Live by the Spirit
The Christian's strength comes from God, not from themselves, and it is through abiding in Christ that we can experience true holiness.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that even the most righteous believer is inherently weak without the divine strength that comes from God. He explains that true sanctification and holiness cannot be achieved through human effort alone but through abiding in Christ, who provides the necessary power. Tozer references Paul's struggle in Romans, illustrating that while external morality can be attained, true holiness is a gift from God that fulfills the believer's deepest longing. The sermon highlights the importance of relying on the Holy Spirit for strength and transformation in the Christian life.
Text
Actually the purest saint at the moment of his greatest strength is as weak as he was before his conversion. What has happened is that he has switched from his little human battery to the infinite power of God. He has quite literally exchanged weakness for strength, but the strength is not his; it flows into him from God as long as he abides in Christ. One of the heaviest problems in the Christian life is that of sanctification: how to become as pure as we know we ought to be and must be if we are to enjoy intimate communion with a holy God.
The classic expression of this problem and its solution is found in Paul's epistle to the Romans, chapters seven and eight.
The cry, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (7:24) receives the triumphant answer, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (8:2). No one who has given attention to the facts will deny that it is altogether possible for a man to attain to a high degree of external morality if he sets his heart to it. Marcus Aurelius, the pagan emperor, for instance, lived a life of such exalted morality as to make most of us Christians ashamed, as did also the lowly slave Epictetus; but holiness was something of which they were totally ignorant.
And it is holiness that the Christian heart yearns for above all else, and holiness the human heart can never capture by itself.
Sermon Outline
- The Power of God's Strength
- The Problem of Sanctification
- The Possibility of External Morality
- A man can attain a high degree of external morality
- Examples of non-Christians who lived morally
- But holiness is something different
Key Quotes
“Actually the purest saint at the moment of his greatest strength is as weak as he was before his conversion.” — A.W. Tozer
“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” — A.W. Tozer
“But holiness was something of which they were totally ignorant.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- As Christians, our strength comes from God, not from ourselves, and we should rely on Him for power.
- Holiness is not something we can capture by ourselves, but it is something that can be experienced as we abide in Christ.
- We should strive for purity and communion with God, not just external morality.