Sullivan calls Florida Baptists to holy living

TAMPA (FBC)—John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, called Florida Baptists to a life of purity during Florida Baptist State Convention meeting, Tuesday, Nov. 11.

"The one theological doctrine most needed in our Baptist churches today is for God’s people to be a holy nation, a peculiar people," he said. "The holiness of God is a demand, He did not say ‘be as holy as I am,’ but he did say, ‘be holy because I am holy.’"

For the past several years, Sullivan has been asked by the Committee on Order of Business to present a doctrinal message during the convention meeting. In keeping with this year’s theme "Pursuing Christ," Sullivan examined the holiness of God, based on Exodus 3:4-6.

To change the world, leaders must "advance clarity of truth and cleanliness of life," Sullivan noted. "Divine power is always connected in two ways, clarity and cleanliness — clarity in fundamental truth and cleanliness in our lives. If we do not live by this axiom, we will abound in shallow misery."

Any discussion of the doctrine of God must begin with God’s holiness, Sullivan said. "Any low view of God destroys the available power of the believing church and the clean life. No church or denomination will rise above its concept of God. We will find ourselves either trying to reduce God to manageable terms or declaring Him ‘high and lifted up.’"

All too often, humans try to bring God to their level, Sullivan asserted. "We cannot dumb down God. That is the thesis of open theism.

"God’s holiness is larger than man’s intelligence. If we judge God by man, we will never have absolutes. We must never make God a prisoner of our logic."

Holiness of God is the essential nature of God, said Sullivan. Not an attribute, but a complete foundation. Holiness separates God from all creation.

Holiness is closely related to the moral and ethical dimension, Sullivan added, defining moral, "as what we are doing," and "ethical "as what we ought to be doing.

"Daily we commit sins of thought, deed and words, which we often stop noticing. But Holy God does not wink at them."

Sullivan quoted from the book, The Kingdom Authority, by Adrian Rogers, saying, "‘We often speak of commitment but the real issue is surrender.’

When you surrender, you relinquish control to the holiness of God. You give up all personal preference at the cross."

Sullivan concluded that a person of faith can never change the world "unless the holiness of God changes him."

He added: "Predestination is not a call to favoritism but a call to holy living. The Gospel is God’s passion for the clarity of our lives. I cannot answer all the tension between sovereignty and free will, but I do know when my freedom is in sync with God’s sovereignty, the product is holiness in my life."