AMERICAS MOST SINFUL CITIES...how does your city rank among the seven deadly sins?

Forbes Magazine has recently conducted a survey of the top ten most sinful cities in America. They are ranked according to how great they have "fallen from grace" in each of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, avarice (for those who live in Ballard that's extreme greed for wealth), sloth, wrath, envy and pride.

The results are really surprising. Seattle, "the least church city in America", is not even mentioned 58% of the time (four out of the seven sins they didn't even place in the top ten) and it never occupied the top spot in the three categories it is mentioned. I guess it isn't such bad of a place to live in after all.

As believers in Christ, we all know that sin is not a matter of geographic location; it is one of nature for all are "conceived in sin" and "by nature children of wrath" (Psalm 51:5; Roms. 3:10-18; Eph. 2:1-3). But, it seems according to this survey that if you want to launch a ministry in a relatively "safe environment," Seattle might just be the place for you! It's no Mars Hill mind you (Acts 17) like the Apostle Paul had to face, but a really beautiful place to live and raise a family.

However, here is a surprise, all of you who live in the midwest or the south, you have your work cut out for you. It seems the Bible belt is no insulator against iniquity. If you want to be involved in tough ministry, come to some of the most churched cities in the country. And if you really want to flex your spiritual muscles, go to the Northeast. Now that is really tough slugging for the Lord. It is not for the timid, spiritually soft, or half-hearted in their commitment to the gospel (i.e. the emerging church, pragmatists, or the seeker-sensitive movement). The nor-easterners are too smart for that kind of plastic faith. This is "rubber meets the road Christianity" at its finest. IOW, you can't pretend there; it is real or it is not. And they can spot a phony a mile away.

Lesson learned? There is much work to be done all around the country for the gospel isn't there? The fields are white with harvest, but the workers are few. Let's get to work for the days are short.

From the hardest place to minister anywhere in the world (Nashville, TN).
Campius Stephanus
2 Cor. 4:5

Your Weekly Dose of Gospel...the reality of sin and the necessity of the law

"For all have sinned, and continually fall short of the holy appraisal of God." -Romans 3:23


by Ichabod Spencer
All, and therefore you, my dear Reader, and myself. We have sinned; that is, we have broken God's law; for 'There is none righteous, no, not one' (Romans 3:10). There is none that has kept the law of God. We have transgressed every precept of His moral law, either in act, word, or evil desire. The charge is heavy, but the verdict is true. Let us consider the case, earnestly entreating God to enlighten our minds. Take the ten commandments into your hand, and read. We have broken the first commandment, by trusting in and loving other things more than God. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart" (Matthew 22:37). In this we have come short. The second respects the manner in which God is to be worshiped, not with outward form and ceremony, but in spirit and truth.

Alas! how deficient have we been in that serious attention, that inward reverence, and that devout affection, which His worship required! God is a jealous God. You say you have never been guilty of profane cursing and swearing, and so think you have kept the third; but have you never in prayer, and in reading the sacred Scriptures, suffered the holy name of God to pass through your lips without an awful sense of what you were doing, or even without thought? "the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Exodus 20:7). Have you always employed the whole Sabbath in those religious exercises which the fourth commandment enjoins; and performed those exercises in such a devout manner, that the law has nothing to charge you with, in thought, word, or deed? Sinner, lay your hand upon your mouth, and plead guilty. Need I go through the second table? Dost thou love thy neighbor as thyself? Hast thou done unto all men as thou wouldst they should do unto thee? Have you never been guilty of disobedience to your parents? Know ye not that every rising of causless anger is murder? (Matthew 5:22) that every unchaste desire is adultery? (Matthew 5:28) that every secret fraud and neglect of affording that succour to the poor which is in your power, is theft? That every uncharitable thought is a breach of the ninth, and every covetous wish a transgression of the tenth commandment?

