1 John 5:13
Evidence of True Conversion: A Holy Life
In this pre-membership class, Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds on the necessity, distinctives, and discernment of a holy life as the evidence of true conversion. He systematically refutes 'easy believism' by citing numerous New Testament passages (Matthew 5:20, Romans 8:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-24, Ephesians 5:5-6, Hebrews 12:14, 1 John 2:3, 3:3, 3:13, 5:4, 5:13) that unequivocally link salvation with a transformed life. Martin then outlines three distinctives of holiness—doctrinal, moral, and devotional—and provides guidance from John Flavel on diligent self-examination, particularly distinguishing between 'reigning' and 'remaining' sin.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 14 sections · 56 min
- Introduction: The Pre-Membership Class and the Question of Assurance 0:04
- Prayer for Illumination and Discernment 3:01
- Three Major Headings for Understanding a Holy Life 4:32
- The Necessity of a Holy Life: Refuting Easy Believism 6:11
- Scriptural Proof for the Necessity of a Holy Life 9:16
- Qualification: Gospel Obedience vs. Legalism 26:43
- The Distinctives of a Holy Life: Doctrinal, Moral, and Devotional 28:42
- The Doctrinal Distinctive: Sound Belief 30:40
- The Moral Distinctive: Obedience to God's Law 36:34
- The Devotional/Experimental Distinctive: Communion with God 38:52
- Application of Distinctives in Membership Interview 41:38
- The Discernment of a Holy Life: Diligent Self-Examination 43:03
- Distinguishing Reigning vs. Remaining Sin 50:31
- Concluding Exhortation and Prayer 54:08
Key Quotes
“It is possible to sincerely walk up an aisle, to sincerely raise your hand, and to sincerely repeat a phrase and not be saved.”
“You will not see the Lord without holiness. Holiness is necessary. Holiness is not optional. It is essential to spending eternity in the presence of Christ.”
“There's no such thing as a so-called carnal Christian who really is a righteous man living a sinful life. Let no man lead you astray.”
“Rather, that obedience, it is not the ground of our acceptance. Rather, it is the evidence of a new heart.”
“If you flunk the doctrinal test, you're called a heretic. If you flunk the moral test, you're called a hypocrite. If you flunk the devotional or experimental test, you're called a formalist.”
“It is rejecting the authority and inspiration of the apostolic writings and teachings.”
“Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. You must examine yourself and you must do this diligently.”
“Flavel attempted to distinguish between reigning and remaining sin. As he puts it sins which should be grounds for humiliation that's remaining sin or sin which should be grounds for doubting that's reigning sin.”
A full transcript is available on the tab. 175 paragraphs, roughly 56 minutes.
Introduction: The Pre-Membership Class and the Question of Assurance
The following message was given in the adult Sunday school class of the Trinity Baptist Church on March 8th, 1992. This is lecture number four in the pre-membership class.
As Pastor Dixon has just intimated, we are conducting the Sunday school class in these days as a pre-membership class, as though all of you were in the process of applying for membership. And I made a comment in that respect last week. I said it as though all of you are like flies on the wall. And I assumed that you would know what that meant.
I heard it in the academy during the week that there are some from other cultures here present where the idea of a fly on the wall, that idiom is not used in their culture. So I trust none was insulted at being called a fly hanging on the wall. A fly on the wall. A fly on the wall means an unobserved observer, if flies could observe.
Something there that you don't notice, that if had ears and eyes could see and hear what was going on. So you are all again flies on the wall.
In a pre-membership class designed for those who are considering joining Trinity Baptist Church. And we have already considered. In our first two studies, the subject of true conversion. We looked at the gospel, which is the instrument of conversion.
And we considered then the nature of conversion. That it is to be regenerated, to repent and believe and to be justified and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. In these first two classes, we've looked at the question of how do you get saved? And what does it mean to believe?
And what does it mean to be saved? Now today we will look together in our pre-membership class at a third crucial question. The crucial question is, how can I tell if I am saved?
How can I know?
How can I tell if I have been saved? And the title of this class is therefore, The Evidence of Truth. True Conversion, which is a holy life. And as we consider a holy life as the evidence of true conversion, let us pray and ask for God's blessing upon our study of the scriptures.
