A Zeal for Holiness
“For the love of Christ constrainth us; because we thus judge, that if One died for all, then were all dead: And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.”
In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Greece, Paul gave his testimony about his call to preach the gospel. He stated in this passage that it was because Christ loved him and his fellow preachers so much that they were compelled (constrained) to preach the gospel to every person wherein the opportunity came. We might say today that “if I don’t do this, I am going to burst!” Or it is like receiving some really good news that you can’t wait to tell someone. This is how Paul felt about the good news of the gospel. He clearly understood the need for folks to hear this message of hope and joy because he had experienced for himself the power of forgiveness. Every person that has ever been born, with the exception of Jesus Christ, was born spiritually dead. Christ suffered and died for the spiritually dead so that they could be spiritually made alive (quickened). If it were possible for folks to be born physically with a spirit that was alive to God, I don’t think Jesus would have needed to die on the cross. But we know that is not the case. God’s human creations, Adam and Eve, sinned and their innocence died, thus everyone born after them were born with a death sentence due to the guilt of sin.
Eve had free will and thus succumbed to Satan’s lies, indicating that all people from the time of Adam and Eve are vulnerable to the temptation to disobey their Creator. Those who are spiritually dead, the unsaved, have no power to resist Satan’s temptation. Rather than being compelled by the love of and for Christ to walk in the Spirit, they walk in the flesh, subject to pride and lust, and thus fulfill the desires of the flesh (Romans 8:5). Since Christ died for all people, all people should live for Him, but that, too, is not the case. I would estimate that those who live unto themselves far outnumber those who are in Christ, who have made Him the focus of their lives. If you don’t believe that, just watch five minutes of the news on television. Their motto is “If it bleeds, it leads.” There are also those who have repented and trusted Christ to save them who are not whole-heartedly committed to Him.
The simple definition of a Christian is one who follows Christ, a Christ follower. To follow a person is to set one’s behavior pattern like that of the one whom he or she follows. We see young people all the time trying to copy their favorite singer or movie star. Even adults will be influenced by celebrities or sports figures. For someone to be a true Christ follower, he or she must emulate the pattern of life that Christ set forth, a life of holiness and submission to God. To not focus on being Christlike is to not understand sanctification which is “a separation from the secular and sinful, and setting apart for a sacred purpose” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary). God works on us from the inside out. He cleanses our hearts, giving us a fresh, new perspective on life, which is designed to work through our minds and outwardly to our behavior so that we manifest holiness in all that we do and say. God is the beginning and end of sanctification, and the process of growing in Christ is dependent upon Him, but we also must co-operate with the Holy Spirit and follow as He leads. God gives those who belong to Him a desire to live holy lives. He expects no less.
Romans 12:1 gives Paul’s admonition to live holy lives: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Notice that Paul uses the word “reasonable”, not the words “exceptional”, “extraordinary”, “uncommon”, “rare”, or “over the top”. The “average” Christian is the one who lives his or her life for Christ, serving Him by serving others, giving generously to promote God’s kingdom, keeping the Lord first in everything, being honest in all transactions, and seeking opportunities to let his or her light shine so that others can see the benefit of living for Christ. Anything less than that is below average.