The True Christian’s Faith and Experience #019 Chapter 13, A Holy Life

This session is devoted to Chapter 13 on the true Christian’s faith and experience concerning a holy life. The duty of a true Christian is to live a holy life and to keep God’s holy will and commandments. He must reject the works of the devil and the vanities of the world. He loves the “law of God written in his heart.” Being in this state, it is his food and drink to do the will of his heavenly father. As the true Christian grows in a holy life, like his elder brother, Christ Jesus, he always does that which pleases God. He follows Christ wherever he goes. He has become “without spot or wrinkle”, and he is liberated from the pomps and vanities of the world. A nominal Christian likewise professes the same duty, but he does not come to witness within, this state of holiness. He does not experience the promise of the law written now in his heart and the fear and awe which keeps his heart clean. He is a stranger to sitting in heavenly places with Christ, observing the glory of God. He has come into such a persuasion and belief that it is not possible to do the will of God while he is alive, but must always be sinning – “Always confessing, always sinning, and never forsaking.” So he reaps the wages of sin which is death. He misses out on the mercy and forgiveness of God which one who forsakes the devil and all his works partakes of. So, one of the last lessons the devil teaches his children is to persuade them and make them believe that they cannot cease from sin, that they cannot forsake him and all his works, or keep God’s holy will and commandments, as long as they live. Only the mighty arm and power of God is able to release these poor captives of the devil, to liberate them out of this misery so that they may come to the knowledge of God’s Truth and be saved. References:The True Christian’s Faith and Experience Briefly Declared.  The quote in our introduction is from a William Penn Lecture called Holy Obedience.  It was given in 1949 by Thomas R. Kelley. A complete list of our podcasts,  organized into topics, is available on our website.We will be publishing video interviews with Conservative Friends on YouTube.  See our YouTube channel.  The first interview is with Susan Smith. To learn more about Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), please visit  ohioyearlymeeting.org. Those interested in exploring the distinctives of Conservative Friends waiting worship should consider checking out our many Zoom Online Worship opportunities during the week here. All are welcome! We also have several Zoom study groups.  Check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups on our website.   Advices read in these podcasts can be found on page 29 in our Book Of Discipline.We welcome feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes.   Contact us through our website.