Personal Holiness

  
All I Have Commanded, Chapter 3
by Dan Bentley and E. Jay O'Keefe
  

Important Note: The “one-liners” for each command are provided to get a quick grasp of the entire category of commands. They can be read at a single sitting, which we recommend doing. But they are not a substitute for the full text. We urge you to read every full reference from the Scriptures in its context. 

FROM JESUS

MATTHEW
5:28, 31-32 Do not commit adultery. Jesus expands to include lust, divorce except for adultery, and marrying a divorcee.
5:29-30 Take whatever steps are necessary to remove yourself from the temptation to disobey any commandment.
5:48 Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
6:1 Do not do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen, otherwise you forfeit reward in heaven.
6:2-4 Do your giving in secret and your heavenly Father will reward you.
6:16-18 Do not fast in such a way as to be seen by men as fasting, but by your Father in secret who will repay you.
15:10-11 It is your words coming from your mouth that defile you, not what you eat.

FROM THE APOSTLES

ACTS
26:20 Repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

ROMANS
6:11-13 Consider yourself dead to sin. Don’t let it rule in your body, but rather let your body be an instrument of God.
12:1-2 Present your bodies a living sacrifice to God, not conformed to the world but transformed by renewing your mind.
12:3-8, 16 Don’t overestimate yourself, but soberly identify and exercise the gifts God has given you, as the Spirit leads.
12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.
13:11-14 Put away drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, strife, etc, and put on Jesus, making no provision for the flesh.

1 CORINTHIANS
3:10-15 Be careful how you build on the foundation of Jesus Christ, for your your reward is at stake.
4:15,16, 11:1 Don't just learn from teachers, but imitate the behavior of Paul and worthy mentors, as they imitate Christ.
6:9-11 Understand that fornicators, idolaters, homosexuals, coveters, drunkards, etc. will not inherit the kingdom.
6:13-20 Flee fornication. Glorify God in your body.
10:1-12 Profit from the mistakes of OT Israel, and do not repeat their sins. Fear, lest you fall as they did.
11:20-34 Do not practice communion in an unworthy manner (with unconfessed sins), rather examine yourselves.
15:33 Don’t be deceived. Bad associations corrupt good morals.
15:34 Become sober minded and stop sinning.

2 CORINTHIANS 
7:1 Cleanse yourself from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

GALATIANS
5:13 Don’t turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve on another.
5:16-25 Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
6:7-8 Don’t be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows, this he will also reap.

EPHESIANS
4:1-2 Walk with all humility, gentleness and patience, showing forbearance to one another in love.
4:17-18 Don’t walk any longer as pagans walk, in the futility of their mind.
4:22-25 Lay aside your old self. Put on the new self, which is in the likeness of God, righteousness in the truth.
4:28 Don’t steal any more, rather labor to perform what is good, so you can share with those in need.
4:29 Speak no unwholesome words, but only those which edify according to the need of the moment.
4:31 Put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, slander and malice.
5:4-5 Allow no immorality, impurity or greed among you, neither filthiness or silly talk, but rather thanksgiving.
5:15-17 Walk wisely and make the most of your time, for the days are evil. Understand what the will of God is.

PHILIPPIANS
1:27, 2:1-2 Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. Be of one mind and spirit striving for the gospel.
4:8-9 Let your mind dwell on whatever is true, honorable, right, lovely, of good report, i.e. anything worthy of praise.

COLOSSIANS
3:5-7 Consider your body dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed, which are idolatry.
3:8 Put aside anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive speech from your mouth.

