The Hole in our Holiness - Week 2

So last week, I kind of stayed to the side of uber formal and thoughtful for my blog post on study.  Therefore, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I normally do.  LOL.  This week, the goal is for me to be myself a bit more while also getting across the point of the study and also some of the great moments/tangents/bunny tracks of the study.

The first thing that we really went into for the study was discussing things that God had been teaching us over the past week in our times in the word.  The theme seemed to be showing us how our confidence in God and trust in God tends to get us through all of the rough times that we encounter.  I believe that Patches O’Houlihan (by means of our favorite Tyler) said it best, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.”  The purpose of that applies back to Paul and all of the struggles that he went through in his ministry.  Paul was able to get around anything as long as he relied on God to get him through the struggles, the good times, and the bad.  If we’re relying on God and doing the same thing, then we should be able to take on all of the ups and downs that life puts in our way.

After diving into The Hole in our Holiness, we focused initially on the reasons for why God saved us instead of letting us fail.  The main reasons that we discussed were that God loves us and wants us to be holy and that this simple act brings glory to God.  Also, I believe that God created us to do good works (i.e. Helping the little old ladies cross the street).  Going deeper into that, we asked why did God save us directly?  For me, I see that God gave me a pretty good outlook on life and allowed me to be an outspoken person.  For someone who was crippling shy in my teenage years, I feel that I’ve popped out of my bubble some and can be myself more and more (I’m sure that my friends appreciate that fact).  I’m very thankful to God for bringing a happiness and a clarity to my life that would have otherwise been missing.  Thanks God!  For others, it was to have an opportunity to live out their faith for those in their lives whether it be co-workers, friends, or family.

Is Holiness intimidating was one of the next questions asked.  It seems to be natural for humans to want to pursue sin over holiness.  **insert dumb voice here**  It’s just easier to not have to worry about being holy.  God can have more grace for me that way.  **end dumb voice here**  That’s really no excuse for us.  Dustin brought up a great point that holiness is absolutely necessary for our redemption.  In order to continue to grow and be sanctified, we need to keep seeking after God.  That sanctification is a process.  While it’d be nice to be able to go to the store and pick up a supply of Sanctification (by Mennen) off the shelf, in truth, Christ finishes sanctifying us upon our deaths.  

We spent a lot of time this week not just accepting everything that Kevin DeYoung said, but instead chose to use the book as a discussion point.  That led us to La Santa Biblia to backup or refute the words in the book.  Some verses to look at in conclusion that were discussed in study this week are as follows:

• ·         Colossians 1:22
• ·         Ephesians 2:8 – 9
• ·         Romans 5:28 – 6:2
• ·         James 1:22
• ·         Acts 17:10 – 11 

And now for your moment of reflection...