Prayer for Illumination and Discernment
Our Father, we thank you for this opportunity of studying these basic things together. We ask for you to send us the Holy Spirit. That you would impress the truth of your Holy Word upon our hearts. And as we contemplate this crucial question this morning of a holy life as evidence that we are saved, we pray, our Father, that the Holy Spirit himself may come upon us and may take the Word and write it upon our hearts.
And, O God, that we may be given the help and the principles this morning that none of us may be in any real doubt as to where we stand with you. We pray, if any are here this morning who are deluded, deceiving themselves and thinking they are saved, when in reality they are not, O God, open the eyes of such that they may see where they truly stand. That we pray, on the other hand, that no specially sensitive soul may be given needless concern this morning. And we pray that your Spirit will come and take the words and apply them appropriately to each one of our hearts.
We ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. Now, under the subject of a holy life, as the evidence of true conversion, I have three major headings to consider with you in this class this morning. First of all, I want to focus upon the necessity of a holy life.
Three Major Headings for Understanding a Holy Life
And these three things are written in columns here on the board because there is so much material to cover this morning. I came in early, and for those of you that were somewhat distracted in your preparation by the squeaking of the board as I was writing all these things, I apologize, I tried to make it as quiet as I could. But there are three columns because there is so much material to cover. First of all, the necessity of a holy life.
Secondly, the distinctives of a holy life. And thirdly, the discernment of a holy life. In other words, first of all, I want to prove to you from Scripture that a holy life is really necessary as the evidence that you are converted. Secondly, I want to address the issue, what is a holy life?
What are its distinctives? What are the marks and tests of a holy life so that you can know a holy life when you see one? And thirdly, how do you discern whether you are living a holy life? The whole subject of self-examination.
Give diligence, says Peter, to make your calling and election sure. How do you discern whether you have these distinctives of a holy life which is the necessary evidence that you have been converted? Now, that's a tall order for any class, pre-membership, membership, or any other kind. But this is what I hope, at least in the broadest sense, to address to you this morning.
The Necessity of a Holy Life: Refuting Easy Believism
Now, first of all, then, the necessity of a holy life. I begin by stressing the fact, that this is especially important today with the anemic message that is increasingly widespread around us. And that is the message called decisionism or easy believism.
When often the question is addressed, how do you know that you're saved? You're told it's very simple. The Bible says believe, doesn't it? Yes.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Haven't you just believed in the Lord Jesus Christ when you went forward or raised your hand or said the prayer you were supposed to say?
Then, if the Bible says believe and you'll be saved, and if you just believed, then obviously you're saved and you should never question it, you should never doubt it because the Bible says it and you did it and therefore never doubt it. And that's it. It's just that simple. So why trouble people?
With having to wrestle with the question, how do I know if I'm saved? How can I discern it? Talking about a holy life, such folks would say, is just really teaching salvation by works. The Bible says believe.
The Bible says it. You did it. And that's the end of it. Never question it.
The difficulty with that type of approach to this subject is that believing the gospel and receiving the Lord, in such thinking, is equated with a devotional or religious ritual where you walk forward in a meeting or raise your hand or repeat a prayer such as, Lord Jesus, be merciful to me, the sinner, or Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I ask you to come into my heart.
Sincerely walking up an aisle, sincerely raising your hand in a meeting, or sincerely repeating a prayer, like, Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner, or Lord Jesus, come into my heart, is not the same thing necessarily as exercising saving faith. It is possible to sincerely walk up an aisle, to sincerely raise your hand, and to sincerely repeat a phrase and not be saved.
The evidence of conversion and regeneration is not participation. No matter how sincerely, in a relationship, or in a religious ritual, but rather it is a holy life. Now I have asserted this. Let me therefore prove it from Scripture.
Scriptural Proof for the Necessity of a Holy Life
In the column, I believe I have seven. Knowing myself, I would not be surprised if there are seven. Seven texts, beginning in Matthew and going through 1 John and then various references in the book of 1 John. And I want to go through them with you quickly, which teach that the evidence of true conversion is a holy life.
First of all, in the book of Matthew, chapter 5. Now I cannot take the time this morning because of all the material we must cover, but I do want to give you a sampling of these texts. And these are important texts. These are not little minor texts.
