Discipline Is Good, But It Cannot Make You Holy
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey · 2 min read
Fasting, early prayer, Bible reading, quiet mornings, a disciplined diary. Professor Gary Maxey values every one of these. He also warns what they cannot do.
Two statements held together
In his book on the Highway of Holiness, Professor Maxey writes that self-discipline is good. He adds that holiness cannot be maintained without it. Then he adds the other half. No amount of self-denial or rule-keeping will produce a single ounce of righteousness or holiness.
Both statements are true together. Discipline is the road we walk on. It is not the power that moves us.
Where the power comes from
He says holiness is not a product of self-discipline and not a regimen of spiritual activities. It is the Christ life lived out by people already pardoned and washed clean. It does not come from trying harder, from fervent prayer, from fasting or from depriving ourselves. It comes from the cross.
Professor Maxey quotes Galatians 2:20. "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." The life we now live, Paul says, we live by faith in the Son of God.
The test of a disciplined person
The best question for any disciplined believer is simple. Who is in charge of my discipline? If it is pride, my record becomes a tool for comparing myself with others. If it is love for Christ, my record is small in my own eyes.
The wasted effort
Professor Maxey tells of those who work for years at self-improvement and stay stuck. They have followed the rules, but sin still returns. Part of the reason is that they have been trying to cleanse a heart that only God can cleanse.
He adds that growth in grace alone is not enough. Growth weakens the old nature, yet a decisive operation of the Holy Spirit is needed to cleanse it. He compares it to a farmer who removes weeds by pulling them up with a hoe, and not by waiting for the field to improve.
Practical use
Keep your disciplines. Add one question to each. Before you pray, fast or read, ask the Holy Spirit to do in you what you cannot do for yourself. Then do the discipline as an act of trust, and not as a payment.
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey.
