to Him. He sees us when we turn from Him and choose sin.
Yet how tragic it is when God’s people indulge themselves in sins of any kind, grieving the very heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly says in 1 John 2:6, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” Again, 1 John 3:5–6 states, “... in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.”
For most modern Christians, living as if verses like these are not even in the Bible, the concept of holiness seems strange and alien—something archaic or left over from another era. But for those who seek spiritual reality, it is past time to recover this doctrine.