These are important texts in the Bible which clearly teach the necessity of a holy life as the evidence that you have been converted. Now the Lord Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, teaches this, where He says in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 20, For I say to you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. If all you have is the legalistic externality
of scribes and Pharisees, you will, will be damned.
You will in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven unless your life is qualitatively superior to the lifestyle of scribes and Pharisees. Unless your life is a life of evangelical gospel holiness and righteousness, you will not go to heaven. Jesus then expounds what He means by that and how this gospel holiness the righteousness of evangelical obedience differs from the legalistic external morality of scribes and Pharisees. And He says it differs in three things and that's really the heart of His sermon. You could entitle His sermon True Righteousness as opposed to the external and legalistic morality of the scribes and Pharisees. The first thing is that the standard of true righteousness is not the traditions of men, but the standard of true righteousness is the law of God embraced from the heart. Second thing that Jesus says about true righteousness is that the focus of true righteousness is not pleasing men, but it is the eye of God, the fear of God, it is pleasing God.
And the third thing He says about it is that the number one priority of true righteousness as opposed to the external legalistic morality is not the earthly benefits that you can get from it. It's not the treasures and the riches of this life. But the number one priority is seeking first God and heaven and spiritual things. That's the priority of the man who is pursuing true evangelical righteousness.
And Jesus says, unless your righteousness is marked by this priority and this focus and this standard, you won't go to heaven.
Very clearly. He teaches this in the Sermon on the Mount. This is the whole point of the sermon. The Sermon on the Mount.
Secondly, the book of Romans, chapter 8 and verse 13. The book of Romans, chapter 8 and verse 13.
Here the Apostle Paul teaches the same as his master. Romans 8, verse 12 and 13. So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you must die.
But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. Here the Apostle Paul states clearly that a life of mortification of sin is necessary to entering into eternal life and heaven at the last. If you live after the flesh, you shall die. He's not speaking about dying bodily death.
All men, even the holiest of men, die bodily death. He's talking about the eternal death of damnation, under the wrath of God. If you live after the flesh, if you live a wicked, ungodly life, you will be damned. But if by the Spirit you live a life of mortifying, your indwelling sin, you will live.
You will spend eternity in the special presence of God in heaven and in the new heavens and earth in the age to come. 1 Corinthians, chapter 6.
1 Corinthians, chapter 6. Verses 9 and 10.
1 Corinthians, chapter 6, verses 9 and 10. Or don't you know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. See, he realized that there was danger.
There was danger that someone would delude and deceive the people of God. Do not be deceived.
Neither fornication, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. If you live in one of these patterns of gross immorality, you will not go to hell. You will not inherit the kingdom of God. There may be people telling you that drunkenness is not a sin and it won't damn your soul.
There may be people telling you that homosexuality is just an alternate lifestyle and you can be a Christian homosexual and have homosexual church. Be not deceived. Be not deceived.
You will, you will not inherit the kingdom of God if you live in such things.
Reviling, you will not go to heaven. Adultery, living in it, you will not go to heaven. Fornication, people tell us it's natural. Do what comes naturally.
Yes, do it and you'll go to the place where the natural man goes. Hell. Be not deceived. It's abundantly clear.
Galatians chapter 5, verses 19, to 24. Galatians 5.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these. Fornication. Galatians 5, 19. Fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wrath, factions, divisions, partying, envyings, drunkenness, revelings, and such like, of which I forewarn you, even I did forewarn you, that they who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
You can't live like that. Do the flesh and go to heaven. And he underscores it in verse 24. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the power of God.
passions and the lusts thereof. If you're a Christian, the flesh has been crucified. It has been nailed to the cross. It no longer reigns in you, though sin yet remains in you.
It is no longer reigning. You are not living in these things. If you are, you're not going to heaven. Ephesians chapter 5, verses 5 and 6.
Ephesians chapter 5, verses 5 and 6. For this know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Clear, isn't it? Say, well, who would ever question it?
Listen. Let no man deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, comes the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
What will happen to you if you live in this kind of a lifestyle? The wrath of God will come upon you.
You will have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Know it of a surety. Do not let anyone deceive you or delude you. And do not delude yourselves.
No matter how many times you hear it, or how nice the fellow is who tells you, don't believe it. Because it's a lie.
Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 14. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 14.
Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord. Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification, or it could be translated, holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. And it's not speaking here about standing before the Lord as the righteous judge in judgment. It's talking about seeing the Lord in the vision of His glory and beauty, which is the portion and lot of all of those who spend eternity with the Lord in heaven. You will not see the Lord without holiness. Holiness is necessary. Holiness is not optional.
It is essential to spending eternity in the presence of Christ. The final passage, the set of passages is in 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5.
And all of the various texts which lead unto it. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 13. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 13. These things have, have I written unto you, that you may know that you have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God.
He says that His purpose is to strengthen the assurance of those to whom He writes. I am writing these things to you that you may know. And there's not a word in here about raising hands. There's not a word in this epistle about walking aisles.
There's not. There's not a word in this epistle about repeating phrases like, Lord Jesus, come into my heart. There's not a single solitary word in here that indicates if you simply do this, then you can know you have eternal life, period. That is not the way the Apostle John approached the subject in 1 John.
What are some of the things that he wrote in this epistle? Well, let's look at several of the important passages. First of all, 1 John chapter 2 and verse 3.
1 John 2, 3. How do you know where you stand with God? How can you tell if you're saved? How can you tell if you know the Lord?
Verse 3. Hereby we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. He that says, I know Him and keeps not His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. Clear, isn't it?
He that says, I know Him and doesn't keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. 1 John chapter 3 and verse 3. Everyone, and here he's talking about the Christian hope. We know, verse 2, that if He shall be manifested, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him even as He is.
And everyone that has this hope set on Him purifies himself even as He is pure. Everyone. Everyone who has a true Christian hope is engaged in a life of self-purification. He's actively engaged in the pursuit of holiness throughout his life.
If he's not engaged in the pursuit of holiness, he doesn't have a true Christian hope. Everyone, everyone that has this hope set on Him purifies himself even as He is pure. He is pure.
And then he speaks about living a sinful lifestyle. A lifestyle of a worldler. Talks about living in sin. And that's how he uses the word sin here.
He's using the word sin to describe a sinful life. As we say it, living in sin. And he says, whoever abides in Him, verse 6, does not sin.
Whoever sins has not seen Him, neither knows Him. He's speaking about whoever lives a sinful lifestyle. Whoever lives in sin has not seen Him, neither knows Him. My little children, let no man lead you astray.
He that does righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that does sin is of the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning. There are only two kinds of people in the world. And there are only two kinds of lifestyles.
There are righteous men and sinners. A righteous man lives a righteous life. A life of holiness. The sinner lives a lifestyle of sin.
A life of disobedience and rebellion against God. There are only two kinds of people. And you cannot live a life of sin and disobedience and rebellion against God and go to heaven and claim that you're a righteous person.
There's no such thing as a so-called carnal Christian who really is a righteous man living a sinful life. Let no man lead you astray.
He that does righteousness... Righteousness is righteous.
He that does sin is of the devil. Two kinds of people and two kinds of lifestyles. A holy life is necessary evidence of being in a state of grace. Verse 13 of chapter 3.
Marvel not, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren.
Love to the people. Love to the people of God is a mark of being regenerate. First John chapter 5 and verse 4.
Whatsoever is begotten of God overcomes the world.
Whatsoever is begotten of God overcomes the world. Overcoming the world. Loving the brethren. Keeping the commandments.
Not living a sinful lifestyle. These things have I written to you. In order that you may...
I know that you have eternal life. That's my first point.
Qualification: Gospel Obedience vs. Legalism
I trust I have established to you from the Scriptures the necessity of a holy life. A holy life is a necessary evidence that you are saved. Now, just a word of qualification before we pass on to the second point.
The obedience being spoken of when it says that the one who knows God keeps the commandments. That obedience being spoken of is not a legalistic obedience and that obedience is not the grounds of our acceptance with God or the pardon of our sin.
Rather, that obedience, it is not the ground of our acceptance. Rather, it is the evidence of a new heart.
And those who have the obedience that John speaks of do not perform it in order to earn or merit pardon or acceptance, but they do it out of love to God in order to please Him because they're grateful that He saved them by His grace. Furthermore, they do not do it in their own strength. But as the Apostle says in Romans 8, if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the body, it's not if by your own strength you mortify, but if by the Spirit. It's independence upon the Holy Spirit.
