THE WAY SOCIAL HOLINESS WORKS

The Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is social in nature.  While the three in one nature is a mystery, what is amazing is that God’s love seeks to draw us into the social life of the Trinity.  Our life in Christ is social, that is to say dynamic, interactive, interpersonal, intimate, collective, and filled with loving fellowship.  That is because at the very heart of life is the holy, love of God. For God so loved the world, loved us so much, that he took sacrificial action on our behalf (John 1:14).  Christ’s life and death was a labor and offering of unreserved love for us.  The gift of God’s very self at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, was a gift of perfect love, holy and pure.  The entire story of God and man is a love story, a social narrative of God’s grace and our response over millennia.  It is a story of God’s great gift of our restoration to holiness, his likeness and infilling.  It is a story of how God deploys human agency to make possible a full salvation.  Its a story of the way social holiness works.

Here is a snapshot of how God’s love is passed to us and then from us to others.  It is a snapshot of the social nature of holiness.  I’ve known Dr. David Rightmire nearly all my life.  I first met him at his sister’s birthday party in Waltham, Massachusetts when he was five years old and I was eight.  While we have traveled different paths over the years, we now live in the same town (Wilmore, Kentucky) only a block from each other and enjoy a renewed friendship.  David is a professor at Asbury University.  He is a highly respected teacher and scholar.  He is the author of Sanctified Sanity: The Life and Theology of Samuel Logan Brengle.  Brengle was a Salvation Army officer and a renowned proponent of Wesleyan Holiness in the early twentieth century.  David’s writing on Brengle is a labor of love, a gift of knowledge to others.  His book is so well written, covering the life and theology of Brengle, that after reading it I gave a copy to my daughter and son, and more recently to my

daughter-in-law.

My daughter read Sanctified Sanity thoroughly then took up reading Brengle’s Helps to Holiness and other books.  She began telling her husband about Brengle and gave him a copy of the book as a gift.  He then shared Brengle with four of his friends: a pastor, and three seminary students. This led the five of them to use Brengle’s writings on holiness as the focus of their weekly Bible study on early Friday mornings.  How wonderful! 

David’s labor of love, Sanctified Sanity, is now  available in a revised and expanded edition.  I expect it will be passed on to others inspiring a renewed interest in the writings of Samuel Logan Brengle, God’s remarkable soldier/saint.  This is how social holiness works. It moves from the love of the writer to the reader.  In love the reader passes the Good News of a full salvation exposited by Brengle to others  so, they too may be “filled to the measure of the fullness of God” (Ephesians 2:19), and then share the message of that fullness with yet others.  Thanks be to God for his unimaginable gifts that keep on giving!

That we might be partakers of the divine nature.

2 Peter 1:4

BASKING IN REFLECTED GLORY

Without a glory to call their own, people find ways of basking in the reflected glory of others.  Think about the billions of dollars in sales of shirts, hats, banners, flags, and other paraphernalia celebrating favorite college or professional teams to be sold over the course of this year.  I confess.  I bask in the reflected glory of University of Kentucky basketball.  I have a drawer full of UK t-shirts purchased over the years and proudly worn not only on game days, but throughout the year.  Go Cats!

If its not sports, for many people, it’s a favorite musical group, vocalist, band, or organized entertainment.  On a national basis, it’s patriotism basking in the true glory of military sacrifice and achievement.  For grandparents, it’s identifying with the obvious brilliance and good looks of grandchildren.  That’s why we smile with a grin at our grandchildren’s piano recitals, ball games, and graduations.  

Without a doubt, there is something in the human spirit that glories in those things in which we see value and which give us hope, joy, and pride.  In times of difficulty, adversity, and struggle, it is reflected glory that we turn to as a respite and rest.  Basking in the reflected glory of another or others gives us self-definition and a personal identity that glows.  It provides a social context of comradeship and a sense of belonging.  This powerful human impulse to identify and belong has its virtue and benefits, but raises the question, “What is its highest expression, more than sports, more than entertainment, more than patriotism, or paternal pride with one’s progeny?”

I’ve found the answer that makes most sense to me.  Glory to God!  Listen to the words of Jesus in his most intimate time of prayer to the Father just before being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 17, selected verses):

“Father, the time has come.  Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you . . . I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. . .”

Then, Jesus prayed for the sanctification of his disciples and even for us today:

“My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message . . . I have given them the glory you gave me . . . I want those you gave me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

For many years, I thought that the ultimate end to which salvation was directed was holiness.  As wonderful as it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit, that’s not the ultimate end.  Holiness is glorious, but its purpose is spelled out by St. Paul in Ephesians 3:20.  It follows being “filled to the measure of the fullness of God” (v. 19) -

“Now, unto him (the triune God) who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. . . (unto God)  Glory!  In other words, the purpose of the Spirit filled life is unimaginable sanctified service to the glory of God.  

Here’s an amazing  twist.  God desires to bask in the reflected glory of our holy living, holiness lived out daily in profound love for him and love for others.  In truth, the pinnacle of a glorious life is to bask in the glory of God and to reflect his glory to the world and back to him!  What a joy and privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified “to the praise of his glory” and to bask forever in that glory!

