The Pursuit of Holy Affections

The Pursuit of Holy Affections – “What might this good battle look like each day? We can sketch the fight in four steps: test, seek, pray, fight.” – “What might this good battle look like each day? We can sketch the fight in four steps: test, seek, pray, fight.”

What Do Israel’s Food Laws Have to Do with Our Holiness?

What Do Israel’s Food Laws Have to Do with Our Holiness? – “The nature of their diet testified that the Israelites followed a God who was holy—the opposite of all that was impure. But these laws did more than testify about God’s holiness.”

On Leviticus and Living for God through Christ

On Leviticus and Living for God through Christ – “Leviticus is perhaps the most underrated book of the Bible. Despite its importance, it is often considered difficult to read and even more difficult to derive any benefit. I hope to contribute to changing that perspective.”

Greet with a Holy Kiss? Applying an Uncomfortable Command

Greet with a Holy Kiss? Applying an Uncomfortable Command – “The emphasis, given that the kiss of greeting was already common and assumed, was that early Christians do so, unlike Judas, with holiness. Greet each other, as family, and without sin.”

Are You Casual with the Holiness of God?

Are You Casual with the Holiness of God? – “The Israelites had little esteem for the holiness of God, and it cost them dearly. How about you? In this story, and its aftermath, we can find four warning signs of treating the holiness of God with casual disregard.”

Walking Away from Holy

Walking Away from Holy – “Is the doctrine of the holiness of God a truth that is a shaping influence on everything in your life? Or, have you, without even realizing it, walked away from holy?”

The Holiness of Qadowsh

The Holiness of Qadowsh – “The biblical story would not be the biblical story if it were not written and controlled at every point by one who is holy all the time and in every way.”

How Can I Have a Good Conscience?

How Can I Have a Good Conscience? – “A good conscience is virtually the same as walking in the light.”

 

Pray This First

Pray This First – “May his name be made holy, be glorified, in human minds and hearts and mouths and lives, beginning with the one who is praying, and extending into all the earth.”

When You’re Not at Home

When You’re Not at Home – “We shouldn’t find ourselves at home in this world. After all, Jesus didn’t come in order to blend in with a world gone awry by sin. He came to overcome it. Living in light of that, the church is to be different, set apart, distinct — the church is to be holy in a hostile place.”

Can I Be Angry with God and Be Holy?

Can I Be Angry with God and Be Holy? – “God always acts justly. He always acts wisely. He always acts with love toward his people. He never wrongs anyone. He is never blameworthy. He is always pure, and holy, and righteous, and good.”

One Subtle Rebellion Against God

One Subtle Rebellion Against God – “We are still there, in the garden, failing to believe that we are limited creatures, and failing to trust God enough to know that limits are for our good.”

Closeness Comes Through Fire: How Suffering Conforms Us to Christ

Closeness Comes Through Fire: How Suffering Conforms Us to Christ – “This is one way suffering sanctifies: it brings us closer to God.”

5 Ways to Pursue Holiness

5 Ways to Pursue Holiness – “When was the last time our churches had a conversation about holiness?”

5 Ways to Pursue Holiness

5 Ways to Pursue Holiness – “The work of the Spirit is to gradually make our character more like the Savior’s until we one day stand holy in his presence, wholly his.”

What’s the Center of Our Holiness?

What’s the Center of Our Holiness? – “There is one great work of God weaving all these realities together in the process of making us holy.”

Happiness and Holiness Aren’t Mutually Exclusive

Happiness and Holiness Aren’t Mutually Exclusive – “We will find that every choice to pursue holiness results in more happiness, not less.”

Woe to the Pretenders of Godliness

Woe to the Pretenders of Godliness – “Some teachers of the truth should be listened to but not imitated.”

The Holiness from Below: A Warning Against Self-Righteousness

The Holiness from Below: A Warning Against Self-Righteousness – “There are two kinds of holiness. One kind is Jesus’s holiness, and the other is our own self-invented holiness. There is real holiness, and false holiness.”

Leave Your Imperfections with God: How Remaining Sin Inspires Holiness

Leave Your Imperfections with God: How Remaining Sin Inspires Holiness – “For a forgiven people, we can still be terribly bad at coping with our imperfection. I can be terribly bad at coping with the fact that, though redeemed, I am still deeply and pervasively imperfect.”