Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
01/05/2014, by John Kincaid
Lesson 107: Learning to Hate My Sin
God hates sin. Psa.5:5, 119:104; Prov.6:16-19; Zech.8:17
Psa.45:7 = Heb.1:9 you loved righteousness and hated wickedness
It’s true that “God hates the sin but loves the sinner.” But don’t rush over the first half of that. God hates our impure thoughts, our pride, our jealousy, our harsh words.
We need to develop the same reflex as Joseph had when he was tempted in Gen.39:9. How could I sin against God? We have found the root of holiness when we learn to hate sin.
The more we grow in holiness, the more we will hate sin. From the moment God saves us, we become increasingly aware of how holy God is, and how sinful we are.
The picture above illustrates that as I learn more about God’s character and my own, I begin to realize that the gap between man and God is infinitely wide. Paul’s description of this gap is Romans chapter 7.
The only thing that can bridge this gap is Christ. This is the Holy Spirit’s way of pulling us toward more holiness.
From our viewpoint, the cross of Christ looks larger each day, as we begin to appreciate just how much we have been forgiven.
Or as Jesus put it in Luke 7:47, the woman with the alabaster jar loved much because she was forgiven much.
About This Series
The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21
- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