Surely all have sinned, in doing that which the law forbids, and in not doing that which the law commands. What have I then done; and what have I not done? All have sinned. What is my state? A state of sinfulness and misery. Why have I not felt it till now? Because sin hath blinded my eyes against the light of truth.

A Biblical Orthodoxy: A Theology of the Cross (pt 3)...sin and grace (Romans 3:23-24)

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;" (Romans 3:23-24).

3. The Cross Demands the Glory of God
soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone)

All glory belongs to God and man may not share in that glory. All that we have in life and salvation if from His sovereign hand; He has accomplished all through Jesus Christ our Lord - not only the atonement on the Cross, but even granting the faith which allows sinful men to be saved. Every aspect of salvation is a grace-gift from God, and thus all praise belongs to Him alone and not to any man.

The Sinfulness of Sin and the Sinner
Romans 3:23a "for all have sinned..."

Man by his very nature is corrupt-totally depraved, conceived in sin, dead in his trespasses and sins. By nature a child of wrath; depraved in his mind and deprived of the truth. He is a sinner not because he commits acts of sin, but because he is born sinful-with a sin nature.

“Sin strikes at God and says, ‘I don’t care what You said, I’ll do what I want.’ It is God’s would be murderer. Sin would un-God God if it could. Sin defiles the conscience. Sin is irrational and forfeits blessing. Sin is painful—it hurts. Sin is damning. Sin is degrading it mares the image of God and man. Like Samson, it cuts the locks of purity and leaves men morally weak. Sin poisons the springs of love and turns beauty in leprosy. Sin defeats the mind, the heart, the will, the affections and it has made a whole world of people—all of mankind—children wrath by nature; objects of God’s wrath. Sin brings man under the domination of Satan and his sick sin system, which he controls. Man and the world is a slave to sin, open rebellion and defiance to God and a slave to Satan.” (author unknown).

That great puritan preacher, Jonathan Edwards, brings us to the crossroads of this issue when saying:

“Sin is naturally exceeding dear to us; to part with it is compared to plucking out our right eyes. Men may refrain from wonted ways of sin for a little while, and may deny their lusts in a partial degree, with less difficulty; but it is heart-rending work, finally to part with all sin, and to give our dearest lusts a bill of divorce, utterly to send them away. But this we must do, if we would follow those that are truly turning to God: yea, we must not only forsake sin, but must, in a sense, forsake all the world, Luke 14:33 'Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.'"

Thomas Watson emphasizes this as well by the aphorism:

"Another subtlety is to draw men to evil, sub specie boni, under a pretence of good. -- The pirate doeth mischief by hanging out false colors; so does Satan by hanging out the colors of religion. He puts some men upon sinful actions, and persuades them much good will come of it. He tells them in some cases that they may dispense with the rule of the Word, and stretch their conscience beyond that line, that they may be in a capacity of doing more service. As if God needed our sin to raise his glory."

And because our nature is totally corrupt, the only thing that we are deserving of, if God was only just, holy and righteous, is to be sentenced to perditions flames for all eternity. On my best day, doing my best good works, clothed in the rags of my own righteousness reward me the hottest fires of hell. Absent of God’s grace through Jesus Christ and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit – I am deserving and worthy of eternal judgment.

John MacArthur profoundly says,

“Most unsaved people do not think of themselves as enemies of God. Because they have no conscious feelings of hatred for Him and do not actively oppose His work or contradict His Word, they consider themselves, at worst, to be “neutral” about God. But no such neutrality is possible. The mind of every unsaved person is at peace only with the things of the flesh, and therefore by definition is “hostile toward God” and cannot be otherwise (Rom. 8:7).”

Not only are all unbelievers
enemies of God,
but God is also the enemy
of all unbelievers.

The Psalmist says that God is "angry with the wicked every day" (cf. Ps. 7:11). God is the enemy of the sinner, and that enmity cannot end unless and until the sinner places his trust in Jesus Christ. As Paul declared near the opening of this letter of Romans, “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18).

No man is without excuse.

