By Nick Bibile
1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
During the years 1720–1740, God was pleased to pour out His Spirit in what is known as the First Great Awakening in North America. Under the preaching of Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield—both firmly rooted in the doctrines of grace—the Word of God came with unusual power. The Spirit moved not in shallow emotionalism, but in deep conviction of sin and a profound awakening to the glory of Christ.
Acts 2:37 — “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart…”
It was as though waves of divine influence swept through towns and villages, bringing multitudes under the weight of their guilt and the majesty of God. This was not flattering preaching—it was truth that ploughed hard hearts.
Jonathan Edwards famously declared:
“The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string.”
And yet, the same Edwards who thundered about judgment also soared in his vision of God’s beauty and holiness.
In his sermon “The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners,” he expounded:
Romans 3:19 — “That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
His message was clear: every sinner stands silenced before divine justice.
Scripture reveals a God of absolute purity:
Revelation 15:4 — “You alone are holy.”
Habakkuk 1:13 — “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil…”
1 John 1:5 — “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”
Isaiah 6:3 — “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts…”
Psalm 99:9 — “The LORD our God is holy.”
God is not merely good—He is infinitely holy, infinitely pure, and altogether glorious.
Stephen Charnock wrote:
“Holiness is the beauty of all God’s attributes, without which His wisdom would be but subtlety, His justice cruelty, His sovereignty tyranny.”
Thomas Watson said:
“God’s holiness is such that He cannot behold sin without abhorrence.”
Sin is not small, because it is committed against an infinite God.
Psalm 51:4 — “Against You, You only, have I sinned…”
Romans 6:23 — “For the wages of sin is death…”
Edwards argued that because God is infinite in worth, sin against Him carries infinite guilt. What men call “small sins” are cosmic treason before a holy King.
Anselm rightly said:
“You have not yet considered how great the weight of sin is.”
Every creature is obligated to love, honor, and obey God continually:
Mark
12:30 — “You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…”
Malachi
1:6 — “If
then I am a Father, where is My honor?”
You may not bow to carved idols—but you bow to glowing screens.
Ezekiel 14:3 — “These men have taken their idols into their hearts…”
Colossians 3:5 — “Covetousness, which is idolatry.”
You spend hours in entertainment, yet little time before God. That is not merely weakness—it is misplaced worship.
John Calvin observed:
“The human heart is a perpetual factory of idols.”
God is perfectly just to judge sin.
2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 — “In flaming fire… inflicting vengeance… They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction.”
John 3:19 — “Light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light…”
Sinners do not merely fall into sin—they choose it, love it, and defend it.
Edwards soberly wrote:
“The damned… would be glad if God would give them the least degree of holiness—but it is what they hated on earth.”
Romans 3:18 — “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13 — “Fear God and keep His commandments…”
We live in a generation entertained into spiritual numbness:
No fear of judgment
No grief over sin
No trembling before God
Yet:
Acts 17:28 — “In Him we live and move and have our being.”
John Owen warned:
“Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.”
1.
Worldliness
James
4:4 — “Friendship
with the world is enmity with God.”
1
John 2:15 — “Do
not love the world…”
2.
Corrupt Speech
Matthew
12:36 — “Every
careless word… they will give account.”
Ephesians
4:29 — “Let
no corrupting talk come out of your mouths…”
3.
Hatred and Malice
1
John 3:15 — “Everyone
who hates his brother is a murderer.”
4.
Covetousness
Luke
12:15 — “Take
care, and be on your guard…”
5.
Pride
Proverbs
16:5 — “Everyone
who is arrogant… is an abomination.”
Augustine said:
“It was pride that changed angels into devils.”
6.
Sexual Sin
1
Thessalonians 4:3 — “This
is the will of God, your sanctification…”
Hebrews
13:4 — “God
will judge the sexually immoral…”
Richard Baxter warned:
“Use sin as it will use you; spare it not, for it will not spare you.”
7.
Drunkenness and Addiction
Ephesians
5:18 — “Do
not get drunk… but be filled with the Spirit.”
1
Corinthians 6:12 — “I
will not be dominated by anything.”
Romans 5:8 — “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 — “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
Many profess Christ—but remain unchanged.
Titus 1:16 — “They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works.”
2 Timothy 2:19 — “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
Thomas Brooks said:
“A holy life is the best evidence of a saving faith.”
Joshua
24:15 — “Choose
this day whom you will serve.”
1
Kings 18:21 — “How
long will you go limping between two opinions?”
There is no neutrality.
George Whitefield pleaded:
“You must be born again—or you must be damned.”
The same God who is holy has provided a perfect Savior.
2
Corinthians 5:21 — “He
made Him to be sin who knew no sin…”
1
Peter 2:24 — “He
Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree.”
1
John 1:9 — “If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive…”
Isaiah
1:18 — “Though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”
Isaac Watts wrote:
“Here, Lord, I give myself away; ’tis all that I can do.”
Hebrews 12:14 — “Strive… for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
Do
not silence your conscience.
Do not delay repentance.
Do
not presume upon God’s mercy.
2 Corinthians 6:2 — “Now is the day of salvation.”
The same God who is rich in mercy is perfect in justice.
And on that final day:
Romans
3:19 —
“Every
mouth will be stopped, and all the world will become guilty before
God.”