Do you have a favorite brand of purified water? Aquafina, Deer Park, or Dasani? The other day it occurred to me, as my wife and I were walking down the isles of the grocery store, how many different brands of bottled water there are available on the shelves. Everything from name brand distilled and purified, to spring water and H2O2 filtered! Its amazing how much attention is given to the care and treatment of the most necessary element of the human body!
As I took the time to read some of the careful treatment processes of these brands, I learned it is no simple task to ensure a quality product for the valued consumer. Some processes include a 5 to 10 cycle filtration system; ensuring the removal of any and all chlorides, salts, and other substances which may effect the water's taste. In other words, it becomes the mission of the company to ensure the bottled product is an undeniably guranteed pure and true form!
After some time spent reading the labels and even later visiting the websites of some of these brands, it got me to thinking of the subject of holiness. I thought, "what if the child of God were to take the principles of water filtration and apply it to the discipline of holiness for the product of life they have been given by God?" A thoroughly devoted process of removing any and all substances which might effect the state of our heart, mind and soul in the presence of God.
I am reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:48, when he says, "be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Perfect? How is this even remotely possible given the helplessly depraved state of mankind? What does this mean? The Greek term Jesus uses here for "perfect" denotes a sense of lacking nothing necessary to completeness, finished. In other words, God wants us to be holy, pure, "perfect."
But how many "Christians" walk in such a determined process toward "perfection"? How many leave gaping holes in their spiritual filters allowing the world's contamination to bleed through the cycles of their lives - leaving little if any change in the spiritual content of their soul? How many neglect to remove the sinful influences and content from their homes, devices, and fellowship in an effort to consecrate themselves for the sake of purity for their Lord and Savior? How many take time to monitor and screen the activities and education of their children to lead them in the way of holiness before God?
Some will say, "well isn't that what God's grace is for? Jesus paid the price for my sin, so why should I have to worry so much about what I do?" To this objection I will appeal to the Apostle Paul who had this to say: "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin" (Rom 6:1-7)
Accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior means we have identified ourselves with his death - a death to sin. In other words, we have identified ourselves with the ultimate cause for purification; a determined process to remove sin and its influences from our lives. Jesus is our final filter for sin. He is the guarantee that any and all substances we have failed to remove in our commitment to be holy have been completely removed! That being said, commitment to personal holiness will never save us - it will never be thorough enough for God's approval. However, what holiness does do is prove to God that we have recognized Jesus' word and work as our authority for purity as well as our necessary filter of completion.
I believe God wants His Church to take holiness seriously. I believe He is tired of failed filtration efforts on our parts to remove sin from our lives. When God's children appeal to the grace of Christ to cover their failures without making any effort to live a holy life separate from the world - I believe they tell Him they do not take His work seriously. They just might be surprised to find that His final filter is not applied to them and their final product will be undeniably rejected by God when they stand before Him at the Great Throne of Judgment.
As I took the time to read some of the careful treatment processes of these brands, I learned it is no simple task to ensure a quality product for the valued consumer. Some processes include a 5 to 10 cycle filtration system; ensuring the removal of any and all chlorides, salts, and other substances which may effect the water's taste. In other words, it becomes the mission of the company to ensure the bottled product is an undeniably guranteed pure and true form!
After some time spent reading the labels and even later visiting the websites of some of these brands, it got me to thinking of the subject of holiness. I thought, "what if the child of God were to take the principles of water filtration and apply it to the discipline of holiness for the product of life they have been given by God?" A thoroughly devoted process of removing any and all substances which might effect the state of our heart, mind and soul in the presence of God.
I am reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:48, when he says, "be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Perfect? How is this even remotely possible given the helplessly depraved state of mankind? What does this mean? The Greek term Jesus uses here for "perfect" denotes a sense of lacking nothing necessary to completeness, finished. In other words, God wants us to be holy, pure, "perfect."
But how many "Christians" walk in such a determined process toward "perfection"? How many leave gaping holes in their spiritual filters allowing the world's contamination to bleed through the cycles of their lives - leaving little if any change in the spiritual content of their soul? How many neglect to remove the sinful influences and content from their homes, devices, and fellowship in an effort to consecrate themselves for the sake of purity for their Lord and Savior? How many take time to monitor and screen the activities and education of their children to lead them in the way of holiness before God?
Some will say, "well isn't that what God's grace is for? Jesus paid the price for my sin, so why should I have to worry so much about what I do?" To this objection I will appeal to the Apostle Paul who had this to say: "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin" (Rom 6:1-7)
Accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior means we have identified ourselves with his death - a death to sin. In other words, we have identified ourselves with the ultimate cause for purification; a determined process to remove sin and its influences from our lives. Jesus is our final filter for sin. He is the guarantee that any and all substances we have failed to remove in our commitment to be holy have been completely removed! That being said, commitment to personal holiness will never save us - it will never be thorough enough for God's approval. However, what holiness does do is prove to God that we have recognized Jesus' word and work as our authority for purity as well as our necessary filter of completion.
I believe God wants His Church to take holiness seriously. I believe He is tired of failed filtration efforts on our parts to remove sin from our lives. When God's children appeal to the grace of Christ to cover their failures without making any effort to live a holy life separate from the world - I believe they tell Him they do not take His work seriously. They just might be surprised to find that His final filter is not applied to them and their final product will be undeniably rejected by God when they stand before Him at the Great Throne of Judgment.
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