There are no more tragic words than a useless Christian. Because think about the implication of that phrase... a useless Christian. It speaks of a life purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, beloved of God, and yet living for a purpose other than God's glory and kingdom usefulness. What a tragedy. What a travesty. What a transgression. In this passage we will see the picture, the purge and the pursuit. We will see the distinction between honorable or dishonorable instrument and vessel, the good leader and the bad leader, and the faithful teacher and false teacher. Your holiness is required above everything else. Are you serious about your sin? That's what Paul is basically saying. Get serious about cleansing yourself of indwelling sin and pockets of disobedience and resistance in your life. Don’t play with it. Don’t toy with it. No matter how long we're in Christ and how down the path of discipleship we have traveled, here's a new call, to be more than you are so that you might be more than you've been. We must be in hot pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, and peace, which speaks of a right behavior, a right perspective, a right attitude, and right relationships with others.