The Fear of God

Perfecting Holiness Part 5 of 5 - In The Fear of God

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Biblical Worldview

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-11-28

Synopsis: In this concluding message of the series, Pastor John Weaver expounds 2 Corinthians 7:1, focusing on the phrase 'perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' He explains that perfecting holiness is a continuous, active process of maturing and becoming more like Christ, not a state of sinless perfection. The only sphere in which this growth can occur is the fear of God—a reverential, filial fear that acknowledges God's fatherly authority, power, and discipline, motivating obedience and departure from evil. The sermon emphasizes that without holiness, no one will see the Lord, and believers must actively cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, progressing daily in practical holiness.

[John Weaver] 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 and those of you who have missed all the messages in between I trust that you will make them up that you would listen to them on CD because this whole series has been perfecting holiness and I trust that the Lord will help you do exactly that let me just take a few minutes today to review but look in 2nd Corinthians 7 and verse 1 this has been our text For the last four messages of today, I try to finish this brief series with this fifth message. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1, having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. You will remember I told you that when the Apostle Paul said, having therefore these promises, he's talking about the promises in chapter six verses 16 and 17, where first of all, God promised that He would be our God, and we would be His people, and He would walk among us.

[John Weaver] But the second promise is that God would be our Father, and we would be His sons and His daughters if we would come out and be separate and touch not the unclean things of the Lord, and I will receive you. So the first two messages that I preached in this series basically dealt with God as Father. showing you the implications of the fatherhood of God toward his own and our sonship toward our father. And of course there are so many benefits and blessings in experiencing this father-son relationship. We looked at our first point and that was the promises declared and then we got to the second point the purging described because he said, having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves.

[John Weaver] And I pointed out that there is a vast difference between what you and I would call positional holiness and, of course, practical holiness. Positional holiness is that which we have in Christ. It is perfect. It cannot be increased. It cannot be decreased, thankfully. But then we're talking about practical holiness. That is something that we're responsible for. That's why he said, let us cleanse ourselves. But although we are responsible to cleanse ourselves, we do not have the power or the ability in and of ourselves that comes from God alone. And so he talks about the purging here, and he talks about cleansing ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and spirit. I dealt with one whole message on the filthiness of the flesh, showing you what it was. And then last week we looked at the filthiness of the spirit.

[John Weaver] We must be pure or holy both internally and externally. And spiritual defilement is just as bad and just as wicked as fleshly defilement. Either one will hinder our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Sin sweeps with a desolating influence throughout the whole frame And usually it leaves no part unaffected, though some parts may be more deeply corrupted than others. So, when we're talking about cleansing ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, the question that should enter our mind is, how do we perform this needed and necessary purging?

[John Weaver] Obviously, it does not come naturally or easily. And such work, that is purging ourselves, is not a stop-start action. In other words, if you and I are going to be purging ourselves, it has to be something that is done constantly and continuously. You remember how the Apostle Paul said, I die how often? Daily. So it's got to be a daily thing and sometimes an hourly thing, sometimes minute by minute. So, this is going to bring us to our third and final point and that is the perfection demanded. So we've seen the promises declared, the purging described, and now the perfection demanded.

[John Weaver] He says in verse 1, look at it. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

[John Weaver] Now, allow me first to deal with the word perfecting. perfecting holiness. The Greek word is epitilo and it literally means to bring to an end, to accomplish, to perfect, to finish, to execute and complete. So actually what he is telling us is we are here being encouraged to finish or to bring to completion holiness in our lives.

[John Weaver] Now before anyone gets bent out of shape and says, but wait a minute, perfection is impossible. Well, let me show you a few verses that will relate to this. I want you to hold 2 Corinthians, but look in your Bibles first of all to the book of Matthew 5 and verse 48. Matthew 5 and verse 48. Look if you would and what the word of God demands. Matthew 5 and verse 48. Remember he says perfecting holiness. So in Matthew 5 and verse 48 the scripture says this.

[John Weaver] Be ye therefore perfect even as your father who is in heaven is perfect. That's perfect isn't it? Be ye therefore perfect even as your father who is in heaven is perfect. Look in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2. Romans 12 verses 1 and 2. I'm going to tell you something about each one of these verses in just a moment. But look in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2.

[John Weaver] The Apostle Paul says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto him which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God so we're not only to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect we are to prove the perfect will of God in our lives turn right over to the book of Philippians chapter 3 Philippians chapter 3 and look if you would please what the Apostle Paul says in verse 15 Philippians chapter 3 and look at verse 15 let us therefore as many be perfect be thus minded and if anything you be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you So it begins, let us therefore as many as be perfect, be thus minded. One other, if you would turn right over to the book of James chapter 1, and look if you would please at verse 4.

[John Weaver] James 1 and verse 4. He says, but let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. So we've been commanded to be perfect as our father who in heaven is perfect. We've been commanded to prove the perfect will of God. And as many as are perfect we should be thus minded. And then he says let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire.

[John Weaver] Now the interesting thing is out of these four passages that I have just read to you. The word perfect is translated from one Greek word. The word is teleos, and it literally means this, listen carefully, it means to be perfect, mature, lacking nothing in completeness, a full grown adult, or one who is of full age, and it refers to that which has been brought to its end and is finished.

[John Weaver] Now if you will look back at 2nd Corinthians 7 in verse 1. He says, having therefore these promises dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness. Now, although the other words that I just gave you from Matthew 5, Romans 12, Philippians 3 and James 1, the other Greek word is not exactly the same as the one in 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 verse 1.

[John Weaver] It is however very closely connected to it. But when you get to 2nd Corinthians 7 verse 1, the Greek word there is a present active participle. What does that mean? It means this. It means that you are presently and actively engaged in doing something. Watch it. Perfecting holiness in the fear of God. It means you are in the process of becoming perfect or becoming mature or becoming complete.

[John Weaver] It does not state that you have reached that goal, but it does state that you're headed for that goal. Now, I want you to listen very carefully because I'm going to give you a few paragraphs from two commentators. The first one is Albert Barnes. and the second one is John Gill, and they are going to be discussing this phrase, perfecting holiness. And I think these two commentators basically sum up everything we need to know about it. But now listen carefully because it is vitally important. Here's what Albert Barnes says on the word perfecting. He said, the word means properly to bring to an end, to finish, complete.

[John Weaver] The idea here is that of carrying it out to its completion. Holiness had been commenced in the heart and the exhortation of the apostle is that they should make every effort that it might be complete in all of its parts. He does not say that this work of perfection has ever been accomplished. Nor does he say that it had not been. He only urges the obligation to make an effort to be entirely holy. And this obligation is not affected by the inquiry whether one has been or has not been perfect. It is an obligation which results from the nature of the law of God and His unchangeable claims upon the soul. The fact that no one has been perfect does not relax the claim. The fact that no one will be in this life does not weaken the obligation. It proves only the deep and dreadful depravity of the human heart and should humble us under the stubbornness of guilt. The obligation to be perfect is one that is unchangeable and eternal. Tyndale, that is William Tyndale, renders it and grow up into full holiness in the fear of God.

[John Weaver] The unceasing and steady aim of every Christian should be perfection. Perfection in all things, in the love of God, of Christ, of man, perfection of heart and feeling and emotion, perfection in words and plans and dealings with men, perfection in his prayers and in his submission to the will of God. No man can be a Christian who does not sincerely desire it and who does not constantly aim at it. No man is a friend of God who can acquiescence in a state of sin and who is satisfied and contented that he is not as holy as God is holy. And any man who has no desire to be perfect as God is, and who does not make it his daily and constant aim to be perfect as God, may set it down as demonstrably certain that he has no true religion. How can a man be a Christian who is willing to acquiesce in a state of sin, and who does not desire to be just like his master and Lord?"

[John Weaver] I thought that was a very interesting observation, and everything that he said there is correct. I want you to listen however to John Gill. John Gill takes it a little farther and he says this and he's still explaining the term perfecting holiness. He says, perfecting holiness in the fear of God by holiness is not meant the work of sanctification upon the heart for that is wholly the work of the Spirit of God and not of man.

[John Weaver] He begins it, carries it on and perfects it of himself. But he is speaking of holiness of life and conversation, it is here designed, which in conversion the people of God are called unto, and which highly become them, and this they are to be perfecting. Not that a believer is able to live a life of holiness without sin being in him, or committed by him. This is impossible and impractical in the present life. But the sense of the word is that he is carrying on a life of righteousness and holiness to the end. To the end of his life. He is to persevere as in faith, so in holiness. As he is to go on believing in Christ, so he is to go on to live soberly, righteously, and godly to the end of his days. Which requires divine power. to preserve him from sin, and keep him from falling, and the grace of God, the strength of Christ, and the assistance of the Spirit, to enable him to perform acts of holiness, and the several duties of religion, and to continue in well-doing, all which is to be done in the fear of God."

[John Weaver] So, what both Gil and Barnes are saying is what I just told you. When he talks about perfecting holiness, he is saying that there is in your life an ongoing and consistent and continual growth whereby you are progressing in holiness and righteousness. Now, perfecting holiness then means that we're constantly and continually progressing more and more in our lives and we're conforming our lives more and more to the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to turn to the book of Hebrews chapter 5, and let me show you what the Apostle Paul does not mean by perfecting holiness. Look in Hebrews chapter 5. Hebrews chapter 5, beginning there with verse 12. The Apostle Paul had been writing to these Hebrews. Most folks say Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. I really don't know for sure, but possibly he did. But look in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 12, the apostle writes, For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

[John Weaver] For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. Now I want you to notice, what the apostle is dealing with, And Hebrews 5 is regression. That is not perfecting holiness. Regression. He said, for the time when you ought to be teachers, all of a sudden you have need that someone teach you again. The first oracles are the first principles of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] He said, you're reverting back to babyhood. You need milk instead of meat. When we're talking about perfecting holiness, we're not talking about regression. We're not talking about going backwards. We're not talking about becoming a babe again. No. We're talking about going forward. In Psalm 84 and verse 7, the Word of God says this. Now listen carefully. They go from strength to strength. Everyone in Zion appeareth before God. They go from strength to strength. So that means, If we are perfecting holiness, we are gaining ground, we are not losing ground. We are going from strength to strength, from faith to faith, from glory to glory.

[John Weaver] In other words, there is no backing up in our lives, there is no backing down, there is no turning around. We are increasing in adulthood, spiritual adulthood, we are increasing and conformity to the word of God. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Philippians. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians chapter 3. And notice if you would please verses 13 and 14. Philippians 3 verses 13 and 14.

[John Weaver] Now the apostle Paul wrote this concerning himself. If I were to ask you who was the greatest apostle, probably most of you would say Paul. But I want you to notice what the greatest apostle wrote of himself. Philippians 3 verse 13. He says, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Now what did Paul say? Paul said, I count not myself to have arrived. I haven't gotten where I want to be. But he said, this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind. Let me ask you a question. Would it not be the grace of God if we could forget a lot of things in our past. Forgetting those things we're behind. And here's what Paul is saying.

[John Weaver] They may enter my mind every now and then, but I'm not dwelling on them. What I'm going to do is I'm going to reach forth, I'm going to press toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus my Lord. And that's exactly what perfecting holiness is. It is increasing and becoming more and more conformable to Jesus Christ. Let me put it to you like this.

[John Weaver] We should be more holy this year than we were last year. We should be more holy this month than we were last month. We should be more holy this week than we were last week. We should be more holy today, practically speaking, than we were yesterday. That is perfecting holiness. It is maturing. It is bringing a completeness and a totality in your life.

[John Weaver] Now, turn back to the book of Ephesians chapter 4 and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Ephesians 4 verse 11. I want you to see why God gave pastor-teachers to the church. Watch carefully. Ephesians 4 verse 11, And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastor-teachers. Now, pastor-teachers are actually one word. A real pastor teaches. Okay? A pastor-teacher. Why did God give Pastor-teachers. Here's why. Look in verse 12.

[John Weaver] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Now watch carefully. Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man. Unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

[John Weaver] Now note if you would back in verse 13, here is why you should be listening to the Word of God being taught. That we might all come into the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, that is a mature, complete man, unto the stature of the fullness of Christ. In other words, we become like Christ. And he said in verse 14, that we henceforth be no more children.