And the grace of God that works in us to will and to work for His good pleasure that this obedience is wrought. It is a gospel obedience. It's not sinless perfection, but it is a real gospel obedience out of love and gratitude to God and enabled by the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. And that brings me to the second point, which is to say something now about the distinctive, of a holy life.
The Distinctives of a Holy Life: Doctrinal, Moral, and Devotional
If a holy life really is necessary, then it behooves us to know essentially what it is. And what are the essential elements or distinctives of a holy life? And there are three tests or marks or distinctives. First of all, there is a doctrinal distinctive.
Secondly, there is a moral distinctive. And thirdly, there is a devotional or experimental distinctive. Distinctive. Distinctive, sorry.
And all of these are present always in every true Christian. If you think of it in terms of school or a board exam or something like that that you have to pass, there are three phases of the test.
First of all, you have to pass a doctrinal test. Then you have to pass a moral test. Then you have to pass a devotional or experimental test. And there are names for people that flunk each one of those aspects of the test.
If you flunk the doctrinal test, if you flunk the doctrinal test,
you're called a heretic. If you flunk the moral test, you're called a hypocrite. If you flunk the devotional or experimental test, you're called a formalist.
So there are three kinds of people running around saying they know God and have a holy life who really don't. One of them we heard about this morning eloquently from Pastor Dixon. The ones who flunk the doctrinal test. The heretics.
There is also the hypocrite who flunks the moral test. And there is the formalist who flunks the experimental or devotional test. First of all, I want to look at these three briefly.
The Doctrinal Distinctive: Sound Belief
1 John chapter 4 verses 5 and 6 tells us about the doctrinal test.
We are of God. Speaking of the apostles, we are of God. He that knows God, hears us.
He who is not of God, hears us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
And you see, there are some people who tell us, but look, as long as you're nice and decent, it really doesn't matter what you believe. You see how false that is? John says, look, it's not just a matter of denominations. This is a matter of true religion or false religion.
This is a matter of... This is a matter of life and death.
This is a matter of whether you know God or whether you don't know God. If you reject the authority and teaching of the apostles, you do not know God. There is a doctrinal aspect of a holy life. You cannot live a holy life and believe heresy.
Heresy is a damning doctrine. You cannot live a holy life and be a heretic. And there are certain doctrines, which the Bible says are inconsistent with knowing God. And one of them is the rejection of the authority and inspiration of the apostolic writings.
He that knows God hears us. He does not reject what the apostles say, but he regards the teaching and writings of the apostles to be accurate, true, and from God. So those who deny, the authority, the inspiration, the inerrancy of the scriptures, and say that the Bible is just a book, but they come to a statement in the Bible and say, well, that's Paul's idea, or that's just Peter's idea. That's heresy, that kind of talk.
It's incompatible with knowing God and with going to heaven at last. For he that knows God hears us. And that's the first and fundamental and foundational mark of heresy. It is rejecting the authority and inspiration of the apostolic writings and teachings.
But then in particular, the word of God stresses, and here I must move quickly, the apostolic writing, and in particular, the apostolic teaching about God, about Christ, about salvation, about heaven and hell. If you reject any of these fundamental gospel truths, you are a heretic. You cannot reject the apostolic teaching about God. 1 John 5.20 says, This one is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols. To reject the doctrine of the deity of Father, Son, and Spirit, who are the three persons, the one supreme being, is to reject the truth in a damning way. 2 John 7.
I'm sorry. 2 John 7. 2 John 7. 2 John 7.
We read the same sentiments respecting the teaching about Christ.
2 John 7. For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ comes in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
This is the deceiver and the antichrist. To reject the gospel doctrine of Christ, His deity, His incarnation, and all that it involves with His perfect life, His atoning death, His bodily resurrection, and His second coming bodily, visibly, is to reject the apostolic doctrine of Christ. To reject those things is heresy.
Then there's the apostolic doctrine of conversion. In the book of Galatians, chapter 1, the apostle Paul says that if any man is not teaching justification by faith in Jesus Christ, he's teaching another gospel. He says if anybody preaches any other gospel, let him be anathema. He doesn't say, well, he's a good brother with a few things wrong in his head.
He says, let him be anathema. Let him be anathema. For this reason, the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church are heresy.
