Profile of a Holy Man
Shunning and Keeping

A holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment. He will have a decided bent of mind towards God, a hearty desire to do His will, a greater fear of displeasing Him that of displeasing the world, and…will feel what Paul felt when he said “I delight in the law of God after the inward man” [Rom 7:22]…

JC Ryle, Holiness (Welwyn: Evangelical Press, 1979).

Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” [John 14:15] This idea to shun sin and keep commandments is not a test of your fleshly abilities. It is not a test of your devotion or the basis of currying favor with God. No, it is a result of loving the God Who gave Himself for you. The God Who first loved you, even when you were a sinner turned against Him. [Rom 5:8; Eph. 2: 4, 5] God’s love manifested in you creates an imperative of avoiding sin and keeping His commandment.

Does that mean we must be perfect? Hardly. If we say we have not sinned we are liars and make Him to be a liar [1 John 1:10]. But, it does mean that our disposition is toward doing His will. Do we do that all the time? No, but it is our desire to do so. Living in this world, clothed with flesh and dealing with Satan and his temptations, there will be times when we do not shun sin and keep the commandments. We fail to do as we should but do as we know we should not. [Rom 7: 7-25]

Bishop Ryle outlines an excellent test for whether this love lives in us to do His will. Are we more concerned with pleasing the world than pleasing God? If so, it is time for a heart check. We are not to be lovers of the world. And, if what the world thinks is more important to us than what God thinks, then we have a problem. We have not His love [1 John 2:15]. In the world there is no fear of God, period. That is evident by looking at the daily news. The Christian should fear displeasing God. Why? Because He means everything to us for Who He is and what He has done.

Ryle points out the dilemma we all face with his choice of Rom 7:22. This verse is part of the narrative where Paul outlines the struggle in chapter 7. Although we delight on the inside with the law of God we see on the outside our reactions which evidences captivity to the law of sin. There is an ongoing war in each of us. We battle against the tendency to sin. Paul tells us elsewhere that sin has no dominion over one not under the law but grace [Rom 6:14]. Yet, we must continue to seek to shun sin and keep His commandments, for that demonstrated His love living in us. Holy men avoid sin, fear God, desire to please Him, keep His commandments. They “shun and keep”.