[John Weaver] I find it absolutely amazing that in most churches, the pastor still has to stand around and burp everybody. Has to beg him to come to church, has to beg him to be faithful, has to beg him to give. There's something wrong if the pastor has to spend his time burping so-called adult Christians. You should have come to those conclusions and those principles a long time ago on your own.

[John Weaver] And the Bible says that is exactly our goal. We are to become a perfect man in Christ. Let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus. Arm yourselves with the mind of Christ. That's what he's talking about. Bringing every thought and every imagination in subjection and conformity to Jesus Christ. Here's what he means by perfecting holiness, that we are constantly and continually climbing upward and onward. Every day we're gaining knowledge, we're gaining ground, we're becoming more and more holy, and our goal is to become perfect. We may not be it in this life, but that is our goal. I would still like every thought brought in subjection to Jesus Christ. I can say like David, I hate vain thoughts, but by law do I love. I just hate it. When things pop in my mind, I know shouldn't be there.

[John Weaver] I'm not dwelling on them. They just pop in there. And I have to fight to get them out just like everybody else. And I can't waste my time thinking about vain, stupid, useless, worthless, fleshly thoughts. So, we have to continue to work every day. Now, here's my question. Since we know that we're perfecting holiness and that we should be perfecting holiness, what is the sphere in which we're to do our work?

[John Weaver] Well, he tells us this. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness, where? In the fear of God. The only sphere in which we're going to be able to perfect holiness is in the fear of God. You cannot perfect holiness outside of that sphere and that realm. were to be constantly and continually perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Now, earlier I quoted from John Gill on this phrase, perfecting holiness.

[John Weaver] I did not finish the quote. I want to do that now because Gill goes on and explains this fear that I've just mentioned, the fear of God. Listen to what he said. He said that perfecting holiness should be accomplished in the fear of God, but not in a servile, slavish fear, a fear of hell and damnation, but in a filial fear, a reverential affection for God and humble trust in Him and dependence on Him for grace and strength. It is that fear which has God for its author, is a blessing of the new covenant, is implanted in regeneration, as increased by discoveries of pardoning grace, it has God for its object, not his wrath and vindictive justice, but his goodness, grace, and mercy. This shows from what principle and upon what views believers act in the course of righteousness and holiness, not from a fear of hell, nor from the fear of man or with a view to gain their applause, But as in the sight of God from a reverential affection to him, a childlike fear of

[John Weaver] him with a view to his glory. Now, Gil says if we're going to perfect holiness, it must be in the fear of God. But he said, it's not a fear of damnation and hell, but it is a filial fear or reverential fear. Now, it is true there are different kinds of fear. mentioned in the Bible in reference to God. But I do want you to turn back and look, if you would, first of all, at Jeremiah 5 and verse 22. Jeremiah 5 and verse 22.

[John Weaver] And let me just show you... Jeremiah 5, verse 22. And let me just show you what God says before I try to distinguish fear for you. Notice Jeremiah 5 and verse 22. Look what God asks. Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? Would you not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by perpetual decree that it cannot pass it?

[John Weaver] And though the winds thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail? Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it. Now look. Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? Will you not tremble at my presence? And then he talks about his act of creation. He talks about how he's placed the sand on the seashore. And no matter how the waves toss themselves, they cannot pass over. And God is saying, are you not going to fear me? Look at the power that I have. Now, it is true that we do not serve God out of a fear of hell and damnation. Okay? I don't preach and I don't live just because I'm afraid of going to hell or damnation. In fact, I'm not afraid at all because of Jesus Christ. He is my salvation.

[John Weaver] But let me show you something. Look in your Bibles to Exodus 20 and verse 20. It's an interesting thing that Moses says in Exodus 20 and verse 20. Exodus 20 and verse 20. Now, Moses is getting or has just received the law of God. He's been up on the mountain. And in Exodus 20 and verse 20, and Moses said unto the people, Fear not! For God has come to prove you, that His fear may be before your faces that you sin not. Now isn't that amazing? On the one hand he says fear not. Then on the other hand he says, the fear of God needs to be in you, lest you sin against Him. When we talk about the fear of God, we must understand that there is indeed an awesome power in God. And we must come to grips with the reality of that power. And I believe that even in a reverential fear of God, or a filial fear of God, there is still an aspect of understanding of the awesome power of God.

[John Weaver] Because we understand that God does chastise and God does discipline. Now, my earthly father was around 6'2 and weighed over 200 pounds. And to be truthful, I never really enjoyed being whipped by him. He could not only hurt while he whipped, He can make it hurt a long time after he finished whipping.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. If I respected my earthly father's power and ability to discipline, shall I not much more respect my heavenly father's power and ability to discipline. I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 12.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to hold that passage because we're going to come back there in just a little bit. But let me ask that you look at verse 9 right now. Hebrews 12 and verse 9. We will come back there. But look right now at Hebrews 12 and verse 9. Look what he says. Hebrews 12 verse 9. This is an argument. He says, Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence.

[John Weaver] Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father's spirits and live?" Isn't that the same argument that I just gave you? If I respected the power of my Father to discipline and to whip and to chastise, and I did, because I did not want to be whipped by Him, how much more shall I respect my heavenly Father's power and the ability to discipline. So I believe there is a proper sense in which we respect that power and that ability to chastise and to discipline. And I believe in another sense of the word, respecting that power prompts us to obedience. Because if I didn't want to get whipped by my earthly father, I obeyed him. And He only whipped me when I disobeyed. So, the same thing is true of our Heavenly Father.

[John Weaver] Now, look in your Bibles. Just mark Hebrews chapter 12. But go to 1 Peter chapter 1. And look if you would please at verses 13 through 16. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 13 through 16. 1 Peter 1 verse 13.

[John Weaver] The Lord says through the Apostle Peter, Wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts of your ignorance, but as he who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.

[John Weaver] Go back to verse 14. As obedient children. Now he tells you what obedient children do not do. Obedient children do not fashion themselves according to the former lust of their ignorance." In other words, obedient children do not live the way they used to live. They do not think the way they used to think. They do not act the way they used to act. What does an obedient child do? According to 1 Peter 1 and verse 15, an obedient child becomes holy in all manner of conversation That is all manner of conduct as He is holy.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. Why does Peter differentiate between obedient children and disobedient children? What happens to disobedient children? They get what? Whipped, spanked, disciplined, chastised. So basically what he is saying here is this, if you don't want to be chastised, be an obedient child. Be an obedient child. That's why he says, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. You cannot be holy and be disobedient. You cannot be biblical and be disobedient. The disobedient child is the one that gets the punishment. Now, I want you to go back to Hebrews chapter 12. I want you to go back there. I want you to see something. When God does discipline us, it is for our benefit and blessing. I want you to look in Hebrews chapter 12, beginning there with verse 9.

[John Weaver] He says, Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits, and live? For they, that is our earthly fathers, for they verily for a few days chasten us after their own pleasure. but He, that is God, for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness.

[John Weaver] Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous but grievous, nevertheless afterward it yield to the peaceful fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but rather let it be healed."

[John Weaver] Now, notice what he said. In verse 10, our earthly fathers chasing us, oftentimes, after their own pleasure. God the Father does not chase us that way. Sometimes I think, my father chastised me, he whipped me, just because he's angry at me. Not because I had done anything particularly wrong, but he got mad at me and just whipped me. Of course, I've whipped the one wrong daughter before, too. You know, we have identical twins, and I would grab ahold of one and start to whip, but I'm Leah, I'm Leah, I know who you are, I'm Leah, and find out I whipped the wrong one, you know? That's the way it goes. I just say, well, I did that one on credit, I mean, you know. But God knows exactly what He's doing.

[John Weaver] He whips us when He does, notice what the Bible says, that we might be partakers of His holiness. He chastises us to make us obedient. to make us holy.

[John Weaver] Now, look in 1 Corinthians 11, verses 31 and 32. Let me show you another benefit of being chastened by God. And by the way, in Hebrews chapter 12, in verse 5, He begins by saying, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him. So obviously, you better not despise God's chastening. Why? Because God's chastening It's for our benefit, it's for our blessing, it is to make us more holy, but that is not all. In 1 Corinthians 11, notice if you would please, verse 31, the Bible says this, For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. Watch verse 32, But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. So God's chastening then is not only to make us holy, it is to keep us from becoming more rebellious and being condemned with the world. So God's chastening is always a blessing.

[John Weaver] Now, that's why Peter said, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance, But be ye holy in all manner of conversation, as He is holy. What is an obedient child? When the Father speaks, we obey. What is an obedient child? He's one who does not need to be admonished, rebuked, coerced. He does what's right because it's right to do what's right. An obedient child is one that obeys. He's willing to obey. He's ready to obey. And if we're going to perfect holiness and fear of God, we have to understand we have a Heavenly Father who is holy, who wants us to be holy, and out of a filial fear and a reverential trust in God and dependence upon Him, we look to Him as our Heavenly Father.

[John Weaver] That's why He said, back in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, Wherefore, come out from among them, saith the Lord, and be ye separate. Touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." So it's this filial fear of God, which respects God as Father, acknowledges His authority and power, loves His person, trusts His judgment and His word, and enables us to continue to purge ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. It is this filial fear that restrains us from committing sin, indulging the flesh. It's this filial fear, fatherly fear, that motivates us to be holy as He is holy. And a filial fear inspires us to worship Him and Him alone. Because we recognize that He is our Father.

[John Weaver] And He deserves all honor and all praise and all glory. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 6. And I want you to follow me as I show you several verses on the fear of the Lord. Notice Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 13. Deuteronomy 6 and verse 13. Watch carefully. Here's what the scripture says. Deuteronomy 6 verse 13. God says, Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him and shalt swear by his name. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him, and shalt swear by His name. Look in Deuteronomy 10 and verse 20. Deuteronomy 10 and verse 20. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His name, He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things which thine eyes have seen. Note thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His name.

[John Weaver] Turn, if you would, to Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8 and verse 13. Proverbs 8 and verse 13. Proverbs 8 verse 13. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the froward mouth do I hate. Note the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. If you fear the Lord, you're going to hate everything that is contrary to Him. Now let me show you another verse. Look in Proverbs 16 and verse 6. Proverbs 16 and verse 6. Here's why we should be perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Proverbs 16 and verse 6. By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. You will never ever depart from evil unless you fear the Lord. It's just that simple. If you fear the Lord, you will cease and desist from evil. When you find out something is sinful and wicked and contrary to Him, you will stop or you will never enter into it. You will never engage in it.

[John Weaver] It's only as you fear the Lord that you depart from evil. Now, look in the book of Job 28 and verse 28. Go back a few books. Book of Job 28 and verse 28. This is a tremendous verse. Job 28 and verse 28.

[John Weaver] He said this, and unto man, he said, behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. And to depart from evil is understanding the fear of the Lord is wisdom. And to depart from evil is understanding.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to go back to second Corinthians chapter seven and look, if you would please at verse one, second Corinthians seven in verse one. He said, having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, the promises revealed in verses 16 through 18 of chapter 6, having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting, maturing, completing holiness in the fear of God. The sphere in which we are to perfect or complete holiness is the fear of God. Listen carefully. It is impossible to make progress in holiness or in the Christian life without a biblical fear of God. It's impossible. If you'll remember the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 3, when he talked about all the wickedness in the world, he climaxed and he said, there is no fear of God before their eyes.

[John Weaver] That's why people are wicked. They do not fear God. If we understand that God is our Father, we understand that He loves us, He protects us, He provides for us, He preserves us. But as a Father, He also disciplines us and chastises us. And if we do not want to be chastised, then we must be obedient. Because the scripture says, if you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons or children. For what son is he whom the father chasteth not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons. God only disciplines His own.