And to believe those doctrines is to believe heresy. And to embrace those doctrines about the way of salvation is to embrace heresy. It is to embrace another gospel. And such heresy, embraced, is incompatible with being in a state of grace and going to heaven.
Furthermore, there's false teaching about the world to come. 2 Timothy, chapter 1, verses 17 and 18, the apostle Paul speaks of such. Speaks of those who say that the resurrection's already passed. This life is all there is, they say.
There is no heaven. There is no hell. There is no life after death. Says they overthrow the faith of some.
He says, teaching is doctrinal cancer.
It eats like a gangrene. It's heresy. It's incompatible with being in a state of grace.
The Moral Distinctive: Obedience to God's Law
But then I must move quickly to the moral and devotional distinctives. And I must, otherwise, we shall soon run out of time.
1 John, chapter 2, verse 3, we've already looked at the text.
Hereby we know that we know Him if we keep His, commandments. He that says, I know Him, and doesn't keep His commandments is a liar.
Commandments of God in the most general sense refers to the Ten Commandments. For the carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the law of God. Neither, indeed, can it be.
And regeneration is of the nature that it is God writing the law, His Ten Commandments, upon the heart so that there is a willingness and a willingness and an effort sincerely to keep that law to please God in the power of the Spirit of God. This marks a regenerate man. Especially in this context. The focus of this is upon love to the people of God.
The law involves love to God and love to men. But the special focus and emphasis of the teaching of Christ with reference to the law is love to the brethren. And that is indeed the special focus of this text. Here.
Now, in this sense, it refers to respecting the brethren's rights as taught in the Decalogue. Being sensitive to the consciences of the brethren. Laboring for the edification of the brethren. Forgiving the sins and tolerating the petty faults of the brethren.
And having compassion upon the needs of the brethren.
And so the moral distinctive is a distinction of obedience to the law of God. In general, the entirety of the Decalogue with a special focus upon the emphasis which Christ taught. The new commandment I give you that you love one another. And by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another.
The Devotional/Experimental Distinctive: Communion with God
The third test. So the heretic flunks the doctrinal test. The hypocrite flunks the moral test. The formalist flunks the experimental and devotional test.
It's possible you see to be orthodox and to be decent and not to be really holy.
And it's possible to lack a real devotion, a personal communion with God. And this is what the formalist lacks. He lacks the essence of communion with God. He does not know the Lord.
He doesn't have the root of the matter. He doesn't have the spirit in his heart. And therefore, doesn't have intimate personal spiritual contact with the living God. And this is marked by the fact that there's no real evangelical conviction of sin.
No real compassion for the lost. And no experimental conversation about the things of God. Because there's no real, intimate, personal contact with God. Though the person may be orthodox in his doctrine.
Not guilty of heresy. Maybe outwardly decent in his life. Not guilty of any gross outward violations of the Ten Commandments. Yet there's this lack of the root of the matter.
In addition to this, there's a lack of the essential elements of this communion with God. Which is love to God, gratitude to Him for what He's done for you. The fear of God. Living under God's eye.
His secret. Devotion to God. Supreme attachment and loyalty to God alone. And similarly, because the formalist lacks the root of the matter, which is spiritual contact with God.
And lacks the elements of that contact, which is love to God and the fear of God and devotion to God. Because he lacks those realities, he lacks the means of that communion with God in his life. And those means are simple. Simple.
Secret prayer and the devotional reading of the Word of God. Because he doesn't have a hunger for the Word. And he doesn't have contact with God, so he doesn't really pray. Or he might say grace at a meal.
Might even read the Bible at mealtime. But he doesn't really pray. He lacks secret prayer. And he lacks a devotional hunger and reading of the Word of God to feed his own soul.
Application of Distinctives in Membership Interview
Though he may be outwardly decent and orthodox, but he's not saved. There's no experimental devotional reality in a man's life. This is the formalist. So I say to you, contemplating membership in the church, a holy life is necessary.
And there are three essential distinctives. A doctrinal, a moral, and an experimental or devotional distinctive of that holy life. And in your membership, the elders are going to ask you questions about what you believe. They're going to ask you questions about your doctrine and try to discern whether you believe any damning heresies that we might deal faithfully with your soul.
