(By Josh Turner) God calls us to holiness because He is holy, but what does this realistically look like in our lives? Where is the line? Is it okay to have a beer? How far is too far physically when you are in a dating relationship? Is it okay to go to an R-rated movie or to listen to secular music? How should we, as Christians, live in a culture where standards have been blurred, changed and even completely erased in many areas? Despite the ever-changing culture of our world, God’s standards have not changed nor are they outdated or “old school” as some people might think.
In addition to the constantly changing cultural values, there is also the hyper-grace movement to contend with that says everything is okay, that because of grace we don’t need to worry about standards but this is simply not true either. Don’t get me wrong, there is no one more thankful for grace than me—I am who I am because of Jesus and the grace that He continually gives me. It is only by His grace that I went from being a drunken fraternity guy at FSU to the pastor of a church. And just as a side note: I think many of us would be able to minister to others a lot more effectively if we remembered who we were and where we were before Jesus saved us! CONTINUE