To those who foolishly think God is too loving to send anyone to hell, Paul declared, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things [the sins listed in v. 5] the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6); “and the Lord does hate all who do iniquity” (Psalm 5:5). You see, Hell is not the absence of God, but the wrathful presence of God poured out for eternity upon Satan and all his minions, and all who have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ, who do not confess Him as Lord and Savior of their lives in unmitigated fury and gall forever.

But on the cross, Christ took upon Himself all the fury of God’s wrath on behalf of the elect that sinful mankind deserves. And those who trust in Christ are no longer God’s enemies and no longer under His wrath, but are at peace with Him (Roms. 5:1).

What is the glory that Paul is speaking of here?
Romans 3:23b - "and fall short of the glory of God,"

This glory is not the "doing of all things for God's glory." Roms. 3:10-18 settles that issue plainly. It is not the future glory of glorification (Jude 24-25) that all true believers will receive one day in eternity; i.e., the believers future reward as found in 1 Cor. 15:43; 2 Cor. 3:18, 4:17; Col. 1:27, 3:4; and 2 Tim. 2:10.

IT IS the entrance of sin that causes all to fall short of God's glory. The term glory of God means here "glory imparted by God": IOW, in the sense of approval, approbation and praise. Following this line of thinking you could translate this verse as saying, "All have sinned and continually are unworthy of God's praise and appraisal” (present tense). All continually fall short of God’s holy approbationl of our lives.

There is nothing we can to please God, satisfy God, merit His favor; to be in right relationship with Him apart from His grace. We are completely depraved, conceived in sin, by nature children of wrath, sons of disobedience, no seeking after God, no one doing what is right, no fear of God before our eyes, etc. (cp, Roms. 3:10-18; Eph. 2:1-3; Psalm 51:5).

So what Paul is meaning in verse 23 is this:

"all continually sin and constantly fall short of conformity to God's image."

William Hendrickson translates this way:
"All have sinned and as a result are now in a state in which they are falling short of (or lacking) what they possessed before the fall, namely, the inestimable blessing of having the approval of God resting upon them."

That is why Spurgeon clearly states:

"Consider this, believer. You have no right to heaven in yourself: your right lies in Christ. If you are pardoned, it is through His blood; if you are justified, it is through His righteousness; if you are sanctified, it is because He is made of God unto you sanctification; if you shall be kept from falling, it will be because you are preserved in Christ Jesus; and if you are perfected at the last, it will be because you are complete in Him. Thus Jesus is magnified-for all is in Him and by Him; thus the inheritance is made certain to us-for it is obtained in Him; thus each blessing is the sweeter, and even heaven itself the brighter, because it is Jesus our Beloved "in whom" we have obtained all."

4. The Cross Distinguishes the Grace of God
-sola gratia (grace alone)
Romans 3:24 "being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;"

Salvation comes by grace alone, not through any merits intrensic of the sinner. Thus salvation is an unearned gift. This is a response to the Catholic doctrine of merit.

This is the first time Paul uses the verb to justify in a positive sense to set forth the doctrine of justification by faith. Justify here means to declare righteous. Justification then may be defined as:

"the gracious act of God, whereby, on the basis solely of Christ's accomplished mediatorial work on the cross, He declares the sinner just, and later accepts this benefit with a believing heart."

Justification stands over and against condemnation.

Justification is also a matter of imputation: the sinner's sin, guilt and penalty of sin is imputed to Christ; the Savior's complete righteousness (His active and passive obedience) is imputed to the sinner (2 Cor. 5:21).

"freely"
We are justified Paul says "as a gift" or freely; in other words, absent of any human merit. Man cannot earn the great and awesome blessing of justification-being made right with God. We can only receive it as a gift and that receiving is even an act of grace.

"By His grace"
And this was all accomplished by grace.