[John Weaver] So if a person can sin and never get disciplined, he can do blatant ungodly acts and never get chastised, it's probably because he doesn't belong. to God. Because God chastens His own. And if we do not want chastening, we will have to be, and we must be, obedient.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to make some applications, and I want you to listen to the first one, because the first application is from the book, Holiness, Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots. written by J.C. Ryle. This is just a summary. I want you to listen to this. He quotes the verse from Hebrews 12 and verse 14, without holiness no man shall see the Lord. And then he asks this question, are we holy? Shall we see the Lord? In this hurrying, bustling world, let us stand still for a few minutes and consider the matter of holiness. It is a solemn thing to hear the word of God saying, Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. A man may go great lengths in religion and yet never reach true holiness. What is true practical holiness? It is not knowledge. Balaam had that. It is not a great profession. Judas Iscariot had that.

[John Weaver] It is not doing many things. Herod had that. It is not a zeal for certain matters in religion. Jehu had that. It is not morality and outward respectable conduct. The rich young ruler had that. It's not taking pleasure in hearing the preachers. The Jews in Ezekiel time had that. It is not keeping company with godly people. Joab, Gehazi, and Demas had that. Yet none of these people were holy. These things alone are not holiness. A man may have any one of them and yet never see the Lord. Let me try to draw a picture of biblical holiness that we may see clearly with the eyes of our minds. He's on this 12 things, listen now. Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God according as we find his mind described in the scripture.

[John Weaver] Secondly, a holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin and to keep every known commandment. Thirdly, a holy man will strive to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Fourthly, a holy man will fall after meekness, patience, gentleness, kind tempers, and government of his tongue. Fifthly, a holy man will fall after temperance and self-denial. Sixthly, a holy man will fall after love and brotherly kindness. Seventhly, A holy man will follow after a spirit of mercy and benevolence toward others. Eighthly, a holy man will follow after purity of heart. Nine, a holy man will follow after the fear of God. Ten, a holy man will follow after humility. Eleven, a holy man will follow after faithfulness in all the duties and relations of his life. Twelve, last but not least, a holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness.

[John Weaver] And that was just a summary from Rawls. Exposition on Holiness. You may live through this life without a lot of things. And you may live through this life doing a lot of things, but one thing for sure, without holiness, no man will see the Lord. And it's not that we just want to be positionally holy in Christ. We want to be practically holy in every avenue of our life. The promise of God as our Father should induce us to holiness and sanctification.

[John Weaver] It should encourage us to abstain from all the fleshly lusts which war against the soul. And at the same time, it should make us willing and desiring to depart from sin and wickedness and lay aside all bitterness and wrath and anger and evil speaking and malice. If we understand that our Father is holy, it should make us want to be like Him. We must live under righteousness and holiness. We must be not only a partaker of His holiness, we must have a practical holiness in our life. If you really, genuinely, truly want to be holy, you cannot be content with any sin in your life, no matter how small or insignificant it is. It must be abhorred. It must be repented of. It must be turned from. It must be forsaken.

[John Weaver] You remember it was Solomon who said, Little foxes spoil the vines. Remember when Lot was escaping Sodom? He wanted to go to this town. He said, Oh, is it not a little one? The little foxes spoil the vines. Be ye holy as I am holy, saith the Lord. We must persevere and continue in holiness. in the sphere of fearing the Lord. If we truly fear Him, we will be holy. And we will endeavor to perfect and mature and complete that holiness in our lives.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And Lord, we do indeed ask for holiness. We ask, Father, that you would renew our minds, that you would enable us to see that thou art holy and we are under duty and obligation to be holy as thou art holy. Give us grace, give us the power of the Spirit that we may be holy in every area of our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Perfecting Holiness Part 5 of 5 - In The Fear of God

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	NvO4hhLOvfY
Subject	Biblical Worldview
Course	The Fear of God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-11-28
Dictation Name
Book	Book 067: The Fear of God — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	69

Formatted Transcript

Review of the Series

Weaver reviews the previous messages on 2 Corinthians 7:1, covering the promises declared (God as Father), the purging described (cleansing from filthiness of flesh and spirit), and introduces the final point: the perfection demanded.

2 Corinthians chapter 7. And those of you who have missed all the messages in between, I trust that you will make them up, that you would listen to them on CD, because this whole series has been perfecting holiness, and I trust that the Lord will help you do exactly that. Let me just take a few minutes today to review. But look in 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 1. This has been our text for the last four messages, and today I try to finish this brief series with this fifth message. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:1

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

You will remember I told you that when the Apostle Paul said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:1

"Having therefore these promises,"

he's talking about the promises in chapter 6, verses 16 and 17, where first of all, God promised that He would be our God, and we would be His people, and He would walk among us.

But the second promise is that God would be our Father, and we would be His sons and His daughters if we would come out and be separate and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you. So the first two messages that I preached in this series basically dealt with God as Father, showing you the implications of the fatherhood of God toward His own and our sonship toward our Father. And of course there are so many benefits and blessings in experiencing this father-son relationship. We looked at our first point, and that was the promises declared, and then we got to the second point, the purging described, because he said, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves." And I pointed out that there is a vast difference between what you and I would call positional holiness and, of course, practical holiness. Positional holiness is that which we have in Christ. It is perfect. It cannot be increased. It cannot be decreased, thankfully. But then we're talking about practical holiness. That is something that we're responsible for. That's why he said, "Let us cleanse ourselves." But although we are responsible to cleanse ourselves, we do not have the power or the ability in and of ourselves; that comes from God alone. And so he talks about the purging here, and he talks about cleansing ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and spirit. I dealt with one whole message on the filthiness of the flesh, showing you what it was. And then last week we looked at the filthiness of the spirit.

We must be pure or holy both internally and externally. And spiritual defilement is just as bad and just as wicked as fleshly defilement. Either one will hinder our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Sin sweeps with a desolating influence throughout the whole frame, and usually it leaves no part unaffected, though some parts may be more deeply corrupted than others. So, when we're talking about cleansing ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, the question that should enter our mind is, how do we perform this needed and necessary purging? Obviously, it does not come naturally or easily. And such work, that is purging ourselves, is not a stop-start action. In other words, if you and I are going to be purging ourselves, it has to be something that is done constantly and continuously. You remember how the Apostle Paul said, "I die daily." So it's got to be a daily thing and sometimes an hourly thing, sometimes minute by minute. So, this is going to bring us to our third and final point, and that is the perfection demanded. So we've seen the promises declared, the purging described, and now the perfection demanded.

The Meaning of 'Perfecting Holiness'

The Greek word epiteleo means to bring to an end, accomplish, or complete. Perfecting holiness is a present active participle, indicating an ongoing process of becoming mature and complete, not having already attained perfection.

He says in verse 1, look at it: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." Now, allow me first to deal with the word "perfecting." Perfecting holiness. The Greek word is epiteleo, and it literally means to bring to an end, to accomplish, to perfect, to finish, to execute and complete. So actually what he is telling us is we are here being encouraged to finish or to bring to completion holiness in our lives.

Now before anyone gets bent out of shape and says, "But wait a minute, perfection is impossible," well, let me show you a few verses that will relate to this. I want you to hold 2 Corinthians, but look in your Bibles first of all to the book of Matthew 5 and verse 48. Matthew 5 and verse 48. Look if you would and what the word of God demands. Matthew 5 and verse 48. Remember he says "perfecting holiness." So in Matthew 5 and verse 48 the scripture says this:

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:48

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

That's perfect, isn't it?

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:48

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Look in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2. Romans 12 verses 1 and 2. I'm going to tell you something about each one of these verses in just a moment. But look in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2.

The Apostle Paul says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." So we're not only to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, we are to prove the perfect will of God in our lives. Turn right over to the book of Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3, and look if you would please what the Apostle Paul says in verse 15. Philippians chapter 3 and look at verse 15: "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." So it begins, "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded." One other, if you would turn right over to the book of James chapter 1, and look if you would please at verse 4.

James 1 and verse 4. He says, "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." So we've been commanded to be perfect as our Father which is in heaven is perfect. We've been commanded to prove the perfect will of God. And as many as are perfect, we should be thus minded. And then he says, "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire."

Now the interesting thing is, out of these four passages that I have just read to you, the word "perfect" is translated from one Greek word. The word is teleios, and it literally means this, listen carefully: it means to be perfect, mature, lacking nothing in completeness, a full grown adult, or one who is of full age, and it refers to that which has been brought to its end and is finished. Now if you will look back at 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 1. He says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness." Now, although the other words that I just gave you from Matthew 5, Romans 12, Philippians 3 and James 1, the other Greek word is not exactly the same as the one in 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 1.

It is, however, very closely connected to it. But when you get to 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1, the Greek word there is a present active participle. What does that mean? It means this: it means that you are presently and actively engaged in doing something. Watch it: "perfecting holiness in the fear of God." It means you are in the process of becoming perfect or becoming mature or becoming complete. It does not state that you have reached that goal, but it does state that you're headed for that goal. Now, I want you to listen very carefully because I'm going to give you a few paragraphs from two commentators. The first one is Albert Barnes, and the second one is John Gill, and they are going to be discussing this phrase, "perfecting holiness." And I think these two commentators basically sum up everything we need to know about it. But now listen carefully because it is vitally important. Here's what Albert Barnes says on the word "perfecting." He said, "The word means properly to bring to an end, to finish, complete.

Commentators on Perfecting Holiness

Albert Barnes and John Gill explain that perfecting holiness means carrying holiness to completion, making every effort to be entirely holy, and persevering in a life of righteousness. It is not about achieving sinless perfection but about continual growth and progress.

The idea here is that of carrying it out to its completion. Holiness had been commenced in the heart, and the exhortation of the apostle is that they should make every effort that it might be complete in all of its parts. He does not say that this work of perfection has ever been accomplished. Nor does he say that it had not been. He only urges the obligation to make an effort to be entirely holy. And this obligation is not affected by the inquiry whether one has been or has not been perfect. It is an obligation which results from the nature of the law of God and His unchangeable claims upon the soul. The fact that no one has been perfect does not relax the claim. The fact that no one will be in this life does not weaken the obligation. It proves only the deep and dreadful depravity of the human heart and should humble us under the stubbornness of guilt. The obligation to be perfect is one that is unchangeable and eternal. Tyndale, that is William Tyndale, renders it, 'and grow up into full holiness in the fear of God.'

The unceasing and steady aim of every Christian should be perfection. Perfection in all things, in the love of God, of Christ, of man; perfection of heart and feeling and emotion; perfection in words and plans and dealings with men; perfection in his prayers and in his submission to the will of God. No man can be a Christian who does not sincerely desire it and who does not constantly aim at it. No man is a friend of God who can acquiesce in a state of sin and who is satisfied and contented that he is not as holy as God is holy. And any man who has no desire to be perfect as God is, and who does not make it his daily and constant aim to be perfect as God, may set it down as demonstrably certain that he has no true religion. How can a man be a Christian who is willing to acquiesce in a state of sin, and who does not desire to be just like his Master and Lord?"

I thought that was a very interesting observation, and everything that he said there is correct. I want you to listen, however, to John Gill. John Gill takes it a little farther and he says this, and he's still explaining the term "perfecting holiness." He says, "Perfecting holiness in the fear of God: by holiness is not meant the work of sanctification upon the heart, for that is wholly the work of the Spirit of God and not of man. He begins it, carries it on, and perfects it of himself. But he is speaking of holiness of life and conversation; it is here designed, which in conversion the people of God are called unto, and which highly become them, and this they are to be perfecting. Not that a believer is able to live a life of holiness without sin being in him, or committed by him. This is impossible and impractical in the present life. But the sense of the word is that he is carrying on a life of righteousness and holiness to the end. To the end of his life. He is to persevere as in faith, so in holiness. As he is to go on believing in Christ, so he is to go on to live soberly, righteously, and godly to the end of his days. Which requires divine power to preserve him from sin, and keep him from falling, and the grace of God, the strength of Christ, and the assistance of the Spirit, to enable him to perform acts of holiness, and the several duties of religion, and to continue in well-doing, all which is to be done in the fear of God."

So, what both Gill and Barnes are saying is what I just told you. When he talks about perfecting holiness, he is saying that there is in your life an ongoing and consistent and continual growth whereby you are progressing in holiness and righteousness. Now, perfecting holiness then means that we're constantly and continually progressing more and more in our lives and we're conforming our lives more and more to the Word of God.

