[Pastor Lee Grzywinski]

Hello all!

This is the best chapter so far, in my opinion, because it is the most practical. And as I said yesterday, obedience – being holy – is how we get to know God more and more!

I like Sproul’s description of the objective holiness we are given: “We are holy because we have been consecrated to God. We have been set apart. We have been called to a life that is different.” This glorious truth about our justification is the starting point of our sanctification – our practical living as set apart and consecrated. But we have to heed his warning: “Our marks of piety can actually be evidence of impiety.” I have known too many who “major in minors” when it comes to holy living. I have been guilty of it myself, early in my walk.

Here is where Sproul’s definitions of “conform” and “transform” are so helpful. We are called to nonconformity and transformation in Romans 12:2, but the transformation is the key to the nonconformity God seeks from us. And the key to this transformation? I think Sproul nails it. It is a “rigorous pursuit of the kingdom of God” and “depth in [our] spiritual understanding.” It is renewing our minds.

Finally, I liked Sproul’s focus on righteousness. We are called to righteousness over and over again in the Bible. Being spiritual is the “means to an end, not the end itself.” The end, he says, is righteousness. May we all pursue righteousness, transformation, and holiness by seeking God more and more!

[Tom Courain]

In this chapter, I was inspired by the section where Dr Sproul explains how Jesus not only died for our salvation but just as importantly He lived a holy life for our sanctification. It was Jesus’s holy and sinless life that qualifies Him to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He lived in the power of a sinless life. He has transferred His righteousness to us and now He also gives us His obedience, His assets, and His merits. Paul talks about the obedience of faith in Romans. Our faith must continually be producing a holy mindset through a spirit of obedience. If we want to follow Jesus into justification by faith we also must follow His obedience also.

[Lynne MazzaHilway]

This chapter definitely covered a lot. Our bible study once spent many weeks discussing keeping in step with the Spirit, using the same imagery as does Sproul- “saints are rank and file believers, requiring a disciplined education to rise to the call of holiness, to His absolute call of purity; it’s a special commission, the original assignment for the human race.” One gets the seriousness of such almost military, boot camp-like training. If those in service to countries and even police officers who go through academies to serve communities have to go through serious, rigorous training, even moreso should those of us in service to The King and His Kingdom. “We are to shine forth His glory to the world-the chief end of man, the very reason for our existence. As well as to enjoy Him forever.”
“Our worship or thank offering is to present our selves, our bodies as living sacrifices. Yet not with degrees of superficiality but at deeper levels, beyond externals.” At the level of the heart. “Control of the tongue and acting with integrity reveal (true) fruit of the Spirit.” I really appreciated the explanation of degrees of sin as we hear very often, I’m sure I’ve even said it myself, that there is no degree of sin. But it makes perfect sense in this context that sins of the body or external ones would be more serious than those of the heart, internal ones.
“Godliness and an uncontrolled tongue are incompatible.”

“A living faith immediately brings forth the fruits of repentance and righteousness, which is the goal of Christian growth.” Praise God for the Gospel, the Good (Great) News -“we are made just by the righteousness of Christ; we are covered and clothed by Him”!

[Lilla Langford]

I was at a missionary conference this last week. Partly in response to the speaker and partly from his own experience, one of the missionaries made a short but impassioned plea that we each need an accountability partner. It seems like this one way to take seriously our call to discipleship, to holy living, to obedience to Christ. My hesitation is that would I submit to someone holding me accountable? I’m praying about this.

[Theresa]

I loved the author’s honesty and practicality in this chapter. I like that he broke down the definitions of holy and righteous, the difference between conform and transform, justification vs sanctification, and pleasure vs happiness. There certainly is a lot in this chapter that challenges me in my walk. I also appreciated that he touched on sacrifice – not just “the living sacrifice” that we should present ourselves as but also reminding us that “the key to spiritual growth is in-depth Christian education that requires a serious level of sacrifice”. That saints are called to a “rigorous pursuit of the kingdom of God”. I think sacrifice is something we shy away from talking about as Christians but is an important (and expected) part of the journey. “There is nothing easy about becoming holy. Yet, the Bible does make it easy for us to know what holiness is supposed to look like.”

[Nayara Jordan]

One of the campus ministers when I was in college had the instagram handle @justandsinner and I never understood it, nor asked him what it meant. Now I know what it means!

The idea of gradations of sin is interesting and not one I’ve delved into when it comes to what the Bible has to say about it. I definitely heard his point but it is one I’ll have to take with me and look more into.

Overall continuing to enjoy how the book is progressing.

[Author]

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