The Condescension of God
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  • Table of Contents
  • Chapters
    • To The Reader
    • 1 - The Condescension of God >
      • A Poetical Introduction: Look at the Cross
      • The Sovereignty of God in Determinate Counsel
      • God in the Ways of God
      • God in the Ways of Man
    • 2 - The Simultaneous Genuine Wills of God >
      • Lesser Matters
      • Weightier Matters
      • A Priestly Covenant
      • A Kingly Covenant
    • 3 - The Abrahamic Covenant >
      • Tracing the Abrahamic Covenant
      • The Exodus Generation Saved by Faith
      • Tracing Hebrews
      • Holy Mount Sinai
      • The Call, Mount, and Fear of the Prophet Like Unto Moses - Jesus Christ
      • Zion is the Mountain of our Covenant
    • 4 - The Exodus Generation >
      • The Exodus Generation - The Contrast of Simultaneous, Genuine, Paradoxical Wills in God
      • New Covenant Applications
    • 5 - Abrahamic Exemplification >
      • The Covenant Promises Subject to Conditions
      • Tracing Abraham's Life: The Trial of Faith
      • The Burden of Perfection
      • Understanding the Trial of Faith
    • 6 - The Davidic Covenant >
      • The Davidic Covenant: Seeking a Performance of the Promises
      • Bewilderment & Blindness by a Covenant Breached
    • 7 - Interceding Against Wrath >
      • Wrath Pursuing Sinners
      • Wrath Pursuing Saints
    • 8 - The Near Annihilation of God's People >
      • The Covenant of "the Called" in its Initiation: THE GREAT PAUSE
      • The Divine Struggle Continues
    • 9 - "I Am Weary With Repenting"
    • 10 - "Mercy On Whom I Will Have Mercy" >
      • "Mercy On Whom I Will Have Mercy"
      • Great Is Thy Faithfulness
      • His Mercy Endureth Forever
    • 11 - The Righteous Judgment of God >
      • The Righteous Judgment of God - By Principle: Horizontally & Vertically
      • Life - Tribe & Company
      • Life - City & Nation
      • Life - The Temple of God
    • 12 - The Glory of God in Wrath: Personification, Anthropomorphism, & Zoomorphism >
      • Personification, Anthropomorphism, & Zoomorphism
      • The Glory of God in Wrath
    • 13 - The Doctrine of Reprobation
    • 14 - The Damnable Abuse & Misapplication of Sovereign Election >
      • Jeremiah
      • Joshua
      • Jacob
      • Josiah
    • 15 - The Deception of God >
      • Froward for Froward
      • Eli
      • Balaam
      • Israel
      • Micaiah & Later Generations
      • Saints Who Recover - The Temporary Experience of the Deception of God
    • 16 - Have You Discerned Your "Day" & "Time" >
      • Where Is The Lord?
      • Spiritual Darkness
      • Spiritual Famine
      • Spiritual Drunkenness
      • Spiritual Drunkenness - Spiritual Infancy
    • 17 - A Biblical Study of Spiritual Infancy >
      • Introduction
      • The ROD
      • NT Darkness to Light: The Gospel of Regeneration
      • NT Foolishness to Wisdom: The Gospel of Regeneration
    • 18 - NT Lost to Saved - The Gospel of Regeneration >
      • The Gospel of Regeneration
      • Crucified/Mortified/Buried
      • Resurrected & Ascended
      • Baptized
      • Put on Christ
      • Quickened (Alive, Living, & Revived)
    • 19 - The Partial Completion of the Gospel >
      • Present Progressive Salvation Explained
      • Perfection
      • Blamelessness
      • Holiness & Sanctification
      • Without Spot & Blemish
    • 20 - The Gospel Calling
    • 21 - The Great Falling Away
    • 22 - The NT Gospel Call to Worthiness >
      • The NT Gospel Call to Worthiness
      • "GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT'
      • "GOD IS LOVE"
      • "GOD IS ONE"
      • GOD "IS HOLY"
      • GOD IS A STRANGER
      • GOD IS HEAVEN
      • "GOD IS LIGHT"
      • GOD IS GLORY & VIRTUE
      • GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE
    • 23 - The Condescension Withdrawn >
      • PATTERN #1: Our Only Hope - God's Faithfulness
      • Your Ascent or God’s Descent
      • PATTERN #2: God’s Eternality, Sovereignty, & Higher Righteousness Exalted
      • The NT Visitation of God – Final Judgment & Final Salvation
    • 24 - "The Goodness of God Leadeth Thee to Repentance" >
      • How is repentance wrought in the regenerate children of God?
      • "Groanings Which Cannot Be Uttered"
    • 25 - "Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen" >
      • Many Golden Chains: The Golden Chains Throughout History
      • The PURPOSE & INTENT for Salvation
      • NT Intercessions & NT Repentances
      • Called - Elect - Chosen - Foreknown
      • "Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen"
      • The Marriage & The Called, Chosen, and Faithful
      • The Epistles: A Commentary, Echo, and Practical Application of the Parables of Jesus Christ
      • A Pastor's Sermons to Make Sure Biblical Mercy
    • 26 - The Assurance of Eternal Election >
      • Believe His Word!
      • "What Manner of Love"
      • Concluding Statement
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Chapter 22: The NT Gospel Call to Worthiness

