More Than Rules
I think you all know by now I'm part of the Church of the Nazarene, which is a holiness church along with denominations such as the Salvation Army and the Wesleyan Church and a few others. They're called this because they were born out of the so-called Holiness Movement, where certain local churches grouped together because they had a real passion for holiness and a real belief that Christians are called to holy lives in honor of God.
Over the last year I've been reading a lot of holiness material, including a brilliant book called Be Holy, which has a series of essays by certain holiness writers around the world. I want to share some thoughts from one of those articles this week because I found it very helpful. The article is called Practical Holiness, written by Judy Huffman, who's a Wesleyan pastor in Indiana in America.
Holiness Beyond Rules
Huffman talked about how when she grew up holiness seemed to be simply keeping a bunch of rules. Some Christians, especially in this group of churches, believe if you just don't break any of these rules then you're all right. Then you're holy. Huffman grew up with this until one day as they were driving together, Judy's sister-in-law Judith made a radical statement she said that she believed many Wesleyans were lazy in their faith, relying on rules rather than seeking to know and apply God's principles to daily life.
And she spoke about how the so-called holy people were often cruel. It was her conviction that following the rules wasn't enough, but holiness had to do more with how we treat others in being loyal to a list of rules.
Huffman says she at first was confused by this, but later as she began to grow in her faith she came to realize that this was true. Christianity is not simply ticking all the boxes of things you have and haven't done. God’s called to holiness is about a full and complete transformation of your nature that enables you to be holy.
The work of the Holy Spirit is not helping you to follow rules, although the rules are helpful guides, but holiness is so much more! It's about becoming like Christ in all that we do and don't do.
Living in Relationship
Consider your faith today. Is it mostly rule keeping? Do you feel right with God because you haven't done X-Y-Z? Or is your faith a living relationship with God which transforms you into his likeness?
Use the rules. Use the Ten Commandments. Use the Beatitudes. Use the lists that Paul has of things to do and things not to do. Let them guide you, but remember friends, those are not the essence of the Christian life. The essence of the Christian life is relationship with God, filled with the Spirit, becoming more like him.
And here's the thing, if you focus on that, if you focus on being filled with the Spirit and being close to God, you'll naturally follow the rules. But if you seek only to follow the rules, you'll miss the living relationship.
May it be that we live truly holy lives, honoring God not just by the externals, but by living in deep, true relationship with him.