They're going to ask you questions about your morality, about your life, whether you're living in a life of gross sin, or whether you're living a life of holiness and evangelical obedience to the law of God. And they're going to ask you questions. Questions about your devotion. They're going to ask you questions about your own experience, about your prayer life, about your hunger for the word of God, about communion with God and whether you're living under the eye of God and with love to the Lord and whether your heart is loyal to Christ above all else and everyone else.
The Discernment of a Holy Life: Diligent Self-Examination
Elders are going to ask you about those things in your membership interview because these are the essential elements. So now I come to my third point. Third and finally, the discernment of these distinctives. If a holy life is necessary and if the distinctives of a holy life are doctrinal, moral and devotional or experimental, then how can you tell, how can you discern whether you have a holy life?
The Apostle Peter exhorts us in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 9 that this is no simple matter. It's not a matter of ABC. It's not a matter of well, here's the promise and you did this thing so therefore never question it again. But the Apostle Peter says give diligence to make your calling and election sure.
Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. You must examine yourself and you must do this diligently. These things are not to be trifled with. They're too important.
They're of eternal moment. And wait. It's not something to be done lightly or haphazardly but you are to give diligence. He says the more diligence to make your calling and election sure.
To look at your life whether or not you pass the doctrinal test and the moral test and the devotional test of being in a state of grace. Well, how do you do this? One of the things that has been helpful to me over the years and I pass it on to you. One of the most helpful things.
I guess it is the most helpful thing I've ever read although I don't claim that my reading is all that extensive. But the most helpful thing I've ever read is found in an old Puritan work. The work of John Flamel. Volume 1.
And actually it's in the introduction. It's not even in the body of the work. It's in the introduction. There's a statement in the introduction of John Flamel volume 1.
Roman numerals pages 10 and 11. And everything I'm saying to you here really is coming directly from John Flamel. And Flamel lays out in his biography or I should say sets out in his biography what was his own practice with reference to seeking to discern whether the root of the matter was in himself. The first thing that Flamel commends to us is conducting this self-examination in dependence upon God.
I've written Psalm 139 verses 23 and 24. Search me, O God. Try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. The whole climate of this examination should be one of dependence upon God.
It should be conducted in prayerful dependence. Lord, search me. Lord, you show me the truth about myself. Second thing Flamel says is that we should be objective.
We should strive for objectivity. Proverbs 21 and verse 2 says that every way of a man is right in his own eyes. There's a tendency to justify ourselves too quickly, says Flamel. There's a tendency out of a carnal self-love and prejudice to be prejudiced in our favor.
So he says set that aside and pray God will give you objectivity to judge yourself like you would judge someone else. That kind of objectivity without which you will surely go astray in the work. The third thing that he says is he attempted to conduct this work with judgment day honesty. Acts 24 and verse 16.
It says herein that is in the light of the coming day of judgment I do my best. I strive to have a conscience void of offense to God and to men through everything. And it is that spirit that Flamel commends. When you examine yourself whether or not you pass the doctrinal and the moral and the devotional test do it as though you were standing before God himself in the day of judgment.
Judgment day honesty. Another thing that he says is to pick a good time to do this. He says there are certain seasons not appropriate for this. He says I did it when I was in the most quiet and serious frame.
In a quiet and serious frame. The text I thought of though Flamel didn't give text with these but the text I thought of is the principle let all things be done decently in an order. 1 Corinthians 14.48.
And for everything there is a time and a season. When you are especially going through a period of depression there may be certain times of the month when it would be utterly inappropriate and unwise for you to be conducting serious self-examination for you would be likely every time you attempted in such a frame to prove yourself a hypocrite and go down into the valley of despair. Therefore take a quiet and serious and stable season. Not an emotional peak nor an emotional valley.
Choose the time wisely if you would indeed prosper in the work. Perhaps a regular stated season at the beginning or the end of the year would be of use. And then another thing that he says is he attempted to distinguish and this is very important I think of 1 John 1.9 If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Flavel attempted to distinguish between reigning and remaining sin. As he puts it sins which should be grounds for humiliation that's remaining sin or sin which should be grounds for doubting that's reigning sin. And Flavel says that every sin is not grounds to question whether you are saved. All Christians sin.
All Christians sin regularly and will continue to sin every day until the day they die. So the fact that you sin doesn't mean you are not a Christian. And you have to learn to distinguish he says between those sins which are remaining sin grounds for being humbled before God and sin which is reigning sin grounds for doubting whether you are in a state of grace. And he leaves this as the last great principle of self-examination indeed it is crucial.
