A Question About Verses That Seem To Say All Aren't Holy

For those of you who aren't on FaceBook, I'm posting a recent exchange I had there in response to yesterday's blog about the holiness of humanity. Terry raised a good question by citing a few verses that seem to contradict what I wrote yesterday. I'm posting here for those who don't use FB...

Terry wrote:

‎1 Tim. 1:9, "realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the UNHOLY..."

2 Tim. 3:2, "For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, UNHOLY..."

I responded:

Terry, and others who may wonder the same thing about verses that seem to suggest that we aren't holy - allow me to illustrate something:

Can we lose our salvation? (Of course we cannot, but look the following verses)

Matt 6:15 "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

1 Cor 15:1-2 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, IF you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

Col 1:22-23 Yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach IF indeed you continue in the faith firmly...

Heb 3:6, 14 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house -whose house we are, IF we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. For we have become partakers of Christ, IF we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.

2 Pet 2:20-22 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.

These verses, as well as others I could cite, seem to suggest that a person can lose his salvation IF he doesn't hold on until the end. But the fact is that there is a reasonable explanation for each of these verses, just as there is an explanation for any verse that seems to suggest that the finished work of Jesus on the cross doesn't apply to people until they believe it.

We must examine verses within the greater context of the New Testament and, in my opinion, when we do this we will discover that the benefits of the cross aren't doled out to people in a piecemeal style.

Jesus died for everybody. What are the benefits of the cross? Forgiveness, holiness, righteousness (not the same as holiness), life, etc.

Are people forgiven whether they know it or not? Of course they are. God is "not counting their trespasses against them," whether they know or believe it or not. Their problem is unbelief not their trespasses.

So forgiveness applies to them even before they believe? (Yes) Is holiness a benefit of the cross? (Yes) So the same work of Jesus that provided forgiveness to all provides holiness too? (Yes) And one doesn't have to believe he is forgiven for it to be true? (That's right)

Now, considering this "conversation" I had with myself, consider this question: Does it make sense that even one aspect of the cross applies to people before they believe but the others don't apply until they believe? In other words, people are already forgiven because of the cross whether they believe it or not, but the rest of the benefits of the cross don't apply UNTIL they believe???? That is a real contradiction.

Hebrews 10:10 says, " By this will we have been sanctified (made holy) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. What does this verse teach?

1. WE have been sanctified (made holy).
2. How were we made holy? "Through the offering of the body of Jesus"
3. So those for whom Jesus offered His body as a sacrifice were made holy.
4. For whom did He offer Himself? "Once for all."

So not only is everybody for whom Jesus offered Himself forgiven, but they have also been set apart (made holy) by Him.

Yes, there are verses that SEEM to suggest something to the contrary. I listed the verses that seem to suggest that we can lose our salvation to illustrate that it's possible to lift out verses that prove almost any position. I acknowledge that I could be doing that very thing in presenting my case about the holiness of humanity but I don't think that's what I'm doing. Rising above the limited vision that my tradition has allowed and taking a panoramic look at the Scripture causes me to believe that the cross is good news - already completed good news - for everybody. As I've often said, it's not a potential gospel we proclaim. It is finished. Done. Complete. The only thing left to do now is tell everybody what Jesus has done for them so they can believe it and live out of the wonderful joy of Reality.

Thanks, Terry, for your input. This lengthy response isn't directed solely to you but to others too. I know many would raise the point you implied by citing those verses so I thought this would be a good time to address that aspect of the matter.