Grace presupposes sin, guilt, and demerit; it addresses the fact that not only have we not earned the favor of God, we have earned the curse of God. Grace means we don’t get the curse we deserve, instead, we get the blessings we don’t deserve, because Christ earned them in our place. The Gospel is the message of the grace of God.

The historically accepted definition of grace is: unmerited favor. But this is really inadequate. It is a definition of kindness rather than grace; it doesn’t go far enough.

My friend, Jerry Bridges, gives a tremendous illustration of this. He says,

“A hungry hobo comes to your door asking for a meal. You give it to him freely, without him doing anything to earn it. This would be considered ‘kindness’, but not ‘grace’.

Here is a biblical definition of grace:

1. ‘God’s favor through Christ to those who deserve His disfavor.’
This is designed to compare/contrast to the historically accepted inadequate definition of grace above.

2. ‘God’s blessings through Christ to those who deserve His curse.’
I think that this is the better of the two definitions.

Again, Jerry Bridges is masterful in illustrating this truth:

“The hobo robs you after eating your free meal. He then returns one month later. But instead of calling the police, you give him another meal.

Let’s look at this definition of grace a bit closer.
1. Grace is: ‘God’s blessings through Christ’.
Christ is the only basis for both our redemption from the curse and our attaining any of God’s blessings. Apart from the Fifth Marian Dogma; The Treasury of Merit; Penance; Purgatory; etc. that Romanism teaches as “the means of grace by which we merit eternal life…”, true salvation by grace is through Christ alone!

Consider these verses:

Rom. 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Rom. 5:15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

Rom. 5:17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Rom. 5:21 that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2Cor. 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

2Cor. 13:14 ¶ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Eph. 2:7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

2Tim. 1:9 who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

Could it be any clearer? Grace is only through Christ Jesus the Lord. And contrary to postmodern religious affections being touted today, biblically - "whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:23)

2. Grace is given “to those that deserve His curse."
We have assaulted the holiness of God. We have broken His law. We have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness. And we have followed the way of our own lustful, prideful, rebellious hearts; recreating God in our own image to accommodate our sin and sinful behavior.

As Paul said in Titus 3:3, “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”

That is my testimony; and this is yours as well.

Here is Jerry again providing this insightful and penetrating illustration by saying:

“This takes us from seeing ourselves as the hungry hobo to seeing ourselves as the hobo-robber.”

This is why the law should never be divorced from gospel preaching. For the law brings conviction upon our sinful hearts, revealing that we are the hobo-robber; we are sinful and sinners who commit acts of sin. And that all sin, though it may wound others and hurt ourselves, is ultimately an act of rebellion against a holy God and God alone.

That is why grace is never static; but active. We could say that grace is ‘God in action.’ Grace is not just a benevolent attitude on God’s part to sinful people; but grace is ‘God in action’ for our good and His glory.

By this active God of grace to coming to sinful people like me and you, He is saving us, justifying us, empowering us, sustaining us, equipping us, etc. And it is all ‘by His grace.’

G.S. Bishop powerfully defines grace as:

"Grace is a provision for men who are so fallen that they cannot lift the ax of justice; so corrupt that they cannot change their own natures; so adverse to God that they cannot turn to Him; so blind that they cannot see Him; so deaf that they cannot hear Him; and so dead that He Himself must open their graves."

"through the redemption (accomplished) in Christ Jesus"
Redemption is deliverance by means of a payment of ransom from the guilt, power and punishment of sin.

Romans 8:28-30, the golden chain of salvation, says:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God--that love God; to them who are the called according to His purpose. For those he foreknow, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Whom He predestined, Oh, He called: whom He called, He justified: and whom He justified, these He glorified."

Amen?

Beloved, not only are we saved by grace, but we stand in grace everyday as well. Our finite sin can never exhaust His infinite grace (Roms. 5:2).

We are great sinners; but He is a greater Savior.

HOLINESS...by J.C. Ryle

Can holiness save us? Can holiness put away sin, cover iniquities, make satisfaction for transgressions, pay our debt to God?

