Why might the younger generation lack urgency in the pursuit of personal holiness?
Posted on November 25, 2010 by Pastor Tom
Is there a lack of urgency in the pursuit of personal holiness among the younger generation? Justin Taylor points us to Kevin De Young’s article about this.
You can read Kevin’s whole post here http://bit.ly/pursuitofholiness
The Pursuit of Personal Holiness
Posted: 24 Nov 2010 10:00 AM PST
Kevin DeYoung has a good post here, expressing some concern about a relative lack of urgency in pursuing personal holiness among the younger generation.
You can read the whole post, but here is an excerpt where he explores the various reasons this might be the case:
1. It was too common in the past to equate holiness with abstaining from a few taboo practices like drinking, smoking, and dancing. In a previous generation godliness meant you didn’t do these things. Younger generations have little patience for these sorts of rules. They either don’t agree with the rules or they figure they’ve got those bases covered so there’s not much else to worry about.
2. Related to the first reason is the fear that a passion for holiness makes you some kind of weird holdover from a bygone era. As soon as you talk about swearing or movies or music or modesty or sexual purity or self-control or just plain godliness people get nervous that others will call them legalistic, or worse, a fundamentalist.
3. We live in a culture of cool, and to be cool means you differentiate yourself from others. That has often meant pushing the boundaries with language, with entertainment, with alcohol, and with fashion. Of course, holiness is much more than these things, but in an effort to be hip many Christians have figured holiness has nothing to do with these things. They’ve willingly embraced Christian freedom, but they’ve not earnestly pursued Christian virtue.
4. Among more liberal Christians a radical pursuit of holiness if often suspect because any talk of right and wrong behaviors feels judgmental and intolerant. If we are to be “without spot or blemish” it necessitates we distinguish between what sort of attitudes, actions, and habits are pure and what sort are impure. This sort of sorting gets you in trouble with the pluralism police.
5. Among conservative Christians there is sometimes the mistaken notion that if we are truly gospel-centered we won’t talk about rules or imperatives or exhort Christians to moral exertion. To be sure, there is a rash of moralistic teaching out there, but sometimes we go to the other extreme and act as if the Bible shouldn’t advise our morals at all. We are so eager not to confuse indicatives and imperatives (a point I’ve made many times) that if we’re not careful we’ll drop the imperatives altogether. We’ve been afraid of words like diligence, effort, and obedience. We’ve downplayed verses that call us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), or command us to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit (2 Cor. 7:1), or warn against even a hint of immorality among the saints (Eph. 5:3).
Some comments...
November 26, 2010
This is a good thought provoking topic, but I think the author is missing the mark on the “why” a little bit. It is much more simple.
We don’t pursue holiness (with urgency or at all) for one reason, whether it’s concious or not: we don’t think it matters.
If it really mattered to us, we would get on it. If one’s only copy of a final project for a major university course gets dropped in a sink of water, nothing would get in the way of saving it.
Yet when God tells us to “work out our salvation with fear & trembling” or “command us to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit”, we respond, “I’ll get there eventually, maybe”.
The question shouldn’t be “Why don’t they pursue holiness?”, but rather “Why don’t they think holiness matters?”, and “How do we show them holiness matters?”
November 27, 2010
Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but rather be healed.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
It’s my desire to be restored by the One who is the restorer of souls and who will straighten my paths.
November 27, 2010
This is thought- provoking for sure. From what I can see in my school and work,
-I agree that holiness has been downplayed, for the reason that it’s not cool and not a big deal
-We need to emphasize it more
I think it takes some measure of humility to admit one needs to be holy, or become better than they are.
And the desire to be holy, (and more so, the means to holiness) comes only by the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Holy Spirit comes into a person’s life as they spend time with Him.
I think we underestimate the importance of daily time with God, too.
November 27, 2010
This is thought- provoking for sure. From what I can see in my school and work,
-I agree that holiness has been downplayed, for the reason that it’s not cool and not a big deal
-We need to emphasize it more
I think it takes some measure of humility to admit one needs to be holy, or become better than they are.
And the desire to be holy, (and more so, the means to holiness) comes only by the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Holy Spirit comes into a person’s life as they spend time with Him.
I think we underestimate the importance of daily time with God, too.
November 30, 2010
I think its been proven to me in my own experience that when you stop seeking to better, even when people might say that our faith is not deed based. I believe how James put it that faith with out deeds is dead and same the other way around. I see that God is best seen in my minds eye best when I’m taking some responsibility and suck it up and knowing the fact that I’m not perfect and have a long way to come yet. Do young people need to realize that being set apart(holy) means doing a lot of things we don’t want to do at first for it’s not our first nature…our first nature is to do what we want and not obey. Often there are soldier references in the Bible and if your to be any kind of soldier you need to train. Your body is not already in the shape it needs to be in, so you have to practice and exercise it. Your mind is not disciplined by its self to accomplish this but you have to beat it into submission. You don’t just know the tactics of war from birth you have to train in them and develop strategies that not only work but work for you. We have one Commander Jesus Christ for by God He was given authority over all things for all things were made in and through Him.
November 30, 2010
I feel I should also address that I think the generations before us(younger:) are also responsible to live and teach the ways of the Lord. I don’t say this as a cop-out but seeing that everyone will be held accountable for their actions. If one was to come to the Lord while in an atmosphere that is not of fellow believers(like family and friends) they cannot say that they did not seek because there was no one to show them….for even if no other believers be found we are to trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. To not rely on any other then God(Jehovah – Provider). He is our Creator(Elohim – God all Powerful) and our source of breathe. I guess getting back to more of what I was saying about the generation before us. A good example of this kind of commitment would be when there is a baby dedication….I don’t know how many people really understand what they are doing when they stand to say we will support and love upon them. It’s like making a promise to help fill any needs they may need. I often feel that people just stand because it’s the thing to do at that time. Mindless and assumptions of just following the leader is not following in its true and intended form. True following is doing things with reason and cause….yet these can still be evil reasons and causes. It’s better to know who your leader is then not to for someone is always leading you the only difference is that you know who it is. I don’t think it’s just problem with the younger generations that holiness has taken the backseat but the generations before us have started to allow current culture and dogmas to dictate what and how they are to spend there time. I’m not perfect in this field either yet I can know for myself what is worth while and what isn’t. Yes, there will even be many things we probably enjoy that should be thrown out the door….we will learn to enjoy the things of God and find that they satisfy us:)
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