1 THESSALONIANS
4:3-8 Abstain from sexual immorality and lust, for God has called you to purity and sanctification in the Holy Spirit.
5:21-22 Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

1 TIMOTHY
2:9-10 Women, adorn yourselves modestly, not in a showy display of wealth, but with good works of a godly woman.
2:11-15 Let women learn in silence with all submission, not teaching or having authority over men.
3:11 Women, be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate and faithful in all things.
4:7-11 Avoid worldly fables. Discipline yourself in godliness, which is profitable now and in eternity. Teach this truth.
5:9-10 A widow deserves benevolence from the church if she has shown a godly lifestyle and good works.
5:22 Don’t commission a leader too hastily leading to responsibility for the sins of others. Keep free of sin.
6:9-11 Flee the love of money and the desire to get rich.
6:11 Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness.
6:12-14 Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on eternal life, keep this command blamelessly until Jesus appears.

2 TIMOTHY
2:19 Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness.
2:22 Flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, and love with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

TITUS
2:2 Older men, be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, love and perseverance.
2:3-5 Older women, be reverent in behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine.
2:3-5 Older women, teach what is good to younger women, encouraging them to love their husbands and children.
2:6-8 Younger men, be examples of good deeds, with purity of doctrine, sound in speech, beyond reproach.
2:11-15 Deny ungodliness and worldliness. Live righteously and godly in this age, anticipating the Lord’s return.

HEBREWS
4:1 Since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
4:11 Be diligent to enter God's rest. Don’t fall by following Israel’s example of disobedience.
12:1-2 Having many witnesses, lay aside all entangling sin and run the race with endurance. Keep focused on Jesus.
12:12-13 Strengthen the weak limbs, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may be healed.
13:4 Hold marriage in honor, and keep the marriage bed undefiled, for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

JAMES
1:13,14 Don’t say, “God is tempting me.” He doesn’t tempt anyone to evil, rather we are tempted by our own lusts.
1:16,17 Do not be deceived.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes from the Father.
1:21 Put aside all wickedness, and in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
1:22-25 Prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
3:5-12 Understand that the tongue is a restless evil full of poison. Stop using it for evil. Use it to bless.
3:13-4:6 Show that you are wise and understanding by performing good deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
4:7-10 Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Humble yourselves before God and He will exalt you.

1 PETER
1:14-16 Don’t be conformed to your former lusts, but “Be holy for I am holy.”
2:1-2 Put aside all malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, slander. Long for the pure milk of the word and grow by it.
2:11 As aliens and strangers, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
2:12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, and thus glorify God as they observe your good deeds.
3:10-11 Turn away from and speak no evil. Do good and seek peace, for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous.
4:1-5 No longer live for the lusts of men, but live the rest of your lives for the will of God.

2 PETER
1:5-11 Add to your faith moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love.
1:5-11 Make your calling and election sure, for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.

1 JOHN
2:15-17 Don’t love the world or what’s in it. The world passes away, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
3:6-10 Don’t be deceived. He who practices righteousness is righteous, but the one who practices sin is of the devil.

3 JOHN
1:11 Imitate what is good, not what is evil. One who does good is of God, but one who does evil has not seen God.

REVELATION
2:5 Repent and do the deeds you did at first. I will remove your witness unless you repent.
3:17-19 Become rich by doing my will. Those whom I love I reprove and discipline. Be zealous therefore, and repent.
18:4 Don’t participate in Babylon’s sins, so that you may not receive her plagues.

NOTES AND COMMENTS

I don’t know how many garments you have in your possession. Personally, just give me a soft tee shirt, jeans and sneakers, and I’ll be fine. I don’t look forward to everything being pressed for every occasion, but then again, it really does look great. We felt pretty comfortable most of the time before salvation, but the Scriptures taught us that even our best days were to Him like filthy rags. From His perspective, the Lord saw no difference between the evil we practiced and the good we did. Both suits came from the unacceptable attire rack.

