09/17/2022 – Chapter Four Discussion: “An irrefutable proof of its Truth” / Part 2 of 2
Just what I highlighted as high points:
“Romans 8:28 is both the hardest verse in the Bible for us to believe to be true and at the same time the most certain verse in the Bible to be true. It’s the most certain because it necessarily follows from the infinite goodness, power and wisdom of God, as explained above.” pg 29
“Ok, so God is totally trustable because He’s always in the right, always in charge, and always in love with us. That justifies Romans 8: 28; and Romans 8:28, in turn, justifies the total ‘abandonment to divine providence’ that is the lesson of de Caussade’s classic. This ‘abandonment‘, or ‘islam’ or ‘surrender’, to God’s providential will is also the very essence of holiness.
And, I can do no better right now than to excerpt the last paragraph in the chapter:
“God makes us holy in two opposite ways, in the two parts of our lives. First, He makes us holy through our own will, our own free choice of faith and hope and love. (For divine grace does not turn off human free will; it turns it on.). And second, He also sancfifies us against our will, through suffering, because the other way of sanctifying us, through our own will’s choices, is not strong enough because our faith and hope and love are not strong enough. So He sanctifies us also through what He allows to happen to us against our will, in other words, suffering.”
So, this helps me to understand and come to grips with: “How can I be ‘holy’ and still sinful at the same time?”
Postcript – I am copying this over from my post 09/20/2022 regarding our Leviticus reading in the Semikkah7 plan:
Check out Hebrews 12:14, under the section titled: “Warning Against Refusing God”:
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
And John Gill’s commentary on this verse, regarding “holiness”:
“this being added to peace, shows that peace is no further to be followed than is consistent with holiness; and holiness here does not design any particular branch of holiness, as chastity of the body and mind, but the whole of holiness, inward and outward; and intends true holiness, in opposition to ceremonial holiness, which the Hebrews were fond of, and pursued after: it means even perfect holiness; for though holiness is not perfect in this life, yet it will be in heaven; and there is a perfection of it in Christ; and it is to be followed after, by going to Christ for more grace, and exercising faith upon him, as our sanctification; and by eager desires that the Spirit of God would sanctify us more and more, and enable us, by his grace and strength, to walk in the way of holiness, till we get safe to heaven:…”
Let scripture testify to scripture! Blessings!
Soli Deo Gloria!