The Requirement of a Holy Life - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7; Hebrews 12:9-16

by David Woods

He was only a boy of four, so there was nothing unusual about the fact that he did not like soap and water. One day his mother, endeavoring to reason with him, said, "But surely you want to be clean, don't you?" "Yes," the boy replied through his tears, "but can't you just dust me off?"

This is amusing when coming from a boy of four, but pathetic when grownups are content with a once-a-week spiritual dusting. (And some only let the duster be applied a few times a year.) The inner filth goes undisturbed in their lives and they seem content to have it so.

Discussion: Define what holiness people look like?

Discussion: Define "holy" and "holiness".

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7

Discussion: Is the will of God in verse three our sanctification or abstinence from fornication?

Discussion: What is this sanctification that Paul is talking about?
(I believe it is not talking about entire sanctification because of conclusions one must come to from the next question.)

Discussion: If this verse is saying simply "God desires you to be entirely sanctified," then does this verse also imply carnal Christians commit fornication?
(The Scriptures repeatedly state that a Christian cannot habitually sin and remain a Christian. If we are to say this is talking about entire sanctification, it would seem to imply that not fornicating is the result of entire sanctification. That doesn't make theological or logical sense. Therefore, I would suggest this "sanctification" is not synonymous with "entire sanctification", although I would argue it includes the latter.)

Discussion: What does it mean to possess one's vessel in sanctification and honour?
(A holy or holiness lifestyle)

Discussion: What is the opposite of possessing one's vessel in sanctification and honour?
(Lust, stealing/cheating, uncleanness - in general, a sinful lifestyle)

The summer after my first year of college I received a "call" from God to the ministry.

In Mastering the Pastoral Role Ben Patterson distinguishes between a call and a career:

The words themselves immediately suggest one difference. Our English word career comes from the French carriere, meaning "A road," or "a highway." The image suggests a course one sets out on, road map in hand, goal in sight, stops marked along the way for food, lodging, and fuel.

Looking back, we can speak of one's career as the road one took in life. But more often we speak of it as we look forward, as the path one chooses and plans to travel professionally, an itinerary charted and scheduled. The destination is primary. The roads are well-marked. The rest is up to the traveler.

A call, on the other hand, has no maps, no itinerary to follow, no destination to envision. Rather, a call depends upon hearing a Voice. The organ of faith is the ear, not the eye. First and last, it is something one listens for. Everything depends upon the relationship of the listener to One who calls.

Careers lend themselves to formulas and blueprints, a call only to a relationship. A career can be pursued with a certain amount of personal detachment, a call never. (p. 27)

I do not want us to confuse the call to ministry to the call to holiness, however…

Discussion: What does it mean to hear and answer the call of God to holiness?
(Would it be too controversial to suggest holiness is less about rules and standards and more about our relationship, pure and unblameable, with holy God?)

Read Hebrews 12:9-16

Discussion: How is the Christian a partaker of God's holiness?
(When a person is born again, he is initially sanctified. H. Orton Wiley defines initial sanctification as cleansing from guilt and acquired depravity (Christian Theology, Vol 2, p. 476). When the Christian is entirely sanctified, he is purged of inherited depravity, the carnal nature. Thus, the Christian is a partaker of God's holiness through Christ's atonement in these two crisis events, but also we partake in God's holiness in that after initial sanctification we are progressively sanctified until the momentous event of entire sanctification, after which we continue to grow in holiness.)

Discussion: How would one "follow peace with all men"?
(I suggest this is talking about a way of living.)

Note that verse fourteen also says we should "follow … holiness."

Discussion: What does it mean to follow holiness?
(I would also suggest this is talking about a way of living.)

Holiness people have often interpreted this verse to mean that unless one is entirely sanctified, they will not go to Heaven. Acts 16:31 says, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Discussion: Does "Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" invalidate the promise of salvation by belief in Christ? How can we reconcile these two seemingly conflicting requirements to go to Heaven?
(This difficulty is resolved when we understand that in the experience we call salvation, not only is the person regenerated and adopted into God's family, but he is also initially sanctified. The new Christian is righteous, holy in God's sight.)