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GOD "IS HOLY" - 1 Peter 1:16

“God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” – 1 Thess. 4:7

“as He which hath called you is holy” – 1 Peter 1:14-17

“called to be saints” – 1 Cor. 1:2, Rom. 1:7

“Perfecting Holiness” – 2 Cor. 7:1

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God is holy; and he that dwelleth in holiness dwelleth in God, and God in him.

“Whose Name is Holy” – Isa. 57:15
“holy and reverend is His Name” – Ps. 111:9
The NT Gospel Call to Worthiness
"GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT" - Psalm 18:30
"GOD IS LOVE" - 1 John 4:16
"GOD IS ONE" - Mark 12:29
GOD "IS HOLY" - 1 Peter 1:16
GOD IS A STRANGER
GOD IS HEAVEN
"GOD IS LIGHT" - 1 John 1:5
GOD IS GLORY & VIRTUE
GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE

GOD IS HOLY – “Be ye holy FOR I AM HOLY” (1 Peter 1:16). The question of perfecting holiness brings to the forefront the question: are you “as your Father is”, Who is holy, so that you will be found truthful of your claim that you are a child of God? If we are God’s “children” (1 Pet. 1:14), let us therefore recognize our calling which He has called us into by the gospel, namely, to be HOLY, and let us further recognize that, just because we are the children of God by nature and we call God Father by confession, this does not exclude the dangers of Judgment if we are not perfect in holiness, as 2 Corinthians 7:1 warns, or, holy as He is holy, as 1 Pet. 1:16 commands. Do you understand this Judgment BAR!? Peter WARNS all those persons who call God “Father” – to FEAR – as the faith-filled and reasonable response to the fact that God calls you to be holy! “If ye call on the Father, Who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning hear in fear” (1 Pet. 1:17). Read the passage in its entirety before we continue:
“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. And if ye call on the Father, Who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear…” (1 Pet. 1:14-17)
Peter is expounding all the principles of “perfect” holiness, but he does it without the word “perfect” being used. As the apostle John brought the people to consider “perfect love” in the light of Judgment Day, so now Peter is preaching on perfect holiness on God’s Judgment Day. The doctrine of perfection was understood by all the apostles and pastors of the 1st century Church. The apostle Paul preaches the same principles of perfect holiness in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1, and I hope that I would not have to exposit the entire passage in detail, because I have already addressed it several times. But look with me at a few points of emphasis. What is the burden of Paul? It is “perfecting holiness” (2 Cor. 7:1), and why? It is because God’s presence is in their midst (2 Cor. 6:16), and He will not continue in their midst, nor will He call them His sons or daughters, if they are not maintaining a holiness, otherwise known as a separateness, which is accomplished by coming out from among unholy things. The Judgment of the saints on Judgment Day is of primary view in the passage, how that God will judge the legitimacy of their claim to be God’s “sons and daughters”. Direct instructions are given so that Christians will, as Peter preaches it, be holy as God is holy, only now it is Paul speaking to the Corinthians. Hanging in jeopardy is the blessed promise: “I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:18). If you want to lay hold of these blessed promises for your Judgment Day experience, Paul says that you better perfect holiness in the fear of God, which is, a separation from “unbelievers”, “unrighteousness”, “darkness”, “Belial”, “infidels”, and “idols”, in context of what the passage is meaning, and rather abide in God’s presence which is “righteousness”, “light”, “Christ”, and “the Temple of the Living God” (2 Cor. 6:14-16).

“Without holiness no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).
God is “holy, holy, holy” (Rev. 4:8), His Spirit is a “Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 4:8), and those that walk in Him are “holy” (Heb. 12:48), therefore they are not strangers but citizens and friends of “the holy city” (Rev. 21:2). No one who is not holy “may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14), “and there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth” (Rev. 21:27). God’s “name is Holy” (Isa. 57:15), and if you seek to lay claim that you are of His name, you must, THEREFORE, be holy.

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