RushwaveChapter 6: The Church as a Holy Community (part 1)
from Church Vision, book 3 in the series The Christian Faith
A loving community is also a morally pure, righteous, holy community – they cannot be separated. When people love each other with a sacrificial love, there is no room for things which spring from selfishness such as envy, jealousy, stealing, adultery and the like. Such evil works do not have the benefit of others in view.
Scripture teaches all mankind is born with a sinful nature – with a disposition towards self-centeredness, wrongdoing and immorality. The reason there is an abundance of lying, cheating, stealing, resentment, selfishness, arrogance, gossip, sexual immorality and similar evils in the world and in our personal lives is on account of being born with this depraved, immoral, selfish nature. Mankind is born neither innocent nor good and then corrupted by external influences. Rather he is born with an unloving, corrupt heart, and factors such as his home environment, choice of friends, educational environment, and society itself plays a role in either restraining or exacerbating that sinful nature. Either way, however, that sinful nature is there and cannot be removed apart from divine intervention by God Himself.
When people trust in Jesus, they are not only forgiven for their sins. They are transformed in the innermost part of their being and indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit – they share in God’s divine life. The result is they become a new person, disposed and empowered toward righteous, godly living. Yes, as human beings bound to a mortal human body they still experience sinful desires and even fall into fulfilling those desires at times. But overall their lives are characterized by holiness and righteousness because they are disposed towards moral purity, patience, kindness, truthfulness and the like. The holy life which animates God Himself – the eternal life which has no beginning and no end – indwells the believer.
It is in recognition of these marvelous truths that God’s desires His people to live morally pure, upright, holy lives. When people strive to earn their way to heaven or win God’s favor through good works, they completely miss His plan and do not even know Him. Whether it be acts of kindness, keeping the 10 commandments, adherence to religious practices, or maintaining a self-denying lifestyle, these are all of no profit as respects getting right with God and securing forgiveness of sins. God grants a righteous standing before Him as a gift by grace through believing in Jesus Christ: it cannot be earned. But when a person has understood the grace of God and believed, God desires them to walk in accordance with the newness of life they have received. Numerous scriptures testify to these facts. Consider these points.
Believers are to live godly lives in accordance with their new nature which is disposed to do what is right. Before a man comes to know Jesus he was characterized by a certain manner of life. His “old self” which was characterized by sinful thoughts, desires and actions was his normal way of life. But upon trusting in Jesus, he is inwardly transformed in the innermost part of His being. There is a “new self” or a “new man” who has godly and righteous thoughts and desires. Churches in the region of an ancient city called Ephesus were commanded "in reference to your former manner of life … lay aside the old self ... put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor … He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good ... " Ephesians 4:22-28. This exhortation to live holy lives has as its basis this supernatural transformation.
Believers are warned against sinful living lest they be disciplined directly by God. God takes holiness so seriously that He has historically dealt severely with those who engaged in sinful practices. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul recounts "Now these things (the judgements of the Lord against those who sinned against God ) happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things … do not be idolaters … nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." 1 Corinthians 10:5-11.
The people referenced in this passage were in the community of God’s people. But they nonetheless were grumblers and complainers, and others fell into promiscuity and sexual sin. The result was God employed various means to discipline His people: attacks by serpents and death by a plague. Of course this does not mean anytime a person is ill or suffers injury God is disciplining them. Nor does it mean that when a believer fails, God is standing there ready and waiting to strike the offender dead. It does mean, however, that believers should not take a casual attitude towards moral failures, as if somehow they are going to be exempt from discipline because their case is different. The entire point of the passage is “… these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction.” Believers would be wise to receive that instruction, and avoid engaging in such activities lest they become subject to God’s discipline.
Learn more ...