Kevin, I struggle with the same convictions you do. I will have these flashes of how a certain pasttime is just vanity or worldliness or pointless pleasure seeking. I cannot tell though if they are the Holy Spirit convicting me or if it is my flesh trying to be severe and work for salvation instead of trusting Christ.
I understand that the salvation is of the Lord and cannot be earned but there are two sides in scripture. Scripture also says that Faith without works is dead. And I understand that verse in the reformed sense and not the Catholic one. That it means a
true faith will bear the fruit of godliness. This is even more of a conundrum for me since the puritans really did live the way these convictions point me so I have a historical witness that others felt this way and acted on it.
Almost no one lives like the puritans now. Almost no one strives for this type of holiness anymore and it is often branded as legalism instead of a biblical standard that we should try to emulate. We are all sinners and will defend our pet pasttimes with the cry of Christian Liberty especially among reformed Christians. Granted the thrills of today are even more fun than ever before. My husband and I are gamers and the technology of games is just breathtaking now. Have you seen the newest Halo3 trailer!!
The other issue is how much are we supposed to strive in our own strength to live up to this standard. Are we to patiently wait for God's sanctifying hand? We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Have we lost that fear?
These threads also die very quicks deaths. No one wants to know the answer. Then we would have to do something about it. Just watch this one will be a deserted wasteland soon.
