After looking at all the impossibilities of attaining right standing and holiness in our own accord, the good news is that there is a solution. There is a way. There is hope. And hope everlasting. This hope and solution is found in one person and one person only - The Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the embodiment of everything that we were supposed to be and the solution to the right we have given up. He has come to save us from ourselves – from our sinful selves. And to reinstate us back to our rightful position of being in right standing with Him – righteous AND holy. This is called the bond of grace, or freedom. Freedom from the law. Freedom from eternal judgement. Freedom from this guilt gut feeling that we are not good enough and will never be good enough. With Him and through Him, we are MADE right and good enough, holy enough. Living this life of freedom; free from bond is not attainable with our own human efforts. It is a promise given to us by God. This Promise is embodied in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we have Him in our lives, we are free from this guilt feeling. Being free towards something gives the understanding that one does something because he is already in that position of freedom to do something. This is doing something FROM something. Very unlike the self-effort way of doing something for something.
So how exactly do we live our lives holy from this holiness through Christ?
God has given us His Holy Spirit as His promise. When we have Christ in us, we are given the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us at all times. This enables us to be led by Him in our daily lives. He is not limited by space nor time nor distance. We simply need to allow Him to lead us in everything that we do in our daily routines. When we live life as such, the evidence of a life led by the Holy Spirit can be quite spectacular. We will then see ourselves able to live FROM love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control and not FOR these. Mark this down carefully, these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, NOT fruits of us trying to be holy.
In conclusion, we need to always be Holy Spirit led through faith upon Jesus Christ then we will be living our holy lives from our inherited position of authentic holiness through Christ and not for a counterfeit self-achieved ‘holiness’.
So back to the title question, ‘Am I holy enough?’
By my own human efforts through the promise of the law, no I’m not holy enough and will never be holy enough no matter how hard I try.
By acknowledging that Jesus the one who fulfilled all the law, the one who has made me in right standing, and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me in my life, yes I am holy enough!
Yes, with Christ, you ARE already made right and holy enough. Don’t let the accuser tell you otherwise. Your life of victory is here today. Time to raise the banner of victory and shout, “The Lord is my banner”.
So again, am I holy enough?
Oh yeahh, you betcha~!
We talked about two choices in the previous post. Let us take a look at the first choice in this.
The first choice is one that most people will make and try to keep at it for as long as they can. In this era of attaining success through hard work and know-how, many have tried to reach this supreme God with their own efforts but have failed.
Why has so many failed to reach God?
Is this God so cruel and has made it so impossibly difficult for us to reach Him for fun?
No.
The truth is in fact the opposite. WE have made it so impossibly difficult for ourselves to reach Him; not Him. He never wanted this. He is the God of love. But because we have sinned, we have unknowingly taken ourselves out from our supposed right standing we have with this Holy God. God being perfectly holy, cannot come into bonding with the unholy - us.
Some might argue that they are good responsible human beings. Why can’t they reach God? Why isn’t their rightness being accepted by God? Can’t He see that at least they’re putting in some sort of effort? I’m sure he does but here’s the problem, it’s not the things that we do that are not accepted by Him. I believe all the good things that any human being does on earth is well endorsed by God. It is our sinful nature that He cannot accept. Let me clarify that He cannot accept our sinful nature not because He doesn’t want to accept to play hard-to-get, but rather, He cannot. ‘Not wanting to’ and ‘not able to’ are two different things. He cannot because it is His nature that He’s holy and cannot accept the unholy - us.
Before you draw your swords at me feeling injustice for blanket-labeling ALL humans (including you, yes you) as unholy, allow me illustrate for a better understanding. I did NOT say that you are a bad person. I said ‘unholy’. So yea, cool your nuclear reactors eh. J
In a nutshell: You are a human being. You need the blood of a human being to flow in your veins for your body to function. Specifically, you need your very own type of blood to run in your veins to stay alive. Say IF you got into a terrible accident and needed a blood transfusion, not only you need the blood of another human being to be transfused into you, you need the blood of another human being that has specific blood types accepted by your body. Not that you didn’t want a type B blood transfused into you (if say, you are a type A blood). You cannot have a type B blood transfused into you because that’s not your nature. You need a type A (or O) which is accepted by your nature to be transfused into you.
Likewise with God. It’s not that He doesn’t want to accept you in right standing. He wants to but He cannot if when we are sinners. Why? Because He is holy. We are not. Holy and unholy cannot mix. It’s as simple as that.
Solution? We somehow some way or another have to become holy enough to be able to be in that right standing with Him again.
