Personal and Social Holiness

This past Sunday we talked about the difference between personal and social holiness. We believe in both. Followers of Christ are to hold both in tension and our faith is dead when we have one and not the other. Incidentally, we see many churches that are so focused on one and not the other. Some churches are exclusively concerned with the number of notches they can put on their belts for the number of people saved. Don’t get me wrong- it is awesome for churches to help people accept the saving work of Christ. Then there are other churches that are not much more than an extension of the United Nations humanitarian efforts where they are so concerned for the poor and hungry and meeting physical needs they reject the spiritual needs of the people they are trying to help. Don’t get me wrong followers of Christ must do these things as well. It is a matter of balance.

See, it is not enough to just have your heart right. Yes, that is important and we are saved by grace through faith, yet that faith is to be lived with a conscience that lies beyond just one’s inward spiritual dimensions. Yes, we have to pray, grow in a vital personal relationship with Christ, practice the spiritual disciplines, but we must also love our neighbor, care for the poor and feed the hungry. Yes, we have to seek to partner with the Holy Spirit to see people come to faith but we also have to be concerned with the redemption of our communities, our society and the world.

Personal and social holiness is a both/and not an either/or.