Perfecting Holiness vs. Regression

Using Hebrews 5:12-14, Weaver contrasts perfecting holiness with spiritual regression. Believers should go from strength to strength, not revert to spiritual infancy. Paul's example in Philippians 3:13-14 shows pressing forward, not dwelling on the past.

Now I want you to turn to the book of Hebrews chapter 5, and let me show you what the Apostle Paul does not mean by perfecting holiness. Look in Hebrews chapter 5. Hebrews chapter 5, beginning there with verse 12. The Apostle Paul had been writing to these Hebrews. Most folks say Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. I really don't know for sure, but possibly he did. But look in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 12, the apostle writes, "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 5:12-14

For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe." Now I want you to notice what the apostle is dealing with in Hebrews 5 is regression. That is not perfecting holiness. Regression. He said, "For the time when ye ought to be teachers, all of a sudden ye have need that one teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God."

He said, "You're reverting back to babyhood. You need milk instead of meat." When we're talking about perfecting holiness, we're not talking about regression. We're not talking about going backwards. We're not talking about becoming a babe again. No. We're talking about going forward. In Psalm 84 and verse 7, the Word of God says this, now listen carefully: "They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." They go from strength to strength. So that means, if we are perfecting holiness, we are gaining ground, we are not losing ground. We are going from strength to strength, from faith to faith, from glory to glory.

In other words, there is no backing up in our lives, there is no backing down, there is no turning around. We are increasing in adulthood, spiritual adulthood, we are increasing in conformity to the word of God. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Philippians—Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians chapter 3—and notice if you would please verses 13 and 14. Philippians 3 verses 13 and 14.

Now the apostle Paul wrote this concerning himself. If I were to ask you who was the greatest apostle, probably most of you would say Paul. But I want you to notice what the greatest apostle wrote of himself. Philippians 3 verse 13. He says,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 3:13-14

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Now what did Paul say? Paul said,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 3:13-14

"I count not myself to have arrived. I haven't gotten where I want to be."

But he said,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 3:13-14

"This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind."

Let me ask you a question. Would it not be the grace of God if we could forget a lot of things in our past? Forgetting those things which are behind. And here's what Paul is saying.

They may enter my mind every now and then, but I'm not dwelling on them. What I'm going to do is I'm going to reach forth, I'm going to press toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus my Lord. And that's exactly what perfecting holiness is. It is increasing and becoming more and more conformable to Jesus Christ. Let me put it to you like this. We should be more holy this year than we were last year. We should be more holy this month than we were last month. We should be more holy this week than we were last week. We should be more holy today, practically speaking, than we were yesterday. That is perfecting holiness. It is maturing. It is bringing a completeness and a totality in your life.

The Goal of Perfecting Holiness

Ephesians 4:11-14 teaches that pastor-teachers equip saints for the work of ministry, aiming for unity and maturity in Christ. The goal is to become a perfect (mature) man, no longer children tossed by false doctrine.

Now, turn back to the book of Ephesians chapter 4 and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Ephesians 4 verse 11. I want you to see why God gave pastor-teachers to the church. Watch carefully. Ephesians 4 verse 11:

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:11-14

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers."

Now, pastor-teachers are actually one word. A real pastor teaches. Okay? A pastor-teacher. Why did God give pastor-teachers? Here's why. Look in verse 12.

"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Now note if you would back in verse 13, here is why you should be listening to the Word of God being taught: that we might all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, that is a mature, complete man, unto the stature of the fulness of Christ. In other words, we become like Christ. And he said in verse 14, "that we henceforth be no more children."

I find it absolutely amazing that in most churches, the pastor still has to stand around and burp everybody. Has to beg him to come to church, has to beg him to be faithful, has to beg him to give. There's something wrong if the pastor has to spend his time burping so-called adult Christians. You should have come to those conclusions and those principles a long time ago on your own. And the Bible says that is exactly our goal. We are to become a perfect man in Christ. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Arm yourselves with the mind of Christ. That's what he's talking about. Bringing every thought and every imagination in subjection and conformity to Jesus Christ. Here's what he means by perfecting holiness: that we are constantly and continually climbing upward and onward. Every day we're gaining knowledge, we're gaining ground, we're becoming more and more holy, and our goal is to become perfect. We may not be it in this life, but that is our goal. I would still like every thought brought in subjection to Jesus Christ. I can say like David, "I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love." I just hate it when things pop in my mind I know shouldn't be there.

The Sphere: In the Fear of God

Perfecting holiness must occur 'in the fear of God.' John Gill describes this as a filial, reverential fear, not a slavish fear of hell. It involves humble trust, dependence on God, and a childlike reverence that motivates obedience.

Well, he tells us this. "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness"—where?—"in the fear of God." The only sphere in which we're going to be able to perfect holiness is in the fear of God. You cannot perfect holiness outside of that sphere and that realm. We are to be constantly and continually perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Now, earlier I quoted from John Gill on this phrase, "perfecting holiness." I did not finish the quote. I want to do that now because Gill goes on and explains this fear that I've just mentioned, the fear of God. Listen to what he said. He said that perfecting holiness should be accomplished "in the fear of God, but not in a servile, slavish fear, a fear of hell and damnation, but in a filial fear, a reverential affection for God and humble trust in Him and dependence on Him for grace and strength. It is that fear which has God for its author, is a blessing of the new covenant, is implanted in regeneration, is increased by discoveries of pardoning grace; it has God for its object, not his wrath and vindictive justice, but his goodness, grace, and mercy. This shows from what principle and upon what views believers act in the course of righteousness and holiness, not from a fear of hell, nor from the fear of man or with a view to gain their applause, but as in the sight of God from a reverential affection to him, a childlike fear of

him with a view to his glory." Now, Gill says if we're going to perfect holiness, it must be in the fear of God. But he said, it's not a fear of damnation and hell, but it is a filial fear or reverential fear. Now, it is true there are different kinds of fear mentioned in the Bible in reference to God. But I do want you to turn back and look, if you would, first of all, at Jeremiah 5 and verse 22. Jeremiah 5 and verse 22. And let me just show you—Jeremiah 5, verse 22. And let me just show you what God says before I try to distinguish fear for you. Notice Jeremiah 5 and verse 22. Look what God asks:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:22

"Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?

The Fear of God and Obedience

Scripture commands fearing God (Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:20). This fear leads to hating evil (Proverbs 8:13) and departing from evil (Proverbs 16:6). As obedient children, believers are motivated to holiness to avoid chastisement, which God uses for our profit and to make us partakers of His holiness (Hebrews 12:9-11).

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:22

"Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?

And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it." Now look. "Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence?" And then he talks about his act of creation. He talks about how he's placed the sand on the seashore. And no matter how the waves toss themselves, they cannot pass over. And God is saying, "Are you not going to fear me? Look at the power that I have." Now, it is true that we do not serve God out of a fear of hell and damnation. Okay? I don't preach and I don't live just because I'm afraid of going to hell or damnation. In fact, I'm not afraid at all because of Jesus Christ. He is my salvation.

But let me show you something. Look in your Bibles to Exodus 20 and verse 20. It's an interesting thing that Moses says in Exodus 20 and verse 20. Exodus 20 and verse 20. Now, Moses is getting or has just received the law of God. He's been up on the mountain. And in Exodus 20 and verse 20,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:20

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not."

Now isn't that amazing? On the one hand he says, "Fear not." Then on the other hand he says, "The fear of God needs to be in you, lest you sin against Him." When we talk about the fear of God, we must understand that there is indeed an awesome power in God. And we must come to grips with the reality of that power. And I believe that even in a reverential fear of God, or a filial fear of God, there is still an aspect of understanding of the awesome power of God.

Because we understand that God does chastise and God does discipline. Now, my earthly father was around 6'2" and weighed over 200 pounds. And to be truthful, I never really enjoyed being whipped by him. He could not only hurt while he whipped, he could make it hurt a long time after he finished whipping.

Now, let me ask you a question. If I respected my earthly father's power and ability to discipline, shall I not much more respect my heavenly Father's power and ability to discipline? I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 12. Now I want you to hold that passage because we're going to come back there in just a little bit. But let me ask that you look at verse 9 right now. Hebrews 12 and verse 9. We will come back there. But look right now at Hebrews 12 and verse 9. Look what he says. Hebrews 12 verse 9. This is an argument. He says,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 12:9-13

"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:

shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" Isn't that the same argument that I just gave you? If I respected the power of my father to discipline and to whip and to chastise, and I did, because I did not want to be whipped by him, how much more shall I respect my heavenly Father's power and the ability to discipline? So I believe there is a proper sense in which we respect that power and that ability to chastise and to discipline. And I believe in another sense of the word, respecting that power prompts us to obedience. Because if I didn't want to get whipped by my earthly father, I obeyed him. And he only whipped me when I disobeyed. So, the same thing is true of our Heavenly Father.

Now, look in your Bibles. Just mark Hebrews chapter 12. But go to 1 Peter chapter 1. And look if you would please at verses 13 through 16. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 13 through 16. 1 Peter 1 verse 13.

The Lord says through the Apostle Peter, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." Go back to verse 14. "As obedient children." Now he tells you what obedient children do not do. Obedient children do not fashion themselves according to the former lusts of their ignorance. In other words, obedient children do not live the way they used to live. They do not think the way they used to think. They do not act the way they used to act. What does an obedient child do? According to 1 Peter 1 and verse 15, an obedient child becomes holy in all manner of conversation—that is all manner of conduct—as He is holy.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 12:9-13

Now let me ask you a question. Why does Peter differentiate between obedient children and disobedient children? What happens to disobedient children? They get what? Whipped, spanked, disciplined, chastised. So basically what he is saying here is this: if you don't want to be chastised, be an obedient child. Be an obedient child. That's why he says, "perfecting holiness in the fear of God." You cannot be holy and be disobedient. You cannot be biblical and be disobedient. The disobedient child is the one that gets the punishment. Now, I want you to go back to Hebrews chapter 12. I want you to go back there. I want you to see something. When God does discipline us, it is for our benefit and blessing. I want you to look in Hebrews chapter 12, beginning there with verse 9.

He says, "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed."

Now, notice what he said. In verse 10, our earthly fathers chastened us oftentimes after their own pleasure. God the Father does not chasten us that way. Sometimes I think my father chastised me, he whipped me, just because he was angry at me. Not because I had done anything particularly wrong, but he got mad at me and just whipped me. Of course, I've whipped the wrong daughter before, too. You know, we have identical twins, and I would grab ahold of one and start to whip, but "I'm Leah, I'm Leah!" "I know who you are!" "I'm Leah!" and find out I whipped the wrong one, you know? That's the way it goes. I just say, "Well, I did that one on credit," I mean, you know. But God knows exactly what He's doing.

He whips us when He does, notice what the Bible says, "that we might be partakers of his holiness." He chastises us to make us obedient, to make us holy. Now, look in 1 Corinthians 11, verses 31 and 32. Let me show you another benefit of being chastened by God. And by the way, in Hebrews chapter 12, in verse 5, He begins by saying, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him." So obviously, you better not despise God's chastening. Why? Because God's chastening is for our benefit, it's for our blessing, it is to make us more holy, but that is not all. In 1 Corinthians 11, notice if you would please, verse 31, the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 11:31-32

"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."

Watch verse 32:

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 11:31-32

"But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."

So God's chastening then is not only to make us holy, it is to keep us from becoming more rebellious and being condemned with the world. So God's chastening is always a blessing.

Applications from J.C. Ryle

Weaver summarizes Ryle's description of true practical holiness: being of one mind with God, shunning sin, striving to be like Christ, and pursuing virtues such as meekness, purity, fear of God, and spiritual mindedness. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord.

Now, I want to make some applications, and I want you to listen to the first one, because the first application is from the book, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots, written by J.C. Ryle. This is just a summary. I want you to listen to this. He quotes the verse from Hebrews 12 and verse 14, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." And then he asks this question: "Are we holy? Shall we see the Lord?" In this hurrying, bustling world, let us stand still for a few minutes and consider the matter of holiness. It is a solemn thing to hear the word of God saying, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." A man may go great lengths in religion and yet never reach true holiness. What is true practical holiness? It is not knowledge—Balaam had that. It is not a great profession—Judas Iscariot had that.

