Thread: Slothfulness and Negligence

I keep intending on going to bed, but I always find something to share.

From the Pen of William Guthrie

The third thing which hindereth in many the knowledge of an interest in Christ is, A spirit of sloth and careless negligence. They complain that they known not whether they be in Christ or not; but as few take pains to be in Him, so few take pains to try if they be in Him. It i s a work and business which cannot be done sleeping: 'Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves: know ye not your own selves.' [ 2 Cor 13:5] The several words used here, namely Examine, prove, know-intimate that there is a labour in it: Diligence must be used to make our 'calling and election sure.' [2 Peter 1:10]It is a business above flesh and blood: the holy 'anointing which teacheth all things,' must make us 'know the things freely given to us of God.' [1 John 2:27] Shall the Lord impart a business of so great concernment, and not so much as 'be inquired after to do it for men?' [Ezek 36:37] Be shamed, you who spend so much time in reading of romances, in adorning your persons, in hawking and hunting, in consulting the law concerning your outward state in the world, and it may be in worse things than these; Be ashamed, you that spend so little time in the search of this, whether ye be an heir of glory or not? whether you be in the way that leadeth to heaven, or that way which will land you in darkness for ever? You who judge this below you, and unworthy of your pains, any part or minute of your time, it is probable, in God's account, you have judged yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, so that you shall have no lot with God's people in this manner.

Be ye not still, God's elect. . . but labor in godliness and pursuit of holiness.

Good words Josh!

I want to tread lightly here, but I believe with all of my heart that the reason the Lord has blessed me and my wife is because we "labor in godliness and pursuit of holiness" by fully dedicating ourselves and our lives in the service of children. The Lord knows we are far from "good", but we do all that we can for kids in need as selflessly as we can and as much as He will aid us in doing every day.

I try to spur on other House Parents, especially those who claim to be Christians, but it's so hard because you are acused of arrogance, haughtiness, etc. Those who seek to give a message such as the one you post here are told they surely cannot be perfect so who are they to challange others in such a fashion! And we are merely trying to do so in regard to our work! I can't imagine what would happen to the person who made this challange in every walk of life.

First let me say that I fully agree in being diligent in raising our children and homes and our own lives unto holiness. I say that for the sake of the Pharisee´s and pietist´s eye reading this who would twist my words to show that I support a licentious lifestyle. But their lies really reveal their scalded consciences and cold granite hearts. There is no greater weight, I think, that should weigh on a husband/fathers mind. For my part it consumes me. But I count such things as nothing for Christ´s sake.

As to a true holiness of life, I must say it is never a legal fear or goading by the legal pitch fork that this does nor can happen. For such so called "˜holy lifestyle´ is nothing more than fear of punishment and hope of reward and if left without the constraint of the law such a person would do otherwise revealing their hearts. What gives both assurance and what empowers a true holiness of life is nothing but the sweetness of the Gospel. It can come no other way. In short if one´s life is legally driven as to a holy lifestyle, I will be plain, one has no true holy lifestyle but only the skeletal sketch that is empty and devoid of a holy lifestyle, the whitewashed tomb of a Pharisee. Without the purity of the Gospel there can be no fruit of the Spirit but only the fruits of a false saint, the deceived pietist, who reveals himself as he thinks within to himself, "œI´m glad I´m not like this tax collector"¦I do this and I do that"¦"�. I´ve found more "œpower"�, if you will, as to holiness of life by the Gospel, yes the only power, than any of the vain legal ramblings I suffered for the first many years of my Christian life. And yet I confess with all the saints of old that as I grow older in the faith and in life I find about myself that my sins are best expressed as "œinfinite upon infinite"�. The Christian paradoxically as he grows in grace, does not see himself increasingly sinless but ironically his sins are much greater than he before considered. Contra, the false saint who sees himself increasingly better and improved. This is what it means to "œgrow in grace"�. Literally it is a growth in the depth, richness, necessity and desperate need of the infinite measure of this imputed gratuity of God to the immeasurable sinner who is driven to this grace by the increase measure of his seeing the reality of his own evil sin and heart.

