lOVE AND HOLINESS

Holiness is part of Gods character. There has been much emphasis on the love of God over the last several decades and very little on Gods holiness. God is the God who is absolutely holy and the God who is perfect love. If we over emphasise one over the other, we end up in the ditch. Saying God is love at the expense of his holiness leads to compromise with the absolute truth of His word and we compromise with the world and Gods absolute moral standard. The great sin of the western church today is compromise especially in the area of sexual sin. But holiness without love results in harshness, legalism and an ugliness. We end up becoming like the pharisees. Jesus had the ability to walk in absolute in love and in absolute truth and holiness. He was accused of being friends with sinners, prostitutes, and drunkards but he loved them perfectly but he never left them in that condition but called them to follow him and be holy like he was holy. He walked and spoke the truth without compromise. That’s very difficult for us to balance. God demands holiness in our personal life and holiness in the church in both life and doctrine in His perfect love. There has to be the reality of both. For to forget either is equally vicious. We must not choose between love and holiness. Much of the talk thrown around about Gods love today is often a love without tracks. God’s love is manifested and runs on the tracks of God’s word and absolute truth of His holiness. They both rest on the character of God.