It is not doing many things—Herod had that. It is not a zeal for certain matters in religion—Jehu had that. It is not morality and outward respectable conduct—the rich young ruler had that. It's not taking pleasure in hearing the preachers—the Jews in Ezekiel's time had that. It is not keeping company with godly people—Joab, Gehazi, and Demas had that. Yet none of these people were holy. These things alone are not holiness. A man may have any one of them and yet never see the Lord. Let me try to draw a picture of biblical holiness that we may see clearly with the eyes of our minds. He lists 12 things, listen now. Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find his mind described in the scripture.

Secondly, a holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin and to keep every known commandment. Thirdly, a holy man will strive to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. Fourthly, a holy man will follow after meekness, patience, gentleness, kind tempers, and government of his tongue. Fifthly, a holy man will follow after temperance and self-denial. Sixthly, a holy man will follow after love and brotherly kindness. Seventhly, a holy man will follow after a spirit of mercy and benevolence toward others. Eighthly, a holy man will follow after purity of heart. Nine, a holy man will follow after the fear of God. Ten, a holy man will follow after humility. Eleven, a holy man will follow after faithfulness in all the duties and relations of his life. Twelve, last but not least, a holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness.

And that was just a summary from Ryle's exposition on holiness. You may live through this life without a lot of things. And you may live through this life doing a lot of things, but one thing for sure, without holiness, no man will see the Lord. And it's not that we just want to be positionally holy in Christ. We want to be practically holy in every avenue of our life. The promise of God as our Father should induce us to holiness and sanctification.

Conclusion and Call to Holiness

The promise of God as Father should induce holiness. Believers must not be content with any sin but must persevere in holiness, fearing the Lord. The sermon closes with a prayer for grace to be holy in every area of life.

It should encourage us to abstain from all the fleshly lusts which war against the soul. And at the same time, it should make us willing and desiring to depart from sin and wickedness and lay aside all bitterness and wrath and anger and evil speaking and malice. If we understand that our Father is holy, it should make us want to be like Him. We must live in righteousness and holiness. We must be not only a partaker of His holiness, we must have a practical holiness in our life. If you really, genuinely, truly want to be holy, you cannot be content with any sin in your life, no matter how small or insignificant it is. It must be abhorred. It must be repented of. It must be turned from. It must be forsaken.

You remember it was Solomon who said, "Little foxes spoil the vines." Remember when Lot was escaping Sodom? He wanted to go to this town. He said, "Oh, is it not a little one?" The little foxes spoil the vines. "Be ye holy; for I am holy," saith the Lord. We must persevere and continue in holiness, in the sphere of fearing the Lord. If we truly fear Him, we will be holy. And we will endeavor to perfect and mature and complete that holiness in our lives.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And Lord, we do indeed ask for holiness. We ask, Father, that You would renew our minds, that You would enable us to see that Thou art holy and we are under duty and obligation to be holy as Thou art holy. Give us grace, give us the power of the Spirit that we may be holy in every area of our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Perfecting Holiness as a Continuous Process

Summary: Holiness is not a static state but an active, ongoing progression toward maturity and Christlikeness. Believers are to constantly and continually grow in practical holiness.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Greek present active participle: 'It means you are in the process of becoming perfect or becoming mature or becoming complete.' He states, 'We should be more holy today, practically speaking, than we were yesterday.'

The Fear of God as the Sphere for Holiness

Summary: True holiness can only be cultivated within a proper fear of God—a reverential, filial fear that acknowledges His authority, power, and fatherly discipline, leading to obedience and departure from evil.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The only sphere in which we're going to be able to perfect holiness is in the fear of God.' He cites Proverbs 16:6: 'by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.'

Obedience and Chastisement

Summary: God disciplines His children for their profit, to make them partakers of His holiness. Obedient children avoid chastisement by living holy lives, while disobedience invites God's corrective discipline.

Evidence: Weaver references Hebrews 12:9-10: 'he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.' He states, 'If you don't want to be chastised, be an obedient child.'

The Necessity of Practical Holiness

Summary: Positional holiness in Christ is perfect, but believers are responsible for practical holiness. Without practical holiness, no one will see the Lord. True holiness involves hating evil and conforming to God's character.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Hebrews 12:14: 'Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.' He summarizes Ryle's list of holy characteristics, including shunning sin and pursuing Christlikeness.

Key Arguments

Perfecting holiness is a present, active, and continuous duty, not an attained state.

Summary: The Greek participle indicates an ongoing process of maturing and completing holiness, not a claim of sinless perfection. Believers must daily progress in holiness.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'It means you are presently and actively engaged in doing something... you are in the process of becoming perfect.' He adds, 'We should be more holy this year than we were last year.'

The fear of God is essential for departing from evil and perfecting holiness.

Summary: A biblical fear of God—reverential, not slavish—motivates obedience, restrains sin, and is the only sphere in which holiness can mature. Without it, progress in holiness is impossible.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'It is impossible to make progress in holiness or in the Christian life without a biblical fear of God.' He cites Proverbs 16:6: 'by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.'

God's chastisement is a blessing that produces holiness and proves sonship.

Summary: Divine discipline is not punitive but corrective, aimed at making believers partakers of God's holiness and preventing condemnation with the world. Those without chastisement are not true sons.

Evidence: Weaver explains Hebrews 12:8-10: 'if ye be without chastisement... then are ye bastards, and not sons.' He notes chastening is 'that we might be partakers of his holiness.'

True holiness involves comprehensive moral transformation, not mere external religion.

Summary: Ryle's summary shows that holiness is not knowledge, profession, or outward conduct, but a heart conformity to God, shunning all known sin, and pursuing Christlike virtues.

Evidence: Weaver lists Ryle's points: 'Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God... a holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin... strive to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.'

Scripture References

2 Corinthians 7:1

Context: The primary text of the series: 'Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.'

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

Context: The promises referred to in 7:1: God will be our God, dwell among us, and be a Father to us if we separate from uncleanness.

Matthew 5:48

Context: Command to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, supporting the call to perfect holiness.

Romans 12:1-2

Context: Exhortation to present bodies as living sacrifices and be transformed to prove the perfect will of God.

Philippians 3:15

Context: 'Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded'—showing the expectation of maturity.

James 1:4

Context: 'Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.'

Hebrews 5:12-14

Context: Rebuke for spiritual regression; contrast between milk and strong meat, babes and mature.

Psalm 84:7

Context: 'They go from strength to strength'—illustrating progress in holiness.

Philippians 3:13-14

Context: Paul's example of forgetting the past and pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling.

Ephesians 4:11-14

Context: Purpose of pastor-teachers: perfecting saints, edifying the body, attaining unity and maturity, no longer children.

Jeremiah 5:22

Context: God asks, 'Fear ye not me? will ye not tremble at my presence?' highlighting His power in creation.

Exodus 20:20

Context: Moses says, 'Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.'

Hebrews 12:9-13

Context: Comparison between earthly fathers' discipline and God's chastening for our profit, to produce holiness and righteousness.

1 Peter 1:13-16

Context: Call to be holy as God is holy, as obedient children not conforming to former lusts.

1 Corinthians 11:31-32

Context: If we judge ourselves, we avoid judgment; when judged, we are chastened to avoid condemnation with the world.

Deuteronomy 6:13

Context: 'Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him.'

Deuteronomy 10:20

Context: 'Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave.'

Proverbs 8:13

Context: 'The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way.'

Proverbs 16:6

Context: 'By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.'

Job 28:28

Context: 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'

Historical References

Albert Barnes

Context: Weaver quotes Barnes' commentary on 'perfecting holiness,' explaining it as carrying holiness to completion and the unchangeable obligation to be perfect.

John Gill

Context: Weaver quotes Gill's commentary distinguishing the work of sanctification from the believer's responsibility to perfect holiness in life, and defining the fear of God as filial, not slavish.

William Tyndale

Context: Barnes notes Tyndale's rendering of the phrase as 'grow up into full holiness in the fear of God.'

J.C. Ryle

Context: Weaver summarizes Ryle's book 'Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots,' listing 12 characteristics of true practical holiness.

Important Quotes

It means you are in the process of becoming perfect or becoming mature or becoming complete.

Significance: Defines the ongoing, progressive nature of perfecting holiness as a present active participle.

The unceasing and steady aim of every Christian should be perfection. Perfection in all things, in the love of God, of Christ, of man; perfection of heart and feeling and emotion; perfection in words and plans and dealings with men; perfection in his prayers and in his submission to the will of God.

Significance: Albert Barnes' powerful exhortation that the Christian's constant aim must be comprehensive perfection, quoted by Weaver to emphasize the obligation.

We should be more holy this year than we were last year. We should be more holy this month than we were last month. We should be more holy this week than we were last week. We should be more holy today, practically speaking, than we were yesterday.

Significance: Weaver's practical application of perfecting holiness as measurable, daily progress in practical godliness.

The only sphere in which we're going to be able to perfect holiness is in the fear of God.

Significance: States the essential environment for holiness: a proper fear of God.

It is impossible to make progress in holiness or in the Christian life without a biblical fear of God.

Significance: Absolute statement linking all spiritual progress to the fear of God.

By the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

Significance: Key Proverbs verse used to show that fearing God is the means of turning from sin.

Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

Significance: The solemn biblical warning that motivates the entire pursuit of practical holiness.

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to 'perfect holiness' as a present active participle, and how does this differ from the idea of attaining sinless perfection?

Context: Weaver explains the Greek grammar and contrasts ongoing maturation with a completed state.

How does the fear of God function as the sphere in which holiness is perfected, and what is the difference between a filial fear and a slavish fear?

Context: Weaver discusses John Gill's distinction and the role of reverence versus terror.

In what ways does God's chastisement demonstrate His love and produce holiness in believers?

Context: Weaver expounds Hebrews 12:9-11, showing discipline as for our profit and partaking of holiness.

According to J.C. Ryle's summary, what are some marks of true practical holiness, and how do they challenge superficial religiosity?

Context: Weaver lists Ryle's 12 characteristics, contrasting them with mere knowledge, profession, or outward conduct.

Why is it impossible to make progress in holiness without a biblical fear of God, and how does Proverbs 16:6 support this?

Context: Weaver states the impossibility and cites the verse that fear of the Lord causes departure from evil.

How can believers practically 'cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit' on a daily basis?

Context: Weaver emphasizes the continuous, moment-by-moment nature of purging and the need for divine enablement.

Applications

Pursue daily progress in practical holiness

Summary: Believers should aim to be more holy today than yesterday, constantly growing in conformity to Christ and not content with spiritual stagnation.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'We should be more holy today, practically speaking, than we were yesterday. That is perfecting holiness.'

Cultivate a reverential fear of God

Summary: Develop a filial fear that respects God's authority, loves His person, and trusts His Word, leading to obedience and departure from evil.

Evidence: Weaver explains: 'It is this filial fear that restrains us from committing sin... motivates us to be holy as He is holy.'

Embrace God's discipline as a blessing

Summary: View chastisement as evidence of sonship and a means to partake of God's holiness, responding with submission rather than despising it.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'God's chastening is always a blessing... to make us more holy.'

Hate and forsake all sin

Summary: True holiness requires abhorring even small sins, repenting of them, and turning from them completely, not tolerating any known sin.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'If you really, genuinely, truly want to be holy, you cannot be content with any sin in your life, no matter how small.'

Strive for comprehensive Christlikeness

Summary: Pursue the full range of holy virtues listed by Ryle: meekness, purity, love, humility, spiritual mindedness, and faithfulness in all duties.