The continental reformers Luther and Calvin where united as to the testimony of Christ to the conscience, faith and assurance and the ensuing fruits. As Luther put it championing the Gospel in purity, the only way Gospel can be, "œI´m not trying to disavow good works, but show you the ONLY place from which they may arise"� (-ldh paraphrased). Though Luther and Calvin came at it from different directions both maintained the same foundation of assurance and its confirmation in faith and election. Luther and Calvin had differing emphases in their doctrine as to the conscience but they fully and fundamentally agree, assurance and faith are found "œoutside of the man"�, singularly at the cross and so do the true fruits of the Spirit arise. The foundation of the peace, assurance, and certainty of conscience lies singularly in the grace of God outside of us and for us. This is revealed to the conscience by the external witness of the Word of God to Christ as Christ, and the internal witness of the Holy Spirit to Christ AS Christ. From this and this alone arise quite naturally the "œfruits of the Spirit"�. Hence the name "œfruits OF the SPIRIT"� and not the "œfruits OF the MAN"�, the same Spirit that bears witness to Christ in the Gospel from which these fruits arise.

E.g. just the other day a close Christian acquaintance was telling me of a situation in which they were during a lunch time outing at work. It was a bad conversation situation. They avoided it but were stuck. To this the lunch co-workers told them that they were "œstuffy"�. They took this "œas a compliment"� and expressed it very much so. Now the situation avoided was correct but was this reaction the fruit of the Spirit or the flesh? Outwardly both a Pharisee and a true Christian could avoid this situation, but which was it really. Was that avoidance the fruit of Spirit of flesh? The reality is that it was not itself the fruit either way, the fruit was the reaction to this action taken. And the fruit was of the flesh because pride was taken in being called "œstuffy"� and this was viewed as a compliment in a condescending way"¦a "œLord I´m glad I´m not like these tax collectors here gossiping and so forth"¦"� The action itself was outwardly clean, avoiding ill conversation. But a false saint steeped in religiosity can perform this trick. The fruit was the reaction to the group´s reaction to their action. In this case pride and condescension and a version of the Pharisees prayer! The Gospel mind may have avoided the situation but would not take pride because the Gospel mind knows that it would too love to take part of that very conversation. The Gospel mind whether it avoided or failed and sinned would in essence react, say and reflect the tax collector´s prayer, "œLord have mercy on me a sinner."� For the Gospel mind knows that the only difference between himself and the other sinner over there is not their natures, he is just as much a sinner today as is his unbelieving neighbor, 100% "“ the Gospel mind differs in that he knows the ONLY difference between him and any man who does not trust in Christ is the shear merciful Divine imputed gratuitous righteousness declared to him and NOTHING else. From this reality, so humbled not by self but by God, suffering under the Divine operation, arises true love, peace, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, long suffering, and gentleness.

So we may easily see that fruits of the flesh or Spirit are not so much the acts taken outwardly good or bad but from which tree they originate is what matters! The outward act may be exactly. The same the issue is from which tree does the fruit arise? Is it the legal tree of the false saint or is it the Gospel tree of the true saint? You see that it is the tree that matters and not the doing, for the doing can be exactly the same"¦good or bad. Both the false saint and the true saint may act outwardly good, but their reaction to this shows forth fruits of the flesh or Spirit depending. This is why Paul labels the fruits by terms such as love, peace, joy, etc"¦and slander, gossips, hatred and etc"¦ Because evil fruit according to the flesh arises from good acts and good fruit according to the Spirit arises from good acts; and conversely good fruit according to the Spirit arises from evil acts and evil fruit arises according to the flesh from evil acts.

In the starkest two contrasts to show this: The flesh will yield evil fruit by glorying in a good act and yet the evil fruit arises in taking pride and judgment against a fellow sinner (the Pharisee´s prayer). The Spirit will yield good fruit EVEN when an evil act is taken from which good fruit arises in humble repentance and utter reliance back to the Grace of God in Christ alone (the Tax Collector´s prayer, and David´s prayer). To the eyes of men the acts look just the opposite and men extol and laud over the Pharisee while impugning Christ´s own. In most cases the greatest saint is not the one who looks like he lives in Salt Lake City.