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:9-11

LIVE A LIFE THAT REFLECTS GOD’S GLORY 
OUT TO THE WORLD AND BACK TO HIM!

GREAT HEARTS DISCUSS MORE THAN IDEAS

Eleanor Roosevelt is known for having said, “Great minds discuss ideas.  Average minds discuss events.  Small minds discuss people.”  Her comment rings true.  A little later this month (August 26-29), The Salvation Army Swoneky Division (Southwest Ohio and Northeast Kentucky) will hold back-to-back events:  A Holiness Conference and a family camp.  Both will be a gathering of many minds likely to discuss ideas, events, and people.  What’s different about these gatherings of Christians, mostly Salvationists, is that at all three levels of discussions will not be solely a matter of great, average, or small minds, but also of their hearts.  This will make many conversations qualitatively different depending on the state of people’s hearts.

Without considering a person’s heart, the quote stands on its own.  However, great hearts discuss more than ideas.  The conversation of even small minds may be noble if the hearts are pure.  The conversation may be lofty and admirable if they have the best interest of others in mind.  When the pure in heart discuss the needs of others with concern and compassion the discussion rises to a whole other level.  Great hearts may carry on great conversations at any level.

When it comes to talking about great ideas like God’s grace and holiness, it is hard not to talk about all three in the same conversation.  Holiness and purity of heart are powerful ideas that are marked by special events in people’s lives.  There you have it, all three in one.   Such events are God’s handiwork in the heart of believers who open their hearts to the deeper, cleansing by the Holy Spirit through a sanctifying event of faith by God’s grace.  When a life is transformed into the likeness of Christ, it brings joy to the heart, thanks to God, and becomes the topic of heart-felt conversation by others.

St. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus (3:19) these words:  “I pray that you may . . . know this love(the love of Christ) that surpasses knowledge . . .”  In other words, we are to go beyond knowing and discussing ideas with only our minds.  Our discussions must surpass ideas by engaging the heart.  What’s most laudable may be discussions that emanate from a pure heart at any level.  In the words of John Wesley’s favorite Bible verse, “ The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.” (Galatians 5:6).

WHAT TO DO ABOUT SIN

Bramwell & William Booth

There is a story about The Salvation Army’s founder, General William Booth.  His son, Bramwell, was passing by his father’s home very late one night and saw the light still on in the General’s bedroom with the General pacing back and forth.  He was advanced in age and somewhat frail. Bramwell inquired, “Father, what are you doing up so late?  Shouldn’t you be asleep by now.”  Booth’s response was something to the effect, “I can’t stop thinking about the peoples' sin.  What are they to do about their sin.”

General Booth was a realist.  Sin was a major issue for all people then as it is now.  In reality, the General and his Army would be steadfast in their teaching and preaching about sin and the need for a full salvation for all humanity.  Their mission did not just stop with getting people saved from the uttermost of sin, but helping them to go on to being saved to the uttermost of Christlikeness, holiness.

We don’t hear teaching and preaching about sin much anymore.  It’s rare, and holiness seems to be off the table as a topic as well.  There is no doubt that sin abounds.  We read it in the paper, see it portrayed in the media, and celebrate it with time spent watching it on Netficks and on the internet.  So many Christians remain burdened down by sin.  We find laudable a supposedly elite group of saints who remind us that there is something to the idea of holiness, but ignore God's offer of a full salvation, a complete work of grace.  Sadly it's true now. Neither sin nor holiness are topics to be raised in polite company. We don’t teach it nor preach it much.  How far we’ve drifted (fallen) away from what’s on God’s heart and mind, his desire for every believer.

John Wesley had something to say about sin.  In his 1763 sermon, On Sin In Believers, he says the following:

          There are in every person, even after he is justified, two contrary Principles, nature and grace, termed by St. Paul the flesh and the spirit.  Hence, although even babes in Christ are sanctified, yet it is only in part.  In a degree, according to the measure of their faith, they are spiritual; yet in degree they are carnal . . . they feel a will not wholly resigned to the will of God. They know they are in him; and yet find a heart ready to depart from

him, a proneness to evil in many instances, and a backwardness to that which

is good. . . and . . . Although we are renewed, cleansed, purified, sanctified the moment we truly believe in Christ, yet we are not then renewed, cleansed, purified altogether, but the flesh, the evil nature still remains (though subdued) and wars against the Spirit.

This word from Wesley likely disturbed his listeners.  It was not that they were a band of robbers or murders, but their small lies, deceits, gossip, dishonesty, fained concerns for others, their outward appearance of holiness and yet inward sin was being called for what it was, a remaining carnality, a residue of sinful habits of the heart.  This is a word we don’t like to hear today, but where is there not “a proneness to evil” and "a backwardness to that which is good,” if not in sins of commission, then in sins of omission?

Nevertheless, God does not will us to continue a life that leans readily into sin.  Where sin abounded, grace more abounded (Romans 5:20), and still does.  Our salvation can be a full one:  from the guilt and penalty of sin in the past to power over sin and to sanctification, purity of heart, holiness in the likeness of Our Lord.  Thanks be to God.

            May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.

            May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming

            of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful.  He will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-34