Evidence: Weaver summarizes Ryle's 12 marks of a holy man, including being of one mind with God and shunning every known sin.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T22:22:40Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T22:50:35Z

Clean Transcript

Perfecting Holiness Part 5 of 5 - In The Fear of God

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

2 Corinthians chapter 7. And those of you who have missed all the messages in between, I trust that you will make them up, that you would listen to them on CD, because this whole series has been perfecting holiness, and I trust that the Lord will help you do exactly that. Let me just take a few minutes today to review. But look in 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 1. This has been our text for the last four messages, and today I try to finish this brief series with this fifth message. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." You will remember I told you that when the Apostle Paul said, "Having therefore these promises," he's talking about the promises in chapter 6, verses 16 and 17, where first of all, God promised that He would be our God, and we would be His people, and He would walk among us.
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But the second promise is that God would be our Father, and we would be His sons and His daughters if we would come out and be separate and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you. So the first two messages that I preached in this series basically dealt with God as Father, showing you the implications of the fatherhood of God toward His own and our sonship toward our Father. And of course there are so many benefits and blessings in experiencing this father-son relationship. We looked at our first point, and that was the promises declared, and then we got to the second point, the purging described, because he said, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves."
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And I pointed out that there is a vast difference between what you and I would call positional holiness and, of course, practical holiness. Positional holiness is that which we have in Christ. It is perfect. It cannot be increased. It cannot be decreased, thankfully. But then we're talking about practical holiness. That is something that we're responsible for. That's why he said, "Let us cleanse ourselves." But although we are responsible to cleanse ourselves, we do not have the power or the ability in and of ourselves; that comes from God alone. And so he talks about the purging here, and he talks about cleansing ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and spirit. I dealt with one whole message on the filthiness of the flesh, showing you what it was. And then last week we looked at the filthiness of the spirit.
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We must be pure or holy both internally and externally. And spiritual defilement is just as bad and just as wicked as fleshly defilement. Either one will hinder our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Sin sweeps with a desolating influence throughout the whole frame, and usually it leaves no part unaffected, though some parts may be more deeply corrupted than others. So, when we're talking about cleansing ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, the question that should enter our mind is, how do we perform this needed and necessary purging?
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Obviously, it does not come naturally or easily. And such work, that is purging ourselves, is not a stop-start action. In other words, if you and I are going to be purging ourselves, it has to be something that is done constantly and continuously. You remember how the Apostle Paul said, "I die daily." So it's got to be a daily thing and sometimes an hourly thing, sometimes minute by minute. So, this is going to bring us to our third and final point, and that is the perfection demanded. So we've seen the promises declared, the purging described, and now the perfection demanded.
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He says in verse 1, look at it: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
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Now, allow me first to deal with the word "perfecting." Perfecting holiness. The Greek word is epiteleo, and it literally means to bring to an end, to accomplish, to perfect, to finish, to execute and complete. So actually what he is telling us is we are here being encouraged to finish or to bring to completion holiness in our lives.
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Now before anyone gets bent out of shape and says, "But wait a minute, perfection is impossible," well, let me show you a few verses that will relate to this. I want you to hold 2 Corinthians, but look in your Bibles first of all to the book of Matthew 5 and verse 48. Matthew 5 and verse 48. Look if you would and what the word of God demands. Matthew 5 and verse 48. Remember he says "perfecting holiness." So in Matthew 5 and verse 48 the scripture says this:
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"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." That's perfect, isn't it? "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Look in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2. Romans 12 verses 1 and 2. I'm going to tell you something about each one of these verses in just a moment. But look in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2.
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The Apostle Paul says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." So we're not only to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, we are to prove the perfect will of God in our lives. Turn right over to the book of Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3, and look if you would please what the Apostle Paul says in verse 15. Philippians chapter 3 and look at verse 15: "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." So it begins, "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded." One other, if you would turn right over to the book of James chapter 1, and look if you would please at verse 4.
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James 1 and verse 4. He says, "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." So we've been commanded to be perfect as our Father which is in heaven is perfect. We've been commanded to prove the perfect will of God. And as many as are perfect, we should be thus minded. And then he says, "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire."
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Now the interesting thing is, out of these four passages that I have just read to you, the word "perfect" is translated from one Greek word. The word is teleios, and it literally means this, listen carefully: it means to be perfect, mature, lacking nothing in completeness, a full grown adult, or one who is of full age, and it refers to that which has been brought to its end and is finished.
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Now if you will look back at 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 1. He says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness." Now, although the other words that I just gave you from Matthew 5, Romans 12, Philippians 3 and James 1, the other Greek word is not exactly the same as the one in 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 1.
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It is, however, very closely connected to it. But when you get to 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1, the Greek word there is a present active participle. What does that mean? It means this: it means that you are presently and actively engaged in doing something. Watch it: "perfecting holiness in the fear of God." It means you are in the process of becoming perfect or becoming mature or becoming complete.
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It does not state that you have reached that goal, but it does state that you're headed for that goal. Now, I want you to listen very carefully because I'm going to give you a few paragraphs from two commentators. The first one is Albert Barnes, and the second one is John Gill, and they are going to be discussing this phrase, "perfecting holiness." And I think these two commentators basically sum up everything we need to know about it. But now listen carefully because it is vitally important. Here's what Albert Barnes says on the word "perfecting." He said, "The word means properly to bring to an end, to finish, complete.
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The idea here is that of carrying it out to its completion. Holiness had been commenced in the heart, and the exhortation of the apostle is that they should make every effort that it might be complete in all of its parts. He does not say that this work of perfection has ever been accomplished. Nor does he say that it had not been. He only urges the obligation to make an effort to be entirely holy. And this obligation is not affected by the inquiry whether one has been or has not been perfect. It is an obligation which results from the nature of the law of God and His unchangeable claims upon the soul. The fact that no one has been perfect does not relax the claim. The fact that no one will be in this life does not weaken the obligation. It proves only the deep and dreadful depravity of the human heart and should humble us under the stubbornness of guilt. The obligation to be perfect is one that is unchangeable and eternal. Tyndale, that is William Tyndale, renders it, 'and grow up into full holiness in the fear of God.'
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The unceasing and steady aim of every Christian should be perfection. Perfection in all things, in the love of God, of Christ, of man; perfection of heart and feeling and emotion; perfection in words and plans and dealings with men; perfection in his prayers and in his submission to the will of God. No man can be a Christian who does not sincerely desire it and who does not constantly aim at it. No man is a friend of God who can acquiesce in a state of sin and who is satisfied and contented that he is not as holy as God is holy. And any man who has no desire to be perfect as God is, and who does not make it his daily and constant aim to be perfect as God, may set it down as demonstrably certain that he has no true religion. How can a man be a Christian who is willing to acquiesce in a state of sin, and who does not desire to be just like his Master and Lord?"
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I thought that was a very interesting observation, and everything that he said there is correct. I want you to listen, however, to John Gill. John Gill takes it a little farther and he says this, and he's still explaining the term "perfecting holiness." He says, "Perfecting holiness in the fear of God: by holiness is not meant the work of sanctification upon the heart, for that is wholly the work of the Spirit of God and not of man.
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He begins it, carries it on, and perfects it of himself. But he is speaking of holiness of life and conversation; it is here designed, which in conversion the people of God are called unto, and which highly become them, and this they are to be perfecting. Not that a believer is able to live a life of holiness without sin being in him, or committed by him. This is impossible and impractical in the present life. But the sense of the word is that he is carrying on a life of righteousness and holiness to the end. To the end of his life. He is to persevere as in faith, so in holiness. As he is to go on believing in Christ, so he is to go on to live soberly, righteously, and godly to the end of his days. Which requires divine power to preserve him from sin, and keep him from falling, and the grace of God, the strength of Christ, and the assistance of the Spirit, to enable him to perform acts of holiness, and the several duties of religion, and to continue in well-doing, all which is to be done in the fear of God."
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So, what both Gill and Barnes are saying is what I just told you. When he talks about perfecting holiness, he is saying that there is in your life an ongoing and consistent and continual growth whereby you are progressing in holiness and righteousness. Now, perfecting holiness then means that we're constantly and continually progressing more and more in our lives and we're conforming our lives more and more to the Word of God.
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Now I want you to turn to the book of Hebrews chapter 5, and let me show you what the Apostle Paul does not mean by perfecting holiness. Look in Hebrews chapter 5. Hebrews chapter 5, beginning there with verse 12. The Apostle Paul had been writing to these Hebrews. Most folks say Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. I really don't know for sure, but possibly he did. But look in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 12, the apostle writes, "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
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For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe." Now I want you to notice what the apostle is dealing with in Hebrews 5 is regression. That is not perfecting holiness. Regression. He said, "For the time when ye ought to be teachers, all of a sudden ye have need that one teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God."
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He said, "You're reverting back to babyhood. You need milk instead of meat." When we're talking about perfecting holiness, we're not talking about regression. We're not talking about going backwards. We're not talking about becoming a babe again. No. We're talking about going forward. In Psalm 84 and verse 7, the Word of God says this, now listen carefully: "They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." They go from strength to strength. So that means, if we are perfecting holiness, we are gaining ground, we are not losing ground. We are going from strength to strength, from faith to faith, from glory to glory.
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In other words, there is no backing up in our lives, there is no backing down, there is no turning around. We are increasing in adulthood, spiritual adulthood, we are increasing in conformity to the word of God. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Philippians—Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians chapter 3—and notice if you would please verses 13 and 14. Philippians 3 verses 13 and 14.
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Now the apostle Paul wrote this concerning himself. If I were to ask you who was the greatest apostle, probably most of you would say Paul. But I want you to notice what the greatest apostle wrote of himself. Philippians 3 verse 13. He says, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Now what did Paul say? Paul said, "I count not myself to have arrived. I haven't gotten where I want to be." But he said, "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind." Let me ask you a question. Would it not be the grace of God if we could forget a lot of things in our past? Forgetting those things which are behind. And here's what Paul is saying.
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They may enter my mind every now and then, but I'm not dwelling on them. What I'm going to do is I'm going to reach forth, I'm going to press toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus my Lord. And that's exactly what perfecting holiness is. It is increasing and becoming more and more conformable to Jesus Christ. Let me put it to you like this.
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We should be more holy this year than we were last year. We should be more holy this month than we were last month. We should be more holy this week than we were last week. We should be more holy today, practically speaking, than we were yesterday. That is perfecting holiness. It is maturing. It is bringing a completeness and a totality in your life.
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Now, turn back to the book of Ephesians chapter 4 and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Ephesians 4 verse 11. I want you to see why God gave pastor-teachers to the church. Watch carefully. Ephesians 4 verse 11: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." Now, pastor-teachers are actually one word. A real pastor teaches. Okay? A pastor-teacher. Why did God give pastor-teachers? Here's why. Look in verse 12.
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"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."
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Now note if you would back in verse 13, here is why you should be listening to the Word of God being taught: that we might all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, that is a mature, complete man, unto the stature of the fulness of Christ. In other words, we become like Christ. And he said in verse 14, "that we henceforth be no more children."
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I find it absolutely amazing that in most churches, the pastor still has to stand around and burp everybody. Has to beg him to come to church, has to beg him to be faithful, has to beg him to give. There's something wrong if the pastor has to spend his time burping so-called adult Christians. You should have come to those conclusions and those principles a long time ago on your own.
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And the Bible says that is exactly our goal. We are to become a perfect man in Christ. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Arm yourselves with the mind of Christ. That's what he's talking about. Bringing every thought and every imagination in subjection and conformity to Jesus Christ. Here's what he means by perfecting holiness: that we are constantly and continually climbing upward and onward. Every day we're gaining knowledge, we're gaining ground, we're becoming more and more holy, and our goal is to become perfect. We may not be it in this life, but that is our goal. I would still like every thought brought in subjection to Jesus Christ. I can say like David, "I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love." I just hate it when things pop in my mind I know shouldn't be there.
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I'm not dwelling on them. They just pop in there. And I have to fight to get them out just like everybody else. And I can't waste my time thinking about vain, stupid, useless, worthless, fleshly thoughts. So, we have to continue to work every day. Now, here's my question. Since we know that we're perfecting holiness and that we should be perfecting holiness, what is the sphere in which we're to do our work?
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Well, he tells us this. "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness"—where?—"in the fear of God." The only sphere in which we're going to be able to perfect holiness is in the fear of God. You cannot perfect holiness outside of that sphere and that realm. We are to be constantly and continually perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Now, earlier I quoted from John Gill on this phrase, "perfecting holiness."