Distinguishing Reigning vs. Remaining Sin
So I have attempted to give you some hints here with reference to this. How can you distinguish between reigning sin and remaining sin? Well they distinguish and this is something that's going to be the work of a lifetime for you. It's not going to be the work simply of a few weeks before you join the church.
This is going to be the work of a lifetime therefore I don't mind for the rest of you flies on the wall saying these things. First of all there's a difference in the kind of sin. There's a difference secondly in your attitude toward the sin. And thirdly there's a difference in the influence that the sin has upon your life.
And I just mention these things briefly as we close. There's a difference in the kind of sin. Reigning sin is of this kind. It is willful sin.
If we sin willfully it's the type of known deliberate stubborn offense. A serious sin persisted in stubbornly which would be the cause of church discipline according to Matthew 18. If you sin against your brother and he goes to you and he points out your sin you say I refuse to deal with it. Then he brings to others you refuse to deal with it.
Then he takes to the church you refuse to deal with it. That's a type of sin that ought to cause you to doubt whether you're in a state of grace. It's a willful high-handed stubbornly persisted in sin. Then there's the gross sin of 1 Corinthians 5 and 6 6, 9 and 10.
Those patterns of gross sin that we read about. Fornication. Drunkenness. Homosexuality.
Reviling. These kinds of sins which are inconsistent with being a Christian. But sinful thoughts sinful words carnal anxiety carnal anger domestic insensitivity and failure these kinds of sins are not inconsistent with being a Christian. And you mustn't think that you're not a Christian just because you sin and every time you sin.
But you have to learn those kinds of sins which are consistent with being a Christian and those kinds of sins which are inconsistent with being a Christian and don't cross the line. And then it's your attitude towards sin. Remaining sin is sin that is hated. Sin that is confessed and sin that is forsaken.
Whoso confesses and forsakes shall obtain mercy. Proverbs 28, 13. Whereas reigning sin is sin that is loved and sin that is indulged. And finally the influence of the sin.
If by the spirit you mortify the deeds of the body you shall live. Remaining sin is always in the process of being mortified. Reigning sin is ruling in you and it is un-mortified. And how can you tell if sin is being mortified?
Well you look at the degree of it. Is there a lessening of the degree? Someone had an anger problem he used to rant and swear but then he went to a period where he was striking and throwing and then yelling and now a harsh word. Then the duration of the sin.
Do you stay under the sin for days before you repent and confess and make right? Or a day or hours or a minute? There is a lessening in the duration and in the degree and in the frequency of the sin. The sin being committed daily or then once a week or then once a month or once a year.
Concluding Exhortation and Prayer
And you see when a sin is being mortified you see a lessening in its frequency a lessening in its duration and a lessening in its degree. Well our time is gone. I trust the Lord will be pleased to take these things to write them upon our hearts that we may know and learn that indeed a holy life is the evidence of conversion. We may be convinced of it and may know the essential elements of it and we may know how and have success in discerning it.
in ourselves. Let us pray. Our Father we give you thanks for your holy word which shows us the way of life the evidence of being in the state of grace. We pray you will help us by the Holy Spirit in a biblical manner to examine ourselves and to try ourselves and to give diligence to make our calling and election sure.
We pray you will keep us from a carnal presumption on the one hand and keep us from a morbid introspection on the other. And grant oh God that we may look at ourselves honestly and accurately and grant our Father that we may know what a holy life is be convinced of its essential nature to going to heaven. Grant that these things being written upon our hearts we may make every diligent effort to go to that place where you will be with us forever and ever. Receive oh Lord our God our thanks and our praise write your word upon our hearts for we ask it in Christ's name.
Amen.
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
This verse sets the overarching purpose for the sermon's exploration of a holy life: to provide assurance of eternal life, which John's epistle aims to strengthen through various tests of faith and obedience.
This verse from the Sermon on the Mount is a foundational text for establishing the necessity of a righteousness that surpasses mere externality, directly linking a transformed life to entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
This verse is presented as a definitive statement on the non-negotiable requirement of holiness for seeing the Lord, serving as a powerful summary of the sermon's first main point on the necessity of a holy life.
Texts Expounded
Also Referenced
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