Blessing in Christ Alone,

Ldh

"The Christian paradoxically as he grows in grace, does not see himself increasingly sinless but ironically his sins are much greater than he before considered."

This is so true Larry. I have to remember this because the more sin I see within myself the more I get discouraged and think God is angry with me. When it could be that He is being merciful and showing me more to confess in order to be transformed into His image. Thank you for stating that.

You also said, "In most cases the greatest saint is not the one who looks like he lives in Salt Lake City." I agree. My father knows this Christian biker with the long hair/beard, etc. and he will let loose a swear word every so often but he has such a love for the Lord and his evangelistic zeal makes me look like a monk in solitude.

As for the pharisees and legalists...I don't know of anyone on here who would act like that towards you and accuse you of being licentious. You sound very sincere and in tune with what I perceive the heart of God to be and what the Gospel is about. God bless you brother.

Brian,

Thanks for your kind words. I suspect we've traveled much the same internal struggle path perhaps different in exact churches, but the same path.

Sounds like your dad's biker friend has much in common with Luther who would let a swear go when he needed some emphasis. Luther said he preached much better when he was angry.

God bless you and keep you to brother,

Larry

Originally posted by Larry Hughes

Sounds like your dad's biker friend has much in common with Luther who would let a swear go when he needed some emphasis. Luther said he preached much better when he was angry.

However, there is the flip side of the coin to this. I do not believe we should become Legalistically Liberal either and encourage such. Neither should we intentionally avoid that which is viewed as a holy lifestyle. In fact, a holy life is commanded of us...any fruit born of the Spirit will spill outwardly into our lives in various ways. Some matters of a holy lifestyle are merely a means of practicality. You cannot look at someone that is holding to a "holiness lifestyle" and judge their heart, just as you cannot look at a gentleman on a Harley and judge his (I've known alot of good bikers ...ones that wouldn't use a curse word for their life).

The issue here is words of strong emphasis to which even the apostle Paul's uses in Galatians and elsewhere where to that effect, very strong and not the neutered language and false piety of today's sensabilities.

e.g. The term "dung" doesn't quite capture Paul's thought, only Luther had the boldness in his German version to REALLY translate it with all of its force. We concern ourselves too much with false sensabilities and worthless piety, while we freely let real filthy language fill the pulpits with their idolatry and false christs to which we call people. Which as Spurgeon put it once, "makes much laughter in hell".

The Holy lifestyle is given us and arises quite naturally with the purity of the Gospel, not commands from a legal direction. E.g. humility, the heart of the Law when it is reduced to its fundamental element comes not from the command "be humble" which is quite impossible and from which legal efforts give rise to the greatest of pride only likened unto the devil himself, but rather from the continued view that I'm still 100% sinner and just in as much need of grace as I was from day one. Fruit of the spirit is not the deeds or acts but quite literally fruits OF the Holy Spirit's and these are love, peace, joy, etc...which can arise from any deed good or bad. Likewise fruits of the flesh arise from either good or evil acts. The tree from which they come is what matters and that comes from the sovereign work of God. The Christian does not concern himself with his "fruit production", rather he lives and rests boldly in Christ alone. Thus, outwardly turned the fruits of the Spirit in loving neighbor, ever so imperfectly, begin to arise. Why? Because one is finally turned away from trying to save one's self by pleasing God. By trusting God for salvation in Christ alone and with singular focus, one then begins to really love God and neighbor (again in this life ever so imperfectly). To legally attempt this by "command to holiness" is to fall into the trap of secretly attempting to set forth one's own righteousness no matter how one disguises it.

There are two ways to understand a "command to holiness", one is legal and one is grace. The real command to holiness is not by the law or legal way by the command it self "do this and live" or "do this to prove you live", the later is just a hidden form of the former. The command to holiness is to rest in Christ alone for all things, let God be God, to literally stop trying to be holy (which one cannot). Then so fixed upon that grace given, gratitude and service and love to fellow man comes naturally. As it must for after all it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and not the fruit of man sanctifying himself.

I hope that clarifies the issue a bit.

Blessings in Christ,

Larry