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I did not finish the quote. I want to do that now because Gill goes on and explains this fear that I've just mentioned, the fear of God. Listen to what he said. He said that perfecting holiness should be accomplished "in the fear of God, but not in a servile, slavish fear, a fear of hell and damnation, but in a filial fear, a reverential affection for God and humble trust in Him and dependence on Him for grace and strength. It is that fear which has God for its author, is a blessing of the new covenant, is implanted in regeneration, is increased by discoveries of pardoning grace; it has God for its object, not his wrath and vindictive justice, but his goodness, grace, and mercy. This shows from what principle and upon what views believers act in the course of righteousness and holiness, not from a fear of hell, nor from the fear of man or with a view to gain their applause, but as in the sight of God from a reverential affection to him, a childlike fear of
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him with a view to his glory." Now, Gill says if we're going to perfect holiness, it must be in the fear of God. But he said, it's not a fear of damnation and hell, but it is a filial fear or reverential fear. Now, it is true there are different kinds of fear mentioned in the Bible in reference to God. But I do want you to turn back and look, if you would, first of all, at Jeremiah 5 and verse 22. Jeremiah 5 and verse 22.
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And let me just show you—Jeremiah 5, verse 22. And let me just show you what God says before I try to distinguish fear for you. Notice Jeremiah 5 and verse 22. Look what God asks: "Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?
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And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it." Now look. "Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence?" And then he talks about his act of creation. He talks about how he's placed the sand on the seashore. And no matter how the waves toss themselves, they cannot pass over. And God is saying, "Are you not going to fear me? Look at the power that I have." Now, it is true that we do not serve God out of a fear of hell and damnation. Okay? I don't preach and I don't live just because I'm afraid of going to hell or damnation. In fact, I'm not afraid at all because of Jesus Christ. He is my salvation.
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But let me show you something. Look in your Bibles to Exodus 20 and verse 20. It's an interesting thing that Moses says in Exodus 20 and verse 20. Exodus 20 and verse 20. Now, Moses is getting or has just received the law of God. He's been up on the mountain. And in Exodus 20 and verse 20, "And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not." Now isn't that amazing? On the one hand he says, "Fear not." Then on the other hand he says, "The fear of God needs to be in you, lest you sin against Him." When we talk about the fear of God, we must understand that there is indeed an awesome power in God. And we must come to grips with the reality of that power. And I believe that even in a reverential fear of God, or a filial fear of God, there is still an aspect of understanding of the awesome power of God.
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Because we understand that God does chastise and God does discipline. Now, my earthly father was around 6'2" and weighed over 200 pounds. And to be truthful, I never really enjoyed being whipped by him. He could not only hurt while he whipped, he could make it hurt a long time after he finished whipping.
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Now, let me ask you a question. If I respected my earthly father's power and ability to discipline, shall I not much more respect my heavenly Father's power and ability to discipline? I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 12.
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Now I want you to hold that passage because we're going to come back there in just a little bit. But let me ask that you look at verse 9 right now. Hebrews 12 and verse 9. We will come back there. But look right now at Hebrews 12 and verse 9. Look what he says. Hebrews 12 verse 9. This is an argument. He says, "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
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shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" Isn't that the same argument that I just gave you? If I respected the power of my father to discipline and to whip and to chastise, and I did, because I did not want to be whipped by him, how much more shall I respect my heavenly Father's power and the ability to discipline? So I believe there is a proper sense in which we respect that power and that ability to chastise and to discipline. And I believe in another sense of the word, respecting that power prompts us to obedience. Because if I didn't want to get whipped by my earthly father, I obeyed him. And he only whipped me when I disobeyed. So, the same thing is true of our Heavenly Father.
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Now, look in your Bibles. Just mark Hebrews chapter 12. But go to 1 Peter chapter 1. And look if you would please at verses 13 through 16. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 13 through 16. 1 Peter 1 verse 13.
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The Lord says through the Apostle Peter, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
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Go back to verse 14. "As obedient children." Now he tells you what obedient children do not do. Obedient children do not fashion themselves according to the former lusts of their ignorance. In other words, obedient children do not live the way they used to live. They do not think the way they used to think. They do not act the way they used to act. What does an obedient child do? According to 1 Peter 1 and verse 15, an obedient child becomes holy in all manner of conversation—that is all manner of conduct—as He is holy.
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Now let me ask you a question. Why does Peter differentiate between obedient children and disobedient children? What happens to disobedient children? They get what? Whipped, spanked, disciplined, chastised. So basically what he is saying here is this: if you don't want to be chastised, be an obedient child. Be an obedient child. That's why he says, "perfecting holiness in the fear of God." You cannot be holy and be disobedient. You cannot be biblical and be disobedient. The disobedient child is the one that gets the punishment. Now, I want you to go back to Hebrews chapter 12. I want you to go back there. I want you to see something. When God does discipline us, it is for our benefit and blessing. I want you to look in Hebrews chapter 12, beginning there with verse 9.
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He says, "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
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Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed."
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Now, notice what he said. In verse 10, our earthly fathers chastened us oftentimes after their own pleasure. God the Father does not chasten us that way. Sometimes I think my father chastised me, he whipped me, just because he was angry at me. Not because I had done anything particularly wrong, but he got mad at me and just whipped me. Of course, I've whipped the wrong daughter before, too. You know, we have identical twins, and I would grab ahold of one and start to whip, but "I'm Leah, I'm Leah!" "I know who you are!" "I'm Leah!" and find out I whipped the wrong one, you know? That's the way it goes. I just say, "Well, I did that one on credit," I mean, you know. But God knows exactly what He's doing.
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He whips us when He does, notice what the Bible says, "that we might be partakers of his holiness." He chastises us to make us obedient, to make us holy.
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Now, look in 1 Corinthians 11, verses 31 and 32. Let me show you another benefit of being chastened by God. And by the way, in Hebrews chapter 12, in verse 5, He begins by saying, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him." So obviously, you better not despise God's chastening. Why? Because God's chastening is for our benefit, it's for our blessing, it is to make us more holy, but that is not all. In 1 Corinthians 11, notice if you would please, verse 31, the Bible says this: "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." Watch verse 32: "But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." So God's chastening then is not only to make us holy, it is to keep us from becoming more rebellious and being condemned with the world. So God's chastening is always a blessing.
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Now, that's why Peter said, "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." What is an obedient child? When the Father speaks, we obey. What is an obedient child? He's one who does not need to be admonished, rebuked, coerced. He does what's right because it's right to do what's right. An obedient child is one that obeys. He's willing to obey. He's ready to obey. And if we're going to perfect holiness in the fear of God, we have to understand we have a Heavenly Father who is holy, who wants us to be holy, and out of a filial fear and a reverential trust in God and dependence upon Him, we look to Him as our Heavenly Father.
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That's why He said, back in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." So it's this filial fear of God, which respects God as Father, acknowledges His authority and power, loves His person, trusts His judgment and His word, and enables us to continue to purge ourselves from filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit. It is this filial fear that restrains us from committing sin, indulging the flesh. It's this filial fear, fatherly fear, that motivates us to be holy as He is holy. And a filial fear inspires us to worship Him and Him alone. Because we recognize that He is our Father.
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And He deserves all honor and all praise and all glory. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 6. And I want you to follow me as I show you several verses on the fear of the Lord. Notice Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 13. Deuteronomy 6 and verse 13. Watch carefully. Here's what the scripture says. Deuteronomy 6 verse 13. God says, "Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name." Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Look in Deuteronomy 10 and verse 20. Deuteronomy 10 and verse 20. "Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen." Note: "Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name."
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Turn, if you would, to Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8 and verse 13. Proverbs 8 and verse 13. Proverbs 8 verse 13: "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate." Note: the fear of the LORD is to hate evil. If you fear the Lord, you're going to hate everything that is contrary to Him. Now let me show you another verse. Look in Proverbs 16 and verse 6. Proverbs 16 and verse 6. Here's why we should be perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Proverbs 16 and verse 6: "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil." You will never ever depart from evil unless you fear the Lord. It's just that simple. If you fear the Lord, you will cease and desist from evil. When you find out something is sinful and wicked and contrary to Him, you will stop or you will never enter into it. You will never engage in it.
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It's only as you fear the Lord that you depart from evil. Now, look in the book of Job 28 and verse 28. Go back a few books. Book of Job 28 and verse 28. This is a tremendous verse. Job 28 and verse 28.
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He said this, "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." The fear of the Lord is wisdom. And to depart from evil is understanding.
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Now I want you to go back to 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and look, if you would please, at verse 1. 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 1. He said, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved"—the promises revealed in verses 16 through 18 of chapter 6—"having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting, maturing, completing holiness in the fear of God." The sphere in which we are to perfect or complete holiness is the fear of God. Listen carefully. It is impossible to make progress in holiness or in the Christian life without a biblical fear of God. It's impossible. If you'll remember the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 3, when he talked about all the wickedness in the world, he climaxed and he said, "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
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That's why people are wicked. They do not fear God. If we understand that God is our Father, we understand that He loves us, He protects us, He provides for us, He preserves us. But as a Father, He also disciplines us and chastises us. And if we do not want to be chastised, then we must be obedient. Because the scripture says, "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." God only disciplines His own.
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So if a person can sin and never get disciplined, he can do blatant ungodly acts and never get chastised, it's probably because he doesn't belong to God. Because God chastens His own. And if we do not want chastening, we will have to be, and we must be, obedient.
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Now, I want to make some applications, and I want you to listen to the first one, because the first application is from the book, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots, written by J.C. Ryle. This is just a summary. I want you to listen to this. He quotes the verse from Hebrews 12 and verse 14, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." And then he asks this question: "Are we holy? Shall we see the Lord?" In this hurrying, bustling world, let us stand still for a few minutes and consider the matter of holiness. It is a solemn thing to hear the word of God saying, "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." A man may go great lengths in religion and yet never reach true holiness. What is true practical holiness? It is not knowledge—Balaam had that. It is not a great profession—Judas Iscariot had that.
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It is not doing many things—Herod had that. It is not a zeal for certain matters in religion—Jehu had that. It is not morality and outward respectable conduct—the rich young ruler had that. It's not taking pleasure in hearing the preachers—the Jews in Ezekiel's time had that. It is not keeping company with godly people—Joab, Gehazi, and Demas had that. Yet none of these people were holy. These things alone are not holiness. A man may have any one of them and yet never see the Lord. Let me try to draw a picture of biblical holiness that we may see clearly with the eyes of our minds. He lists 12 things, listen now. Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find his mind described in the scripture.
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Secondly, a holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin and to keep every known commandment. Thirdly, a holy man will strive to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Fourthly, a holy man will follow after meekness, patience, gentleness, kind tempers, and government of his tongue. Fifthly, a holy man will follow after temperance and self-denial. Sixthly, a holy man will follow after love and brotherly kindness. Seventhly, a holy man will follow after a spirit of mercy and benevolence toward others. Eighthly, a holy man will follow after purity of heart. Nine, a holy man will follow after the fear of God. Ten, a holy man will follow after humility. Eleven, a holy man will follow after faithfulness in all the duties and relations of his life. Twelve, last but not least, a holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness.
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And that was just a summary from Ryle's exposition on holiness. You may live through this life without a lot of things. And you may live through this life doing a lot of things, but one thing for sure, without holiness, no man will see the Lord. And it's not that we just want to be positionally holy in Christ. We want to be practically holy in every avenue of our life. The promise of God as our Father should induce us to holiness and sanctification.
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It should encourage us to abstain from all the fleshly lusts which war against the soul. And at the same time, it should make us willing and desiring to depart from sin and wickedness and lay aside all bitterness and wrath and anger and evil speaking and malice. If we understand that our Father is holy, it should make us want to be like Him. We must live in righteousness and holiness. We must be not only a partaker of His holiness, we must have a practical holiness in our life. If you really, genuinely, truly want to be holy, you cannot be content with any sin in your life, no matter how small or insignificant it is. It must be abhorred. It must be repented of. It must be turned from. It must be forsaken.
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You remember it was Solomon who said, "Little foxes spoil the vines." Remember when Lot was escaping Sodom? He wanted to go to this town. He said, "Oh, is it not a little one?" The little foxes spoil the vines. "Be ye holy; for I am holy," saith the Lord. We must persevere and continue in holiness, in the sphere of fearing the Lord. If we truly fear Him, we will be holy. And we will endeavor to perfect and mature and complete that holiness in our lives.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And Lord, we do indeed ask for holiness. We ask, Father, that You would renew our minds, that You would enable us to see that Thou art holy and we are under duty and obligation to be holy as Thou art holy. Give us grace, give us the power of the Spirit that we may be holy in every area of our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T22:22:40Z

Perfecting Holiness Part 5 of 5 - In The Fear of God

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this concluding message of the series, Pastor John Weaver expounds 2 Corinthians 7:1, focusing on the phrase 'perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' He explains that perfecting holiness is a continuous, active process of maturing and becoming more like Christ, not a state of sinless perfection. The only sphere in which this growth can occur is the fear of God—a reverential, filial fear that acknowledges God's fatherly authority, power, and discipline, motivating obedience and departure from evil. The sermon emphasizes that without holiness, no one will see the Lord, and believers must actively cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, progressing daily in practical holiness.

