Ep.146 - Contrast and Comparisons: Holy or Human - can we really be both?

C. S. Lewis wrote, “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good….”. Trying very hard to be good is a Christian’s preoccupation, and with that often comes a deep sense of anxiety and fear. Paul captured something of this anxiety autobiographically in Romans 7—“I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate”.

All of us as Christians struggle a great deal with the tension of knowing we’re called to be holy and Christlike, yet equally being painfully aware of our very evident humanness. We toy with such anxieties like will God bless me even though I do so many things wrong? How can I ever hope to meet the demand of holiness given my obvious weaknesses? The dutch theologian Herman Bavinck noted that the Christian’s dilemma lies in the fact that; “He knows that he must be holy, for without holiness no one will see the Lord; but he also knows that on this earth he will never attain to that holiness”, concluding, “His life is therefore a continual battle”.

This week the Curious team take a look at the age old tension between holiness and humanness. How we cope with the discouragement that comes when we feel we can never hit the mark or measure up. That we may forfeit blessing of one kind or another unless we get it together! The team examine what is meant by holiness, and how biblical understanding of holiness is enfolded into our union with Christ.

For all those who have struggled in this tension, this episode is for you! By looking through the practical power of confession, grace, community and sound practices; the team bring hope and strength to this difficult area. Join the team this week for an encouraging diagnosis of the holy/human dilemma!
 
Further Reading
Here’s a bit of homework for you….we’ve included a few articles that compliment this episode….

Brothers and Sisters, Fight for Holiness! - TheGospelCoalition.org

An Open Letter to Those Frustrated by Their Progress in Sanctification - Crossway.org

What we’re reading?
As a feature to our notes, we are adding the book or books that we’ve browsed related to this episode. We’ve included 3 great titles below and would strongly recommend all of them!

Jared C Wilson — Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can't Get Their Act Together

Michael Yaconelli — Messy Spirituality: God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People

Kevin DeYoung — The Hole in Our Holiness

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