Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
Quoting Clement of Alexandria, the speaker calls holiness “the royal road” chosen not from fear or hope but “from free choice,” and says holiness/righteousness are “pruning shears” without which the plant “will be choked out and die”; how does this view confront common evangelical instincts about assurance, grace, and the seriousness of ongoing sin?
Another way to ask: If holiness is a chosen “royal road” and ongoing sin can choke out spiritual life, how does that challenge common ideas about grace and assurance? What does it say about how serious we should be about fighting sin after conversion?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The speaker’s view confronts any instinct that treats ongoing sin as harmless or holiness as optional “extra credit.” He portrays holiness as essential life and health in God’s vineyard—chosen freely out of love—and warns that without real pruning of sin the spiritual plant “will be choked out and die,” which raises the seriousness of perseverance.
- Clement quote: righteousness “from free choice…is called the royal road,” while “lusts and other sins” are “briars and thorns.”
- The speaker connects holiness to identity: living as “royal priesthood and holy nation…called out of this world to call others out.”
- He states, “Holiness and righteousness are the pruning shears that lop off…sin.”
- Strong warning: “Without them, the plant will be choked out and die.”
- He links this to responsibility: Christians must live responsibly because we “represent…the character of God.”