the holiness with love's caress

[com7fy8]

Hebrews 12:4-14 says God's correction brings us to become "partakers of His holiness".

"Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness." (Hebrews 12:9-10)

So, yes God does want us to share in . . . partake of . . . His holiness. And we are commanded > 

"as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all our conduct." (1 Peter 1:14-15)

Now . . . can we discipline our own selves to be holy the way God is holy? I would say God is the One who changes us in our character so we are what He means by being holy . . . so we are sharing with Him in His holiness in us. So, God makes us holy, by sharing His holiness with us. And this needs to be all the time. At any moment if God lets go of us, right away we will stop being holy. Only in union with God in our character, we can stay holy. And how could this work? >

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him." (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Yes, every child of God is "one spirit with" God Himself in us. And in this union, we have God acting to change our character. And there is only one way God can change us by His grace acting in our character > so we become more and more maturely like Jesus, therefore holy the way God is.

So, this is basic . . . what God commands, and what God Himself does.

And "God is love", we have in 1 John 4:8&16. So, in our intimate union with God, we are sharing in His own holiness of how He is love. And so, then, in this holiness in sharing with God we are in love's gentle and kind caressing of tender caring and sharing and blessing.

Therefore, holiness is not about outward conforming to some group's church rules. And holiness has nothing to do with how I can self-righteously feel better than others . . . in comparison with people, instead of evaluating myself in comparison with Jesus.

But being holy as God is holy has to do with "not conforming yourselves to the former lusts". There are anti-love things which can attack us and violate and degrade us from being pure in God's love. There are things which can take our attention away from God, as though our minds are TV sets and some three-year-old got a hold of the remote and is playing us from one channel to another . . . always away from staying attentive and sensitive and submissive to God in His peace. 

Ones say, then, that a lust can be anything which gets us away from God.

And though God is the One who changes our character so we share with Him in His own holiness, God's word does give us things to do with God . . . practical things to help us perfect holiness in His love and how He has us loving > 

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Here we see things which we need to be "against". Christians can be known for being "against" a lot of things. But their list might not include "bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking", malice, and unforgiveness!

And there are more things which need to be on our list of what we are against > 

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation" (in Philippians 2:13-16).

Arguing and complaining, then, also are anti-love . . . very destructive and degrading, able to wreck relationships, and a bad example which can help to keep children and one another from finding out how to relate in God's love.

And Jesus says, "if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" in Matthew 5:46. So, we need to get into the holiness of God's love, so it is our character to be all-loving.

Plus, of course, God is Father and Son and Holy Spirit > three Persons of family sharing and caring love. So, yes in the character of God's love . . . and therefore in Biblical holiness . . . we are intimate with God and in family caring and sharing with one another.

Plus, God is almighty in His immunity to evil things, so no evil and cruel stuff can corrupt and change God. So, in the character of God's holiness, we also share with Him in this ! ! ! As we love and pray the way God's word means > we share with Him in His own almighty immunity in our "hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" > 

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

God is almighty; His peace, then, is almighty . . . to guard our hearts and minds so Satanic stuff can not mess with us and get our attention away from God. And this says not to be "anxious" > 

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment." (in 1 John 4:18)

So, God's love is almighty against fear and its torment.

Therefore, if what we have been trying has not worked, this is because what we have been trying is not what works!

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

God is the only real and right love that there is. And in the holiness of this love, we share with God Himself in all His good. There is tender affection and caressing . . . warm family caring and sharing here, in sharing with one another. 

But ones have fallen to what is not God's love - - to loving which is not holy, but human and of this evil world. And in the weakness of selfish and possessive loving we have been weak for pleasures and treasures, plus our weakness for vain and foolish things has made us weak so we can keep on suffering in deep pain of various sorts of torment, including things like boredom and loneliness and unforgiveness. 

But with God we have almighty safety so we can stay in His peace with "rest for your souls" (in Matthew 11:28-30) even during evil times > 

"And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)

Jesus in His resurrection still had those wounds, but they could not make Him suffer. And like this, in the holiness with love's sweet and kind caressing, we have character alive in Jesus Christ's own resurrection power almighty so we can not be hurt while this love has us sharing as God's family and being all-loving and generously forgiving.

And so we need to not let different lusts and distractions get us isolated. 

And in marriage and other close relationships we can learn to keep attentive to God, and not let anything degrade and devour us with arguing and complaining and frustration and unforgiveness > 

"Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

In His real holiness with one another, not in isolating sorts of self-produced and self-congratulating holiness, we have almighty safety so we can't be hurt while sharing tenderly and kindly in our Father's affection caressing and blessing. And Jesus has claimed in prayer how You our Father > 

"have loved them as You have loved Me." (in the Lord's prayer in John 17:20-26)

Edited May 10, 2023 by com7fy8