Fresh Water Series

Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. There are three perils to the holy life.

Perils of the Holy Life

A. Legalism.

This is when we turn our attention away from the heart and onto externals. Once we define holiness by externals, we plunge into legalism in one sort or another. We make hoops for people to jump through and it becomes a way to control people instead of freeing them. Jesus was concerned with the heart first. Actions are important but only when they flow out of a heart that is set right.

Don’t get me wrong. We will need lists of right and wrong actions. We need to study ethics. However, these should be serving to show us what love in action looks like.

Legalism majors in how do we know who is holy and who is not, who has it and who doesn’t. This is hard. It is a tension point. However, if we can focus on matters of the heart then we all will be much better off. A second peril is:

B. Works Righteousness.

This is such a great danger that we can easily be tempted to believe that any progress forward is somehow our own doing. This is especially difficult in our pull-yourself-by-your-own-boot-straps culture. It is the ancient temptation of Adam to “be as gods.”

Yes, there are things for us to do. There is a life of holiness to be lived. But these actions to do make us righteous, they are simply what flows out of a heart made righteous by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. All the spiritual disciplines do is place us before God so He can purify us by His grace and love. The third peril is:

C. Perfectionism.

This happens when we embrace legalism and works righteousness. If I am entirely focused on external standards and I have defined holiness according to a set of narrow standards, then I can easily see myself as perfect. Some even believe that they are so holy that they cannot even be tempted. This cuts us off from humanity and leads to separation from the world. The most deadly consequence of all is having a rigid, judgmental spirit.

We should make plans to be perfect. We should intend to be perfect. However, perfection is not the same as holiness. There is always room in this life for growth. Paul said in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already attained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on.”

How do we deal with these perils? By replacing legalism with love. By replacing works righteousness with grace. By replacing perfectionism with growth. If we do these with honest hearts, we will stay on the right path.

So what can I do to strengthen this tradition in my life? Three things.

Growing in Grace

1. Train.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 gives us good advice in this realm, “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

Take a hold of a plan for growing in the spiritual disciplines. Sue has put together a table out in the narthex of books to be checked out. If you struggle with pride, learn to serve. If you need hope, learn to pray and meditate. If you struggle with compulsion, learn fasting. Want faith? Learn (And yes I mean learn!) to worship.