The Grace to Walk in Holiness

A number of my friends in the Lord have expressed a concern of late that I may be in danger of abandoning the wonderful doctrine of Grace in favor of some type of legalism or merit based salvation. I have not.

I was taught as a child, and I still believe that we are saved by grace through faith. I still cling to the timeless truths that were laid in my foundations as a young believer - that we are saved through faith in the vicarious sacrifice of Christ on the cross where He, once and for all, paid the price of my sin.

What some have noticed is a burden for a return to the preaching of that cross. That awful, horrible place where the Son of Glory was freely sacrificed in payment for our sinfulness and a place where I am to lay down and abandon my sinful lifestyle in favor of a lifestyle that emulates that of Christ. I am sickened by the message, "God loves you just like you are." The great truth that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" has been twisted and perverted into a gospel that convinces men they can come to know Christ without being changed by Christ. The real truth is that God is sickened by what we are in our sin, and so He provided a way that we could be transformed into something that is pleasing and acceptable to Him. The message of the cross is that we are twisted and deformed and wasted by sin - but we don't have to stay that way - we can be transformed into something new, something pleasing to God; to the "image of His Son." A message that does not demand transformation, a radical change in life style and in thought life - is not the message of the cross. It is a lie from the pit of hell.

What some have noticed is a renewed burden for men to understand that grace sets us free from the chains of our sin, not just the penalty. Grace does not give us permission to walk in worldliness, but it does give us the power to walk in holiness; and, we are called --no, commanded -- to be holy. 'Be holy, even as I am holy." To be holy is to be different, to be other than the world. It is not "legalism" to say that holiness demands a change in our necklines, hemlines, the way we wear our hair, mark and mutilate our bodies, and what goes in our ears and out of our mouths. Our clothes and hairstyles, our language, and choice in activities to not make us holy - but it does reveal our holiness.

God's grace is mighty, able to triumph over every weakness of the flesh; and God's mercy is deep, deeper than any failure of the flesh. It is not a matter of my being saved that is at issue; what is at issue is the shame I will experience when I stand before our merciful savior and give account of my low regard for His great sacrifice for my sin and my pitiful stewardship of that grace and mercy.

Heart Cry

Twenty four years ago on this date Barbara and I were anxiously anticipating the birth of our third child, Matthew Keith. We hadn't really planned to have this child, nonetheless we were looking forward to having a new addition to our family. In just three days - July 19, 1985 we held our infant son in our arms. He was dead. I won't go into details because they don't really matter. The fact is that our hearts ached with a hurt that can only be understood by those who have experienced it. God blessed us with three wonderful children after Matthew died; Andrew, Timothy, and Abigail and now, eight terrific grandkids. We love them all with depth that cannot be described with written words. Yet, from time to time there is this ache in my heart when I think about Matthew, the little boy I never got to know. As I stood by his graveside, tears burning my eyes I told the Lord, "I can deal with this, if only you could help me understand why." And then, I realized - almost as soon as the words passed through my thoughts, "No, Lord - I don't need to understand - I just need to trust you. I know you love me and I know you love Barb - and I know you love Matthew. Lord just help me to trust you."

That "revelation" has stood me in good stead these twenty-four years. I have come to believe at my very core that "the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord." We do not require understanding, nor is God required to offer it. We cannot, nor should we judge His decisions in our lives. He is a holy, righteous God who does not, who cannot act apart from His love, mercy, compassion, and divine wisdom. His "ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts"......His wisdom is too wonderful for us to comprehend. That is part of my core being.

Tonight, I hear the heart's cry of a good friend who has a tiny little girl in her arms, fighting for life with every breath. I hear in her voice the desperation that comes from utter helplessness and I remember. I can say with surety that I know how she feels and I hurt for her; and I weep with her. . . . .and I pray for her and little Jaeli, and if I could I would direct God to the proper course of action and then I remember - I am not alone, nor are Jaeli's mom and dad - they are cared for by a Father who watched His own Son struggle for life with every breath - and He understands and cares.

Right now, I just really miss Matthew.