No, not a whit. God forbid that I should ever say so. Holiness can do none of these things. The brightest saints are all "unprofitable servants." Our purest works are not better than filthy rags when tried by the light of God’s holy law. The white robe, which Jesus offers and faith puts on, must be our only righteousness, the name of Christ our only confidence, the Lamb’s book of life our only title to heaven. With all our holiness we are no better than sinners. Our best things are stained and tainted with imperfection. They are all more or less incomplete, wrong in the motive or defective in the performance. By the deeds of the law shall no child of Adam ever be justified. "By grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).

Why then is holiness so important? Why does the apostle say, "Without it no man shall see the Lord"?

Let me set out in order a few reasons.

a. For one thing, we must be holy, because the voice of God in Scripture plainly commands it. The Lord Jesus says to His people, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). "Be you . . . perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). Paul tells the Thessalonians, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:3). And Peter says, "As He which has called you is holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, ‘Be you holy, for I am holy’"(1 Pet. 1:15, 16). "In this," says Leighton, "law and gospel agree."

b. We must be holy, because this is one grand end and purpose for which Christ came into the world. Paul writes to the Corinthians, "He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:15); and to the Ephesians, "Christ . . . loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it" (Eph. 5:25, 26); and to Titus, "[He] gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). In short, to talk of men being saved from the guilt of sin, without being at the same time saved from its dominion in their hearts, is to contradict the witness of all Scripture. Are believers said to be elect? It is "through sanctification of the Spirit." Are they predestinated? It is "to be conformed to the image of God’s Son." Are they chosen? It is "that they may be holy." Are they called? It is "with a holy calling." Are they afflicted? It is that they may be "partakers of holiness." Jesus is a complete Savior. He does not merely take away the guilt of a believer’s sin; He does more—He breaks its power (1 Pet. 1:2; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4; Heb. 12:10).

c. We must be holy, because this is the only sound evidence that we have a saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The twelfth Article of our church says truly, that "Although good works cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgment, yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith; insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by its fruits." James warns us there is such a thing as a dead faith, a faith which goes no further than the profession of the lips and has no influence on a man’s character (James 2:17). True saving faith is a very different kind of thing. True faith will always show itself by its fruits; it will sanctify, it will work by love, it will overcome the world, it will purify the heart. I know that people are fond of talking about deathbed evidences. They will rest on words spoken in the hours of fear and pain and weakness, as if they might take comfort in them about the friends they lose. But I am afraid in ninety–nine cases out of a hundred, such evidences are not to be depended on. I suspect that, with rare exceptions, men die just as they have lived. The only safe evidence that we are one with Christ, and Christ in us, is holy life. Those who live unto the Lord are generally the only people who die in the Lord. If we would die the death of the righteous, let us not rest in slothful desires only; let us seek to live His life. It is a true saying of Traill’s: "That man’s state is nothing, and his faith unsound, that finds not his hopes of glory purifying to his heart and life."

d. We must be holy, because this is the only proof that we love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. This is a point on which He has spoken most plainly, in the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of John: "If you love Me, keep My commandments." "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me." "If a man love Me he will keep My words." "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you" (John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:14). Plainer words than these it would be difficult to find, and woe to those who neglect them! Surely that man must be in an unhealthy state of soul who can think of all that Jesus suffered, and yet cling to those sins for which that suffering was undergone. It was sin that wove the crown of thorns; it was sin that pierced our Lord’s hands and feet and side; it was sin that brought Him to Gethsemane and Calvary, to the cross and to the grave. Cold must our hearts be if we do not hate sin and labor to get rid of it, though we may have to cut off the right hand and pluck out the right eye in doing it.