Believing brothers and sisters are evaluated in dress from a new perspective. A believer could continue to walk around in those old worn out shoes. He didn’t even know they were disfiguring his feet before. He could wear the same torn smelly shirt and baggy pants that won’t stay on alone, and the soiled hat with the torn bill that keeps him from seeing well. He is a new person, changed from the inside by the Holy Spirit, wandering around in uncomfortable, unfit clothing. These commandments urge him, and urge me, to remove the filth and stain and discomfort of the world, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the garment that fits. It is the only comfortable attire for a believer. Once the new is on, the world sees Christ on you. His shoes fit. You can run and finish the race with these. You don’t even look like the world any more. The inside (Holy Spirit) and the outside (Jesus Christ) are perfectly fitted for one another.

Now go back and read the personal holiness passages again. They become the garments of choice, if we choose to put them on. You will wear your deeds. The old deeds don’t fit any more. Why would you choose not to discard them? (Dan)

EXAMINE YOURSELF
Did you notice that the command to examine oneself appears twice in this list? In 1 Corinthians 11:28 we are told to examine ourselves before partaking of the Lord’s Table (communion). Further, we are told that if we partake unworthily (presumably meaning with sin in our lives that has not been confessed and repented of), we are inviting God’s judgment upon ourselves. By examining ourselves before we partake, and confessing and repenting of known sins, we will avoid the judgment spoken of. Read the whole context (11:20-34) and see if you think that is what it is saying.

The other command to examine oneself is 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, “Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” It is more general, but sounds quite serious.

You’re likely aware of another command to examine oneself found in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” All of these self-examination commands express continuing action in the original language of the text………..something you have to do repeatedly as a practice, as a way of life.

These commands suggest to me that apart from obeying them (and all other commandments for that matter), you really don’t know where you stand with God; in the case of 2 Corinthians 13:5, whether or not you’re even saved.

Simply reading these commands brings to my mind the church’s 2000 year bitter debate over whether works play a part in becoming saved, and whether you can lose your salvation. We’ve been meditating a lot on this since undertaking this project which explores Jesus commission to teach “all I have commanded.”  And we think these commandments to examine self help resolve these difficult issues.

Here’s where we are today. The elect are eternally secure. They have been from eternity past when God elected them, and they will remain elect (saved) for all eternity future. To even suggest that an elect person could become non-elect would be like saying God is not sovereign. It doesn’t make any sense Biblically. What the basis of God’s election is we do not know. We do know that He knew in eternity past every person who had a potential for faith. He also knew every person who would willfully disobey his commandments and not repent, but what part this foreknowledge played in His election we don’t really know. We also know the apostle Paul clearly taught that the only role man plays in the salvation transaction is faith…………….faith alone, the total absence of works. Then why all the debate? Our answer is, because an elect person won’t know for certain that he is elect until he enters eternity. He can have assurance of his election in this life, but not certainty until he stands before Christ in eternity. This is apparently the way God intends it to be. He wants us to have assurance, but only if we are obedient. He doesn’t want us to feel safe to disobey, in fact he wants us to fear the consequences of disobedience. By fear, He means “terror.” He intends us to feel the terror of a soul in peril. Study the language of the “fear of God” passages and see if you don’t agree. We believe the King James translators got it right when they translated phobos “terror” in 2 Corinthians 5:11, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” A professing believer who willfully disobeys a command, or who willfully selectively obeys the commandments (obeying some while disobeying others), and who does not confess and repent of his disobedience has no reason to have assurance of his salvation, nor does the local fellowship of which he is a part have any reason to affirm his salvation. They cannot condemn him, but neither can they affirm him if he is unrepentant.

We believe these commands to self-examination argue for this interpretation. The apostle Peter gives a similar command using a little different wording. He says, “Be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.” (2 Peter 1:10). He goes on to say, “For if you do these things, you will never fail, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” “These things” is a reference to the list in verses 5-9, a clear description of a broken, obedient servant of Jesus. Peter is not saying obedience is a requirement for becoming saved. An unbeliever has no capacity for obedience. All he can do is put his trust in Christ as savior. Peter is saying that a professing believer whose life is a pattern of willful disobedience to the commands has no biblical ground for believing he is saved.