Dallas Notes: The Malcolm R. Robertson Lectureship on Holy Living (Azusa Pacific University, Sept 28, 2010)

Azusa Pacific University
School of Theology presents
The Malcolm R. Robertson Lectureship on Holy Living
9/28/2010


Postmodern Holiness: What Does It Look Like?

Contemporary culture: holiness isn’t necessary. You don’t have to be holy to go to Heaven.
Without holiness we shall not see God. It will be hard to be in Heaven and not see Him
If you got to Heaven w/o holiness, would you like Heaven?
Mt 7.21: people who did great things, but J says I never knew you
Does X know you?
Is holiness good for you? We have seen a lot of ‘holiness’ that wasn’t good for people
‘Modern holiness’: dressing in a certain way, people you are with or not with, standard patterns
Modern: external methods, standard patterns, social conformity and control
Modern thought turned on the church and substituted method for authority
The existing authority was wrong about a lot of things
Luther broke through the modern in the Catholic church (even before modernity)
External conformity is not all that matters. People can still be very mean and fit the pattern.
We figured out it wasn’t enough to just preach and be preached at. We had outstanding expositors of the Scripture who were seriously crazy.

Biblically, holiness isn’t primarily focused on behavior. It’s more a matter of being than doing.
It’s more a matter of being from a different world, of drawing on something that is out of this world, being in the world but not of it
2 Cor 10: ’Though we walk in the flesh we do not war in terms of the flesh’
God is Other.
1 Jn: Do not love the world not the things of the world
in the old tradition, ‘worldliness’ was bad
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life
the world is human ability, flesh, organized historically and socially into a system where people use their natural abilities to try to get what they think they want. organized around desire.
the world is passing away
two ways of living: in the flesh and in the spirit (according to Paul)
’There is therefore no no condemnation for those who are in XJ…'
 modern holiness was simply a human arrangement inadequate to the needs of the soul
that’s why you could be holy in that sense and not be from another world at all
‘holiness' could turn out to be just more human meanness
yes, it was pitiful, but what is the alternative? If you get rid of the old version, what’s left?
If we’re not careful, outward conformity to the world as described in 1 Jn
Entertainment, sensual indulgent  — food, sex, violence, forms of spirituality that aren’t particularly helpful — even spiritual disciplines, human ritual (like USC football)
Spiritual disciplines have to be used to access that other world
Fasting opens you up in your body to be nourished by the Word of God
but it can be empty or a source of religious pride
We live in this world but draw from God
Your behavior might mark you as ‘holy’ to some people but not in God’s eyes and with the dead weight of past forms and without the actual transformation.
we have to move to the sources of behavior, spiritual union of the person with God

St Francis was hungry for God
He blundered a lot as a young man, but it’s not that bad. It depends on where you’re going
St Ignatius
They were wrong about a lot of stuff
What matters is where the heart is headed. That makes the identity of the person.
Modern ‘holiness’ didn’t work b/c it had little to do with where your heart was.
It had a lot to do with trying to please others, which is the righteousness of the S and P
[It was Pharisaical]
Holiness is for now. Living in the KoG is for now.

Postmodern holiness
postmodernism is a continuation of the existentialist project: emancipation of the individual from imposed identity (existence precedes essence)
Existentialism is an attempt to live from the inner sources of life, to be an individual. It is a legitimate concern. God made us to be unique.
Sinners are all the same. But saints are unique.
Kirkegaard and Dostoevsky knew this. (Greatest pomo document may be Underground Man [Notes from Underground].)
Restoring the individual comes from devotion, but devoted to what?
Most things we devote ourselves to (including the forms of modern ‘holiness’) do not provide us with the resources to be who God intends us to.
Eternal living is an interactive rela’p with God that gives us the strength to envision what is good and to live for it. Walking in that rela’p transforms the inner dimensions of human personality.
Integrity: We hear a lot about it, but don’t see much of it
Brokenness: The things I want to do, I don’t and the things I don’t want to do, I do (Rom 7)
Grace is God acting in your life to accomplish what you can’t accomplish on your own
Worshiping God in Spirit expresses itself [eventually] in routine, easy obedience
You don’t have to struggle with the things that are wrong b/c they’re not you
Because our religion has been focused on external things, you have to motivate people to do things they don’t want to do. Becomes a preacher’s main job.
Instead of showing them and helping them to do what they want to do

character formation
it’s a big problem for us
everyone is formed
if you’re formed by the world, you have governed easily and routinely by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life
How do you keep from being weary in well doing? by operating from a different world.
Give up on self-control. You want God-control. Once you’ve got that, self-control can work as one of the gifts of the Spirit.
[If we don’t give ourselves over to God, self-control can’t grow and work]
We have to live from our devotion to God and what is good and then the external behavior comes naturally

