“Holiness” and “chastening” are two Biblical words that seem intimidating. At City Harvest Church’s services on Mar 9 and 10 at Suntec Hall 606, Pastor Lin Junxian dig deep into these concepts and reveal how they help Christians in their walk with God.
“Be holy for God is holy” was Peter’s instruction to the followers of Jesus in 1 Peter 1:15-16. As a young Christian, Pastor Lin Junxian had often wondered how he could ever be as holy as God.
At the first service of the weekend last Saturday, Pastor Junxian shared how he had been reflecting on the first of CHC’s 15 paradigms as set out by senior pastor Kong Hee: the pursuit of God is the whole purpose of life.
According to John 14:6, Jesus is the way for believers to walk on, the truth for them to build their lives upon and the life that all of them to live out from.
“If you know Jesus is the way and He is the best way,” said the pastor, “There’s no point looking for other options.”
He went on to remind the church that “a Christian life is a walk”. Walking is taking one step at a time and by repeating this monotonous action through self-discipline, one gets to where he or she wants to go. Likewise, a Christian gets to where God wants him or her to be by walking continually in the midst of life struggles and difficulties.
Going back to his main point on being holy, Pastor Junxian explained what it means to be holy. Holy in Hebrew is qadosh which means set apart, dedicated or to belong to exclusively. Holiness in Hebrew is hagios which carries a strong secondary connotation of moral purity. Hence, moral purity is not the first and foremost interpretation of “holy” mentioned in the scriptures.
“Biblical holiness describes a unique relationship God has established and desired to have with His people,” he said. “It has got to do with having the right relationship with God, resulting in the right relationships with others!”
There were three things Pastor Junxian wanted the congregation to note from 1 Peter 1:15-16.
Firstly, the One who calls the Christians is God and He is a Holy God. Pastor Junxian said that God does not change; many think that He has gone soft in the New Testament, but no, He is the same God.
“God still judges sins,” the pastor said. That is the reason why God sent His one and only begotten Son, Jesus, to die and redeem mankind so He could establish an intimate connection with them.
Secondly, the Christians’ response is to conduct themselves in holy living. When pre-believers repent and receive the Lord as their Savior, they go through the “born again” experience and become the children of God. Pastor Junxian asked the congregation to observe the words, “obedient children”, from 1 Peter 1:13-14, “We, the children of God, will live the life of how Jesus, the Son, has lived His life in obedience to God the Father.”
He gave an example: when people visit newborns at hospitals, they often ask if the baby resembles the father or the mother. “Similarly, the moment you recognize that you are born of God, you no longer want to look like the world. You want to look like your Father in Heaven!”
Galatians 2:20 tells believers of a new way of life: one that is crucified, buried, born again and reigning with Christ.
Thirdly, God’s call for His children is a holy calling. In Hebrews 10:29, it was mentioned that the opposite of holy is not just profane, but common. This means that when a person live a life of holiness, it is a unique lifestyle, not common to the lifestyle of the world.
“God made us in His image and likeness. At the same time, God made us unique. There is no one like you,” the pastor said. “God calls us by name. He is a personal God…Only you can fulfill the calling in your life.”
He urged the church to follow what was written in 1 Peter 3:15 says and enthrone Christ as their Lord of their hearts.
In conclusion, Lin encouraged all to continue to walk in the way that Jesus has shown them so that others can see God. To those who feel that it is beyond their power to live a holy life, Pastor Junxian has good news: Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide His believers and to continue the salvation work that He has started in them.
“Jesus trusts us so much that He gave us the Holy Spirit.” The almighty Holy Spirit, once hovering over the waters in Genesis, has “squeezed” Himself to live in the believers and become their Helper.
Reading Romans 12:1-2, the pastor explained that the job of the believer is to present and surrender himself to God, and the Holy Spirit will do the transforming work in their lives. 2 Corinthians 3:18 promises that the believers will be transformed into God’s image from glory to glory by the Holy Spirit.
God must reign over all circumstances and everything in one’s life, the pastor advised. Then the Holy Spirit will help him walk in the purpose God has called him into.