But how? Like earlier mentioned, many have tried to reach God with their own efforts. Some have tried to be more and more good. Some have tried to do more good hoping that the good they do erase and outweigh the bad that they have done. Again, it doesn’t work. Because no matter how much good we have done, it still will never take away the bad nature (not doings) in us. Many have tried religion – trying to follow a set of rules hoping to be blessed by God and reach this right standing with God.
The problem with religion is this; It further binds you down with more ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ thus inflicting upon oneself an even higher demand to reach ‘holiness’. Unknowingly, you have subscribed to a slave-bond mentality that is laced with fear and unrest. You do right because you fear that something bad will happen to you or what blessing you will lose. We try not to this and not to do that so that we can be holy. We fear that if we do these bad things that we will not inherit the promises of God.
By the way, whether you are a Christian or not reading this, let me throw this in; being in this slave-bond mentality of religion, I wasn’t just referring to non-Christians. I was referring to religious Christians as well. In fact, some of the most religious people I’ve ever met in my life aren’t outside but inside the four walls of the church. Many Christians worry sick on whether they will lose their salvation and blessings more than how they can bring salvation and blessing to others. That’s sad and that’s religious. It’s fear-driven and not faith-driven and powerless.
One will come to realize at the bottom end of religion is that it is impossible for one to reach freedom from sin and attain holiness with self-effort. Let me logic this for you: If you are in a wrong position already, it doesn’t matter what right you do, it’ll still come out wrong. Doing something right from a wrong position doesn’t make it right. This is called the bond of law. This is doing something FOR something.
And this isn’t the promised life that God has for us. The promised holy sin-free life comes only with the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ.
More on this ultimate once and for all solution in my next post. Be blessed!
Greetings again readers,
From my previous blogpost, I presented two questions, “Am I holy enough?” and ‘Am I good enough?”. I would suggest if you haven't been following my blog, do read from the beginning to get a fuller picture of what we are addressing in this blog. It is my hope that it will benefit you to have pertinacious faith in Christ Jesus as you walk this face of this earth.
In this post, I hope to tie the dots between these two questions and by the end of this post, to encourage you that there is hope in this pursuit of being holy and good enough.
Human beings have this inexplicable need to feel ‘good enough’ about themselves. We literally worry if we are not acceptably good enough in the presence of a new acquaintance. We always wonder if we have done well enough upon a completion of an exam, assignment, or a project.
I believe that a human being is made up of his spirit, soul and body. Not until and unless he can make peace with all three, he will still worry if he’s good enough. This feeling is conceived together with each one of us when we came into this world. Many people know how to handle the things which they can feel with their five senses. The ability to improve oneself in their physical bodies and in the mid-deep levels of the human psyche such as the mind, will and emotion are often grasp considerably well by most in this intellectual age. However, I believe that not unless a human being is assured deeper past the soul realms - in one’s spirit - he will not be able to be at peace to have a deep knowing that he’s good enough.
This will also lead to this era of paranoia of people trying to find their identities and self worth from the things they do hoping that it’s good enough. I call this the outside-in life. What we really want to do is to live a genuine inside-out life don’t we?
Thus, the question of whether are we good enough, leads to the more accurate question of, “Are we holy enough?”
Let me just summarize the actual reason of why we have this feeling of not being good enough. In a nutshell, God created us very good. Man felt good enough and in right standing with God. Man sinned. Man gave up his right to be in right standing with God. From then on, man is born with this feeling of not being good enough to stand before this Holy God. Paranoia sets in. Man tries countless ways to feel at peace with himself and God again.
Wow! Enlightening huh?
Not really.
What’s the outcome?
Bad news. Many have tried to make peace with God and themselves but still felt eternal gripping guilt, shame and hopelessness at their deathbeds. Every culture that ever existed in the history of mankind has historical traces and proof of trying to be good enough to reach this supreme being whom we refer to as ‘God’.
There are typically two ways to reach this God. One is to try and be good enough. The other is to be made good enough. Either way substantiates the fact that we need to know we are good enough to be at peace with this supreme God.
It’s a choice that every human being will have to make in their lifetime. However, one choice is the solution. The other choice drowns you deeper into the problem. One is the outside-in life. The other, the inside-out life. Thankfully we have a choice. Hopefully, the choice is made correctly.
In the coming post, I'll talk about how to make and live with the right choice. Always remember, no matter what, Jesus loves you. Be blessed!