Review of the Series

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:1

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

You will remember I told you that when the Apostle Paul said,

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:1

"Having therefore these promises,"

he's talking about the promises in chapter 6, verses 16 and 17, where first of all, God promised that He would be our God, and we would be His people, and He would walk among us.

The Meaning of 'Perfecting Holiness'

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:48

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

That's perfect, isn't it?

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:48

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Look in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2. Romans 12 verses 1 and 2. I'm going to tell you something about each one of these verses in just a moment. But look in Romans 12 verses 1 and 2.

Commentators on Perfecting Holiness

Perfecting Holiness vs. Regression

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 5:12-14

For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe." Now I want you to notice what the apostle is dealing with in Hebrews 5 is regression. That is not perfecting holiness. Regression. He said, "For the time when ye ought to be teachers, all of a sudden ye have need that one teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God."

Scripture Reading — Philippians 3:13-14

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Now what did Paul say? Paul said,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 3:13-14

"I count not myself to have arrived. I haven't gotten where I want to be."

But he said,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 3:13-14

"This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind."

Let me ask you a question. Would it not be the grace of God if we could forget a lot of things in our past? Forgetting those things which are behind. And here's what Paul is saying.

The Goal of Perfecting Holiness

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:11-14

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers."

Now, pastor-teachers are actually one word. A real pastor teaches. Okay? A pastor-teacher. Why did God give pastor-teachers? Here's why. Look in verse 12.

The Sphere: In the Fear of God

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:22

"Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?

The Fear of God and Obedience

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:22

"Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:20

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not."

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 12:9-13

"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:

Now, look in your Bibles. Just mark Hebrews chapter 12. But go to 1 Peter chapter 1. And look if you would please at verses 13 through 16. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 13 through 16. 1 Peter 1 verse 13.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 12:9-13

Now let me ask you a question. Why does Peter differentiate between obedient children and disobedient children? What happens to disobedient children? They get what? Whipped, spanked, disciplined, chastised. So basically what he is saying here is this: if you don't want to be chastised, be an obedient child. Be an obedient child. That's why he says, "perfecting holiness in the fear of God." You cannot be holy and be disobedient. You cannot be biblical and be disobedient. The disobedient child is the one that gets the punishment. Now, I want you to go back to Hebrews chapter 12. I want you to go back there. I want you to see something. When God does discipline us, it is for our benefit and blessing. I want you to look in Hebrews chapter 12, beginning there with verse 9.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 11:31-32

"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."

Watch verse 32:

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 11:31-32

"But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."

So God's chastening then is not only to make us holy, it is to keep us from becoming more rebellious and being condemned with the world. So God's chastening is always a blessing.

Applications from J.C. Ryle

Conclusion and Call to Holiness

Perfecting Holiness Part 5 of 5 - In The Fear of God

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	NvO4hhLOvfY
Subject	Biblical Worldview
Course	The Fear of God
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-11-28
Dictation Name
Book	Book 067: The Fear of God — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	69

Lecture Guide

Outline

Review of the Series: Weaver reviews the previous messages on 2 Corinthians 7:1, covering the promises declared (God as Father), the purging described (cleansing from filthiness of flesh and spirit), and introduces the final point: the perfection demanded.
The Meaning of 'Perfecting Holiness': The Greek word epiteleo means to bring to an end, accomplish, or complete. Perfecting holiness is a present active participle, indicating an ongoing process of becoming mature and complete, not having already attained perfection.
Commentators on Perfecting Holiness: Albert Barnes and John Gill explain that perfecting holiness means carrying holiness to completion, making every effort to be entirely holy, and persevering in a life of righteousness. It is not about achieving sinless perfection but about continual growth and progress.
Perfecting Holiness vs. Regression: Using Hebrews 5:12-14, Weaver contrasts perfecting holiness with spiritual regression. Believers should go from strength to strength, not revert to spiritual infancy. Paul's example in Philippians 3:13-14 shows pressing forward, not dwelling on the past.
The Goal of Perfecting Holiness: Ephesians 4:11-14 teaches that pastor-teachers equip saints for the work of ministry, aiming for unity and maturity in Christ. The goal is to become a perfect (mature) man, no longer children tossed by false doctrine.
The Sphere: In the Fear of God: Perfecting holiness must occur 'in the fear of God.' John Gill describes this as a filial, reverential fear, not a slavish fear of hell. It involves humble trust, dependence on God, and a childlike reverence that motivates obedience.
The Fear of God and Obedience: Scripture commands fearing God (Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:20). This fear leads to hating evil (Proverbs 8:13) and departing from evil (Proverbs 16:6). As obedient children, believers are motivated to holiness to avoid chastisement, which God uses for our profit and to make us partakers of His holiness (Hebrews 12:9-11).
Applications from J.C. Ryle: Weaver summarizes Ryle's description of true practical holiness: being of one mind with God, shunning sin, striving to be like Christ, and pursuing virtues such as meekness, purity, fear of God, and spiritual mindedness. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord.
Conclusion and Call to Holiness: The promise of God as Father should induce holiness. Believers must not be content with any sin but must persevere in holiness, fearing the Lord. The sermon closes with a prayer for grace to be holy in every area of life.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Perfecting holiness is a present, active, and continuous duty, not an attained state.

The Greek participle indicates an ongoing process of maturing and completing holiness, not a claim of sinless perfection. Believers must daily progress in holiness.

Weaver states: 'It means you are presently and actively engaged in doing something... you are in the process of becoming perfect.' He adds, 'We should be more holy this year than we were last year.'

The fear of God is essential for departing from evil and perfecting holiness.

A biblical fear of God—reverential, not slavish—motivates obedience, restrains sin, and is the only sphere in which holiness can mature. Without it, progress in holiness is impossible.

Weaver says, 'It is impossible to make progress in holiness or in the Christian life without a biblical fear of God.' He cites Proverbs 16:6: 'by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.'

God's chastisement is a blessing that produces holiness and proves sonship.

Divine discipline is not punitive but corrective, aimed at making believers partakers of God's holiness and preventing condemnation with the world. Those without chastisement are not true sons.

Weaver explains Hebrews 12:8-10: 'if ye be without chastisement... then are ye bastards, and not sons.' He notes chastening is 'that we might be partakers of his holiness.'

True holiness involves comprehensive moral transformation, not mere external religion.

Ryle's summary shows that holiness is not knowledge, profession, or outward conduct, but a heart conformity to God, shunning all known sin, and pursuing Christlike virtues.

Weaver lists Ryle's points: 'Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God... a holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin... strive to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.'

Scripture References

2 Corinthians 7:1: The primary text of the series: 'Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.'
2 Corinthians 6:16-18: The promises referred to in 7:1: God will be our God, dwell among us, and be a Father to us if we separate from uncleanness.
Matthew 5:48: Command to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, supporting the call to perfect holiness.
Romans 12:1-2: Exhortation to present bodies as living sacrifices and be transformed to prove the perfect will of God.
Philippians 3:15: 'Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded'—showing the expectation of maturity.
James 1:4: 'Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.'
Hebrews 5:12-14: Rebuke for spiritual regression; contrast between milk and strong meat, babes and mature.
Psalm 84:7: 'They go from strength to strength'—illustrating progress in holiness.
Philippians 3:13-14: Paul's example of forgetting the past and pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling.
Ephesians 4:11-14: Purpose of pastor-teachers: perfecting saints, edifying the body, attaining unity and maturity, no longer children.
Jeremiah 5:22: God asks, 'Fear ye not me? will ye not tremble at my presence?' highlighting His power in creation.
Exodus 20:20: Moses says, 'Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.'
Hebrews 12:9-13: Comparison between earthly fathers' discipline and God's chastening for our profit, to produce holiness and righteousness.
1 Peter 1:13-16: Call to be holy as God is holy, as obedient children not conforming to former lusts.
1 Corinthians 11:31-32: If we judge ourselves, we avoid judgment; when judged, we are chastened to avoid condemnation with the world.
Deuteronomy 6:13: 'Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him.'
Deuteronomy 10:20: 'Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave.'
Proverbs 8:13: 'The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way.'
Proverbs 16:6: 'By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.'
Job 28:28: 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'

Historical References

Albert Barnes: Weaver quotes Barnes' commentary on 'perfecting holiness,' explaining it as carrying holiness to completion and the unchangeable obligation to be perfect.
John Gill: Weaver quotes Gill's commentary distinguishing the work of sanctification from the believer's responsibility to perfect holiness in life, and defining the fear of God as filial, not slavish.
William Tyndale: Barnes notes Tyndale's rendering of the phrase as 'grow up into full holiness in the fear of God.'
J.C. Ryle: Weaver summarizes Ryle's book 'Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots,' listing 12 characteristics of true practical holiness.

Important Quotes

It means you are in the process of becoming perfect or becoming mature or becoming complete.

Defines the ongoing, progressive nature of perfecting holiness as a present active participle.

The unceasing and steady aim of every Christian should be perfection. Perfection in all things, in the love of God, of Christ, of man; perfection of heart and feeling and emotion; perfection in words and plans and dealings with men; perfection in his prayers and in his submission to the will of God.

Albert Barnes' powerful exhortation that the Christian's constant aim must be comprehensive perfection, quoted by Weaver to emphasize the obligation.

We should be more holy this year than we were last year. We should be more holy this month than we were last month. We should be more holy this week than we were last week. We should be more holy today, practically speaking, than we were yesterday.

Weaver's practical application of perfecting holiness as measurable, daily progress in practical godliness.

The only sphere in which we're going to be able to perfect holiness is in the fear of God.

States the essential environment for holiness: a proper fear of God.

It is impossible to make progress in holiness or in the Christian life without a biblical fear of God.

Absolute statement linking all spiritual progress to the fear of God.

By the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

Key Proverbs verse used to show that fearing God is the means of turning from sin.

Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

The solemn biblical warning that motivates the entire pursuit of practical holiness.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does it mean to 'perfect holiness' as a present active participle, and how does this differ from the idea of attaining sinless perfection?

[Context]

Weaver explains the Greek grammar and contrasts ongoing maturation with a completed state.

[Question]

How does the fear of God function as the sphere in which holiness is perfected, and what is the difference between a filial fear and a slavish fear?

[Context]

Weaver discusses John Gill's distinction and the role of reverence versus terror.

[Question]

In what ways does God's chastisement demonstrate His love and produce holiness in believers?

[Context]

Weaver expounds Hebrews 12:9-11, showing discipline as for our profit and partaking of holiness.

[Question]

According to J.C. Ryle's summary, what are some marks of true practical holiness, and how do they challenge superficial religiosity?

[Context]

Weaver lists Ryle's 12 characteristics, contrasting them with mere knowledge, profession, or outward conduct.

[Question]

Why is it impossible to make progress in holiness without a biblical fear of God, and how does Proverbs 16:6 support this?

[Context]

Weaver states the impossibility and cites the verse that fear of the Lord causes departure from evil.

[Question]

How can believers practically 'cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit' on a daily basis?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes the continuous, moment-by-moment nature of purging and the need for divine enablement.

Applications

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