Discussion: What are some of the reasons why it is important to understand the individual is initially sanctified in the salvation experience?
(Among the reasons, I would note the reason we have already established, that is, that the promise of eternal life through faith in Christ is not a false promise. However, I would also suggest that the Christian is saved to be holy.)

Soon after taking the Home Mission pastorate in Wichita, Kansas, I attended an Evangelism Explosion clinic with another of our pastors.

EE teaches a very effective method of witnessing, however, several aspects of the presentation are tinged with Calvinism. This really bugged my pastor friend, who was raised in Calvinism, but later realized the error and became a holiness person.

The EE presentation begins by asking the person if he or she knows for certain if they would go to heaven when they die? The second question is why would God allow them to enter Heaven. Invariably the unbeliever will answer with some type of "works salvation."

The EE outline then begins by explaining that Heaven is a free gift that cannot be earned or deserved. This is a powerful punch because it says, "You're wrong!" in a very nice way. It says, "Here's even better news - you don't have to gain salvation through works!"

Everyone likes a free gift, right? But truthfully, being a Christian is not just receiving a free gift and then living how one ways.

The EE outline tries to get around the problem of people who want to take a free gift without accepting any responsibility by explaining in the final point of the outline that we should do good works and live as God wants us because of our love for God.

We should want to please God and therefore should live differently because of the great grace He has given us. However, presenting the Gospel in this way almost suggests that godly living is somewhat up to our desire to do God a favor.

(Note: the Wesleyanized version of EE does a fairly good job of correcting many of the Calvinistic tendencies and presenting the fact that repentance means a change from the way we once lived to God's way of living.)

However, my pastor friend was quite bugged by this presentation for the problem I have described. We talked at some length at what a "holiness" presentation of the Gospel might look like. We never finalized a holiness presentation during that time.

However, I would suggest that maybe instead of countering people's works answer with the "free gift of salvation", we should instead say:

"You know, it is great that you are interested in doing good works. The Bible says that God requires His people not only do good works, but also that they are to be holy in His sight. All the good works we can do will never be enough to gain us entrance into Heaven; neither will they atone for the sins we have committed."

Then we can point to the One whose blood shed on the Cross does atone for our sins and the glorious reality that He offers this grace to us free of charge.

I have said all this in order to make two points. First, I am afraid that we holiness people are focusing on the free gift of salvation and are not properly instructing seekers that being a Christian is not a matter of simply gaining a ticket to Heaven; rather, it is a radical change in lifestyle.

Big Idea: The Christian lifestyle is holiness.

Secondly, I realize some may be worried that this lesson establishes that holiness is not required of the Christian or that entire sanctification is an optional, unnecessary grace. This is not my intention at all.

Rather, I have simply desired to correct the fallacy that carnal Christians are "second-class" Christians and/or carnal Christians are not assured of a place in Heaven if they die before being entirely sanctified.

But this does not then mean that entire sanctification is unnecessary. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says that the will of God is our sanctification.

While I believe this is talking about moral purity, entire sanctification is necessary so that we may be purified of inbred sin.

I believe 1 Thessalonians. 4:3 is talking about a lifestyle of holiness, and entire sanctification is a great help, a needed help so that we can live that holiness lifestyle.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 says we are called to holiness. If we are called to holiness of heart and life, why and how could we intentionally try to live with a nature corrupted by carnality? If we are to follow the holiness pathway, as Hebrews 12:14 says, should we not seek the blessing of entire sanctification?

I believe this is what the Hebrews writer is saying in Hebrews 12:15-16. He urges the Church sure that no one fails of the grace of God. The squandered grace, I believe, is referring to the second work of grace we call entire sanctification. The root of bitterness springing up is carnality that gains a foothold in the lives of those who fail to go on to entire sanctification.

Carnality that is not dealt with has sprung up in many churches and has caused devastating damage. In verse sixteen, the example of Esau illustrates carnality in control - a selfish heart that leads to sinful living.

The Christian lifestyle is holiness. God's people are holy people and live holy lives. Entire sanctification is not the end of holiness; it is the means to the end of holiness: that we might live pleasing in God's sight.