more, and whether she might need to both extend and ask for
forgiveness. She said, “Oh, I don’t need to do that. I’ve been
entirely sanctified, and I don’t sin anymore, and I haven’t for
nearly 50 years.”
I hardly knew how to respond!
Our Free Methodist history includes wonderful seasons in
which personal holiness was deeply affirmed. As a result, it
is clearly etched into the very fabric of our ministry family
as a key part of who we are. At the same time, some of our
past includes a fervor for righteousness that took some of us
into a skewed belief or understanding of entire sanctification.
This created an unrealistic standard of perfection that made
no room for the humanness of sin, the beauty of confessing
it, the glory of repentance, and the true power of God’s grace.
Thankfully, as a movement, we have stepped back from the
theological fallacy of sinless perfection. Sometimes our history
is to be wholeheartedly embraced as something valuable to be
continued. At other times, elements of our history must be
eschewed so that we can move forward.
Love godliness, and hate wickedness.
There is a constellation of words linked to righteousness:
godly, holy, virtuous, blameless, innocent. I personally stumble
over the words blameless and innocent, because in any honest
assessment, I’m neither, and I know it. I console myself with
phrases scribbled into the margins of my Bible near verses like
Psalm 19:13 and Proverbs 21:8, which state I am “innocent” ...
but only in Christ. I also know I’m called to something more
than just positional righteousness. I’m called to fight for the
practical righteousness that is possible for me in Christ.
Proverbs 15:9 states, “The Lord detests the way of the wicked,
but he loves those who pursue godliness.”
Godliness is a great synonym for practical righteousness,
because it speaks of a way of being. It is not a matter of
checking the box on enough right behaviors — though they
matter. Instead, the possibility of going after godliness has to
do with becoming who we really are, prophetically speaking:
pg. 16 — lightandlifemagazine.com
creatures made in the image of God. There is so much grace
in the invitation to pursue godliness. If godliness is something
I am called to pursue, then maybe it is fair game for me to
acknowledge ways in which I’m not there yet.
The psalmist writes, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil
...” (Psalm 97:10). It is odd, at first blush, to think that love
could result in hate. But the object to be hated is that which
corrupts, befouls, harms and destroys. Evil and wickedness
are the antithesis of righteousness, and their damage and
destruction are to be loathed. If our love for the Lord is real and
true, then that holy affection will frame for us a perspective on
unrighteousness that allows us to see it for what it is: the cause
and effect of separation from God. Because the love of God is
so good, that which distances anyone from experience of His
love is to be hated.
Build back the civic and social righteousness.
Speaking of being hated, we’ve just endured the most
divisive election season in recent memory. As I write this
article, the presidential election is still a month ahead, and the
contention is rising to a fever pitch. At the time you’re reading
this article, the results may be in — along with a likely increase
of hatred across the spectrum. If “your” candidate won, there
will invariably be a continued sense of that person and his
supporters — including you — being despised. If “their”
candidate won, you may be the one struggling to contain your
own revulsion and abhorrence.
The maelstrom of negativity and rage has not been limited
to the election. As the coronavirus pandemic continues,
unbridled assaults are regularly being mounted against those
who support and engage in the wearing of masks — and
against those who do not. People continue to allow themselves
to become totally unhinged with vitriolic fervor toward
those who take the threat of COVID-19 seriously — and
toward those who do not. Masses of the American people are
absolutely untethered to any compassion or empathy in their
response to those who want to take a stand regarding racial
tension and inequity — and toward those who do not. Whole
segments of the population are unleashing destructive force
against those who support law enforcement officers — and
against those who do not. In short, we have become a society
broken and divided by a near total loss of basic civic and social
righteousness.
We cannot allow ourselves to be so deluded as to think
God’s concern for righteousness is limited to our personal
morality. When the prophet Amos gave voice to the preferred
future God envisions for humanity, it looked like something
far-reaching: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness
“The possibility of going after
godliness has to do with becoming
who we really are, prophetically
speaking: creatures made in the
image of God.”
/lightandlifemagazine.com