LAWTON CHURCH OF GOD, LAWTON, OKLAHOMA

 Home  About Us   Holiness Library   History of the Holiness Movement   Early English Bibles   Bible Studies   View Sermons   Links

64 ESSENTIAL TRUTH

TEXT: Continue in faith and charity and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:13

ALL TRUTH is essential in a relative sense, but all truth is not directly essential to salvation. Some lines of truth, must be recognized as the conditions of salvation, while other lines of truth have rather to do with the results of salvation. The text suggests three fundamental truths which are imperative and directly essential to salvation, neither of which can be omitted and the soul be saved. They are faith, charity and holiness. This text implies the possibility of having faith, charity and holiness in life; more, it implies that some one has come into possession of these graces; otherwise they could not be admonished or exhorted to continue in the same.

I. FAITH

Faith is imperative. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” (Hebrews 11:6.) “He that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16 .

Faith means the renunciation of self, and dependence upon Christ alone as the source of righteousness and the hope of acceptance with God.

            Forsaking

            All

            I

            Take

            Him.

Faith is simply believing what God has said, and believing it because God said it, and thus appropriate His Word to our own hearts. It has greatly helped me to remember that His Word is a creative Word. When God said, “Let there be light,” “there was light.” His Word made it so. Faith must rest on the Word of God.

II. CHARITY

Charity is divine love—the very essence of religion. “Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” A person might die a martyr in his devotion and conviction to what he regarded religion, if he “have not charity, it profiteth him nothing.” We hear it said, it does not matter so much what is believed if the individual is but sincere: but the Scriptures teach that a man may believe a lie and be damned. (2 Thessalonians 2:10–11.) In believing the truth, “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.” “He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” In the Greek language there are two words for love: the word Philia signifying human love; the word Agape, signifying divine love. Charity refers to the latter. Philia, or human love, is fickle and subject to circumstance. Agape, or divine love, will pray for an enemy, and with a rugged tree as a dying couch, will say, “Father, forgive them.”

III. HOLINESS

This, too, is imperative, for we read, “follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Holiness is the condition and fitness for seeing God. God is holy, and heaven is holy, and the angels are holy, hence we must be holy if we would enter there.

Holiness is freedom from sin. God has commanded us to be holy, called us to be holy chosen us to be holy, chastised us that we should be holy and made the provision ample for us to be holy, hence we are left without excuse for not being holy. “If we walk in the light the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Holiness is pure love in a pure heart. No man can make an honest pretense to love God, who is the essence and embodiment of holiness, and be averse or antagonistic to holiness.

Faith is the passport to love, love is the passport to holiness, and holiness is the passport to heaven. Neither can be neglected without peril to the soul.