“God’s Word is holy and makes holy those it touches. Yes, it is the holiness of god Himself… this holiness is true holiness and the true salve that anoints unto eternal life even if you … must live and die a plain, unadorned human life just as the babies (and all of us) are baptized naked and without adornment.” - Martin Luther
To often in the life of the church, her pastors and lay leaders turn to many different things in hopes that they might help people increase or grow in the faith and holiness of life and living. The critical question every pastor or lay person must ask is a simple one: “Does this teach and enable me to believe, to learn to love God, praise God, and live in holiness?” Only the Word of God can do these things. Jesus (the Word made flesh), states it plainly, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
Much that is used in the quest of holiness, in the end is nothing more than religiousness. It turns the laity and the pastorate into the friends of Job. The friends of Job were loving, sympathetic, empathetic and dedicated to their friend. They spoke some of the most religious words possible to their friend in hopes of comforting and consoling him in this despair. Yet for all their religious talk, Job was not comforted and the Lord had this to say to his friends:
“After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” Job 42:7 (ESV)
May the Lord ever guide us in the ways of HIS Holiness.
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