Rich or poor, old or young, socialites or unknowns, educated or uneducated, criminal or patriot; one thing that all cannot segregate themselves is that everyone are in fact, human beings. If there’s one thing we all have in common as human beings regardless of our different standings, is that each one of us wants to be good enough.
So many people are pushing themselves to their limits of self-improvement these days. Different people do it for different reasons. Some want to prove to themselves that they are able. Some want to prove to others that they are able. Some want a better future- for themselves or for loved ones. Some does it for the competition. Some does it for the adrenaline rush. Some does it for more holistic reasons such as wanting peace and ultimate sense of serenity in life. Some don’t even know why they want to improve themselves but just do because that’s what the whole world seems to be doing.
Attaining more knowledge, skill, ability, respect, likable charismatic personality, affordability, wealth are all part and parcel of today’s modern life. All these things are good in itself but it has gone to such spiraling extremes that I would safely say it’s to the point of paranoia. It is with this urgency I would like to explore the underlying issue of this behavior.
Why are we so desperate to be more able and to improve? When will ‘good’ ever be good enough?
In my humble opinion, I think that unless and until we know why, we will soon come to the bitter truth that we are just chasing an uncatchable wind. We feel it, we run for it and try to chase and catch it, but end up catching nothing. At the end of the day, after one has strived and sweated trying to improve and improve, one can still be found wondering, ”Am I good enough?”. It eats up ones soul from the inside when deep in ones soul, he somewhat knows that he STILL isn’t good enough. Is it all really for nothing? Or is there something more to this modern notion of ‘Get all you can get’ that needs to be addressed?
As a pastor, I have many people wondering whether or not is my job vocation still relevant in this modern era. People tend to associate church, Bible, clergymen, and the likes – as traditional, conservative, old-fashioned, holy. I humbly accept these views because while not accurate, it still has some truth in them. I do not think that I’m traditional, conservative or old-fashioned. I think I’m more of a trendsetter than a traditionalist. I’m more ready to be flexible than to keep to the traditions just for the sake of traditions. I do not think that I deserve the ‘conservative’ label as well. If I may add, I’m the exact opposite. Not saying that I’m a rebel, but simply I’m liberal. Old-fashioned? *laughs out loud*. Last I checked, I wasn’t wearing pope-ish looking garments.
Holy?
Ahhh…,that I can safely say a confident “YES” on another’s account. On my own account, ‘never’.
Good enough?
Same answer as above.
In my own account by my own accord, I can never be holy and good enough. So, what now? Can we ever be good enough? When is ‘good’ ever good enough? If no, why would I even want to give my life to God for His will to be done if I already know that I’m never good enough? Believe me, as a pastor, I’ve asked this question over and over again and for some reason, there is a very good answer on why I can be fully confident that I’m able to fulfill this call that’s upon my life despite of my weaknesses and shortcomings.
You’ll find out why in my coming posts.
Give yourself some time to digest this before my next post. Be blessed!
A statement of faith in itself does not have any power whatsoever. It’s just a statement. Faith needs a place to grow in; a ground of some sort (grounded? Ground floor? ground coffee??! Lol) to take root in.
There’s this saying that anything put into our hearts, grows. The ground for faith (or fear) is our hearts.
The fertile ground refers to our open hearts. When faith is planted in a fertile believing heart, it will then grow. It grows as we allow words of faith that have been planted to be nurtured. Nurtured how? Many times, words of faith are nurtured through situations where we need to act on these words of faith that are planted in us. That’s where exercise comes in. We exercise by being faithful to these words of faith in our hearts. Faithful in a little, then more will be added to you.
Many Christians are trapped in our own fantasy of one day experiencing ‘breakthrough’ in our lives or in certain areas of our lives yet excluding the Lord Jesus from our daily lives and decisions. Newsflash, the supposed ‘breakthrough’ will never come. Why, because the one who gives the breakthrough hasn’t been given room to break through anything.
If you want your breakthroughs to come, you need to begin to live your today with Christ and allow Him to lead you to and through your breakthrough points. Oh by the way, I should also throw this in – a breakthrough can only happen when you’ve been allowing Him to lead you until you reach those breakthrough points. Do not confuse this with self effort of doing and doing until hopefully you reach those breakthrough points that He finally notices you and gives you some magic dust to ‘breakthrough’. What we are talking about is pertinacious faith in surrendering your every day to Him. Surrendering to something is the evidence of having faith on something.
Faith on Him is of the now and the today. Do not delay any longer. Allow God to lead you today.
I’ll close this post by saying, “’Someday’ isn’t good enough to give everything you’ve got to Jesus. It needs to be today!”