Q&A
[Dallas always says comments are welcome, but he often doesn’t seem too thrilled with them. I wonder if encouraging comments was a discipline for him, like letting others have the last word.]
Kantian ethics
Jesus handling of Peter and his denial. John’s burden for Peter.
Way for Peter to move forward: you have work to do

Xians, even traditional holiness traditions, don’t talk about holiness out of despair b/c of thinking in holiness in legalistic terms (in which it is hopeless).
Such an understanding comes from a failure to understand J’ teachings
Often approaching the SotM and misunderstanding it, too
Reading J legalistically makes nonsense of Him
J contradicts prevailing wisdom
Woe-bes, Beatitudes
Why want to do what is wrong? Your desires and your will to fulfill them
The great blessing of the Cross is you’re free of your desires. I don’t have to do what I want to do.
Holiness is not a human achievement, but it does require effort on our part

Help your people understand where their actions come from
Bless those who curse you
do you curse in return? where does it come from?
probably anger
the primary problem is in the mind

How can mental health professionals help?
You have knowledge
Xians have resources other practitioners don’t have


Holiness, Divine Presence and Divine Power: Reflections on John 14

Col 3.1-17
separation from the world is not just a matter or what you don’t do, but of what is living in you
2 Cor 6.16: what agreement has the temple of God with idols?
ch7: cleanse ourselves, perfecting holiness
holiness has to be brought to conclusion
new birth: birth is the beginning of a life to be lived
let us cleanse ourselves from the defilements of the flesh — relying upon ourselves for the fulfillment of our natural desires and making that our life

Jn 14
J disappointed them by saying He would not become political, temporal king of Judea
He’s leaving (end of Jn 13)
I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life
you’ll do the works I do and greater ones
the association in the Trinity will be extended to believers
we are united w/ God in action
we don’t have enough character to get everything we ask for
God wants us to grow to where He can empower us to do what we want
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments
the source of the keeping is the loving
love will motivate us to obey, we’ll want to, and will keep us in d’ship until we are formed to naturally keep His commandments
keeping J’ commandments is either impossible or easy
if you love someone, you want to be with them, like grandparents want to be with their grandchildren
love is not desire. loving someone means wanting what is good for her/him
Loving and knowing J is an interactive rela’p. Knowledge develops out of interactive rela’p.
intimacy comes from shared experience
I will dwell with them. I will walk with them.
All human troubles come from thinking wrongly about God
the believer sees something the unbeliever doesn’t with her/his mind
God is present to us in the same way physical objects are to everyone
I am in the Father and the Father is in Me and I am in you
‘in’ — acting with
the shared life of action that comes with holiness
doing His commandments
If you try to keep the commandments, you will need God and God will meet you
If you’re running your kingdom, you’re going to need a few lies
But if you decide to tell the truth, you’re going to be driven to God
Three Persons leading one life in us
They will know You are my disciples if you love one another
This is the life of holiness: unity of love in God that covers those around you
knowing J includes transformation of character
you can’t separate salvation out

Wesleyan Bands
'Purpose: To Bring About A Change of Direction, Heart and Position
Composed of 4 members, all the same sex, age, and marital status. They were voluntary cells of people who professed clear Christian commitment, who desired to grow in love, holiness, and purity of motive. The environment was one of ruthless honesty and frank openness. There were specific rules about punctuality and order within the meeting. He introduced accountability questions which everyone answered openly and honestly in the meeting each week: 1) What known sins have you committed since our last meeting? 2) What temptations have you met with? 3) How were you delivered? 4) What have you thought, said, or done, of which you doubt whether it be sin or not? 5) Have you nothing you desire to keep secret? You can see from these questions that there was no place to hide in a Band. Bands became the training ground for future leaders. This group held to extreme confidentiality in a “safe place”, mutual submission where matters of indifference were yielded to the released leader, and godly stewardship. This was the group that could intensively pursue goals and vision together.’
http://coregroups.org/threestrandmodel.html

The problem of the Gospel is seeing the goodness and possibility of a life of holiness
Business is business: someone is getting ready to do the wrong thing
Many people today are more worried about perfection than sin
Postmodern holiness is love, devotion, adoration of J

Q&A
Why do we have an inadequate Gospel and how do you answer charges of works righteousness?
Liberalism v. Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism emphasized correct doctrine
We have taught you don’t have to keep the commandments if you have the right beliefs
go on to v9 of Eph 2
Good works should be the natural product of grace received
[If we don’t have good works is it fair to say we’re not receiving grace?]

loving others means doing what is good for them, not necessarily what they want

By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread
What we see in human history is tying to eat bread by the sweat of someone else’s brow
Many people who aren’t professing Xians are more loving than some who are

the most important part of mission for the church is going to be members of the church going about their daily business
the world is dying for the lack of Xian d’ship
the greatest issue facing the world today is whether or not the people who profess X will become His disciples

Ask questions:
What do people need?
What makes you think you will like heaven?
We’re going to be ‘dead’ (humanly speaking) a lot longer than we’re going to be alive