Why We Oppose Holiness
Is It Me?
After discussing what holiness isn’t, we have officially drawn a clear line as to what holiness is and how we can truly live as holy beings for the Lord. Today’s post will be much more down to earth, however, as we are going to discuss the issues of pursuing holiness. And of course, the biggest issue for pursuing holiness as human beings is the fact that we don’t naturally want to be holy at all. Why would we naturally want to be set apart from everyone? We don’t. It is human nature to follow the crowd and accept society and culture in all that they do. Just look at the world and the influence it has on young people especially. So many things that the younger generations pursue aren’t even because of a desire for them but simply because it’s a trend that will help them fit in. No one likes being the outcast or set apart from others, that’s why we need the Spirit’s leading to accomplish such a characteristic. As John MacArthur states, “The things that you please are the manifestations of your flesh. It’s what you wanted before you were a Christian. It’s just the natural innate longings of a fallen human heart for self-fulfillment, the things that lust and pride develop in the heart and reach out to fulfill.” Let’s look at what the Bible claims to be the biggest reason we oppose holiness.
The Heart
To start, look at what Paul tells us in Galatians 5:17 “For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.” We could really end the post right here. The biggest reason we oppose holiness is not just because it’s natural for us, but because naturally, we oppose the only one who can lead us to holiness. If it's true that our flesh is against the Spirit, then anything we see in our human nature and desire apart from God Himself, would not be considered holy. It amazes me that there are people to this day who think that without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, they would have naturally found God and started to pursue a life of holiness and following Christ on their own. You don’t have to read much of God’s Word to know that this is just prideful and wishful thinking. In our sinful state, we are against the things of God because all of mankind is born into sin. This is the issue with pride in the church. We can easily think that just because we were raised in the Church, we automatically have the Holy Spirit and we know how to be more holy than others. We probably all know someone who was like this or even recognize ourselves in this. It’s easy to take the Spirit’s guidance for granted and think that you can credit yourself for all the good things that God has been able to use you for. The clear fix to this problem is obviously a large dose of humility. Thankfully, this is why Paul wrote such passages as Galatians 5:17. It’s impossible to read this passage and walk away thinking, ‘Wow, I’m such a great person.’ It’s quite the contrary. We should read this passage and others like it and walk away praising God that even though we naturally oppose Him and His ways, His Spirit is still stronger than our wills and He continues to sovereignly lead us to grow in holiness.
The World & The Devil
With the Bible being so clear about our hearts naturally being against the ways of God, you may be thinking what else can lead us away from holiness. Paul goes even further on this idea in Ephesians 2:1-2 “And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” Two other aspects that lead us away from pursuing holiness are the world and the devil. As addressed earlier, the world has a huge impact on us because culture and society attract mankind in a plethora of ways. This is why Paul says being dead in our offenses and sins is the course of this world. Everyone who is not led by God’s Spirit is a part of this movement. If you took a minute to look at the world we live in today and give one word to describe it, I doubt the word ‘holy’ would even come close. It’s hard enough that we live with hearts that are born to be against the ways of God, but throw that in with a world that not only relates to this way of life but encourages it… Game over. It’s very simple to see why God had to sovereignly send His Spirit to guide us in such a wicked world.
Furthermore, the reality of the devil is one that we can’t overlook either. I know all too often people seem to overestimate or underestimate the devil, but one thing we can be certain of is that he exists. Not only that, but he is doing his best to make sure that a sinful world and a fallen heart stay that way. This is why Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” At this point, it almost seems unfair. The devil is against me, the world keeps tempting me, and my heart keeps failing me. What hope is there against such evil forces? I know we all know the answer at this point, but I hope we are now viewing this answer in a different light. The Holy Spirit was not just given to you because it seemed like a cool thing for God to do. The Spirit God has given you not only leads you to the cross but leads you to a life of holiness that you couldn’t pursue apart from Him. When we take a step back and look at our hearts, the world, and the devil, I hope we immediately become more grateful that God has given us His Spirit and led us away from the evil that surrounds us and so easily influences us.
Sources
[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/
[2] The believer’s lifelong battle for holiness. (2018, April 22). Grace to You. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/48-33/the-believers-lifelong-battle-for-holiness
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