e. We must be holy, because this is the only sound evidence that we are true children of God. Children in this world are generally like their parents. Some, doubtless, are more so and some less; but it is seldom indeed that you cannot trace a kind of family likeness. And it is much the same with the children of God. The Lord Jesus says, "If you were Abraham’s children you would do the works of Abraham." "If God were your Father, you would love Me" (John 8:39, 42). If men have no likeness to the Father in heaven, it is vain to talk of their being His "sons." If we know nothing of holiness, we may flatter ourselves as we please; but we have not got the Holy Spirit dwelling in us; we are dead and must be brought to life again; we are lost and must be found. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they," and they only, "are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). We must show by our lives the family we belong to. We must let men see by our good conversation that we are indeed the children of the Holy One, or our sonship is but an empty name. "Say not," says Gurnall, "that you have royal blood in your veins, and are born of God, except you can prove your pedigree by daring to be holy."

f. We must be holy, because this is the most likely way to do good to others. We cannot live to ourselves only in this world. Our lives will always be doing either good or harm to those who see them. They are a silent sermon which all can read. It is sad indeed when they are a sermon for the devil’s cause, and not for God’s. I believe that far more is done for Christ’s kingdom by the holy living of believers than we are at all aware of. There is a reality about such living which makes men feel and obliges them to think. It carries a weight and influence with it which nothing else can give. It makes religion beautiful and draws men to consider it, like a lighthouse seen afar off. The day of judgment will prove that many besides husbands have been won "without the Word" by a holy life (1 Pet. 3:1). You may talk to persons about the doctrines of the gospel, and few will listen, and still fewer understand. But your life is an argument that none can escape. There is a meaning about holiness which not even the most unlearned can help taking in. They may not understand justification, but they can understand charity.

I believe there is far more harm done by unholy and inconsistent Christians than we are at all aware of. Such men are among Satan’s best allies. They pull down by their lives what ministers build with their lips. They cause the chariot wheels of the gospel to drive heavily. They supply the children of this world with a never–ending excuse for remaining as they are. "I cannot see the use of so much religion," said an irreligious tradesman not long ago; "I observe that some of my customers are always talking about the gospel and faith and election and the blessed promises and so forth, and yet these very people think nothing of cheating me of pence and halfpence when they have an opportunity. Now, if religious persons can do such things, I do not see what good there is in religion." I grieve to be obliged to write such things, but I fear that Christ’s name is too often blasphemed because of the lives of Christians. Let us take heed lest the blood of souls should be required at our hands. From murder of souls by inconsistency and loose walking, good Lord, deliver us! Oh, for the sake of others, if for no other reason, let us strive to be holy!

g. We must be holy, because our present comfort depends much upon it. We are sadly apt to forget that there is a close connection between sin and sorrow, holiness and happiness, sanctification and consolation. God has so wisely ordered it, that our well–being and our well–doing are linked together. He has mercifully provided that even in this world it shall be man’s interest to be holy. Our justification is not by works, our calling and election are not according to our works; but it is vain for anyone to suppose that he will have a lively sense of his justification, or an assurance of his calling, so long as he neglects good works or does not strive to live a holy life. "Hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments." "Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts" (1 John 2:3; 3:19). A believer may as soon expect to feel the sun’s rays upon a dark and cloudy day, as to feel strong consolation in Christ while he does not follow Him fully. When the disciples forsook the Lord and fled, they escaped danger; but they were miserable and sad. When, shortly after, they confessed Him boldly before men, they were cast into prison and beaten; but we are told, "They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41). Oh, for our own sakes, if there were no other reason, let us strive to be holy! He who follows Jesus most fully will always follow Him most comfortably.

h. Lastly, we must be holy, because without holiness on earth we will never be prepared to enjoy heaven. Heaven is a holy place. The Lord of heaven is a holy Being. The angels are holy creatures. Holiness is written on everything in heaven. The book of Revelation says expressly, "There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatever works abomination, or makes a lie" (Rev. 21:27).

How will we ever be at home and happy in heaven if we die unholy? Death works no change. The grave makes no alteration. Each will rise again with the same character in which he breathed his last. Where will our place be if we are strangers to holiness now?