Holiness and Faith

Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.”

Is there anything you’ve ever had to do that, you know it was the will of God, but it made absolutely no sense to you in the moment?

Are there any commands that seem strange, odd, or out of place? Or, maybe impractical to follow?

In its strict sense, “holy” means separate. But in a broader scope, holiness is obedience to God.

How do we separate from the world? It’s by behaving oddly. But, our odd behavior is marked by obeying a holy God when the rest of a watching world does not.

Ps.40:8 “I delight to do your will, my God, and your instruction is deep within me.”” should mark our lives as Jesus followers. If we are not prepared, if it is not our desire to follow Jesus and obey God in every area of our lives, then we can know for sure we will not be holy.

We are called to more than just separation from moral impurity. We must obey even when it requires deliberate sacrifice and possibly even danger.

“Obedience to the revealed will of God is often just as much a step of faith as claiming a promise from God. In fact, one of the more intriguing thoughts from the Book of Hebrews is the way the writer appears to use obedience and faith interchangeably.”

Here’s a question to explore: why do you think there can be a negative, knee-jerk reaction to saying obedience is necessary?

Faith is necessary to both receive the promises of God and to respond to the commands of God. Faith bolsters our obedience even when it is difficult or illogical to us.

Consider the following examples (and this is from the “Hall of Faith”):

Heb.11:4 “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.”

Heb.11:7 “By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

Heb.11:8 “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.”

Heb.11:17 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son,”

Heb.11:20 “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”

Heb.11:30 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days.”

What picture do we get in all of these?

Now, this same chapter says, Heb.11:6 “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” And, I think we should understand that genuine faith is expressed in obedience — we shouldn’t shy away from this. Obedience is the necessary expression of our commitment to Christ.

So, what about obedient faith when:

James 1:2 “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,”

Phil.3:8 “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ”

Phil.3:10 “My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,”

Mt.20:26-27 “It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave;”

1 Tim.6:17-18 “Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share,”

Are there any others that come to mind?

Remember that the path of obedience in the pursuit of holiness is often contrary to reason. Because of this, we must have conviction concerning the principles and promises of God’s Word. Further, we cannot measure God’s pleasure in our pursuit of holiness through ordinary worldly means. Think about our Sunday morning study — Paul was obedient to Christ, yet where is he writing the letter to the Philippians from? Awaiting what? A trial that may or may not see him executed! I’m not sure Paul would say he was living his best life now. As a matter of fact, he actually says he’s learned to live with a little and with a lot, and he knows how to be content in any circumstance while admonishing the church to join in his sufferings!

One of my favorite verses really captures the NT teaching on the intertwining between faith and obedience: Mt.6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”

Consider the following example from Israel’s monarchy:

1 Kings 11:38 ““ ‘After that, if you obey all I command you, walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight in order to keep my statutes and my commands as my servant David did, I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give you Israel.”

But then, 1 Kings 12:26-28 “Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom might now return to the house of David. If these people regularly go to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, the heart of these people will return to their lord, King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and go back to the king of Judah.” So the king sought advice. Then he made two golden calves, and he said to the people, “Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.””

It’s as if Jeroboam didn’t even hear the Lord’s command! Could he have more egregiously disobeyed?!

But, we must read this introspectively as well. How often do we so egregiously disobey the Word? Ouch!!! Because we are not utterly convinced and convicted of the deceitfulness of sin, because we sweep disobedience under the “grace rug,” and because we fail to answer the call to holiness, we play with sin and think a.) that it will satisfy us, and b.) that it doesn’t matter because God forgives us anyway.

“Faith and holiness are inextricably linked. Obeying the commands of God usually involves believing the promises of God. One definition of faith might be, ‘Obeying the revealed will of God and trusting Him for the results.’”