What does it mean to be holy? We hear a lot of talk around churches about Holiness. God even tells us in the Bible to be Holy. But what does that really mean? What does the Bible say about Holiness? In 1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY. Lets look at Gods holiness. What does it mean that God is holy? Passages like 1 Samuel 2:2 and Isaiah 6:3 are just two of many examples of passages about God’s holiness. Another way to say it is absolute perfection. God is unlike any other Hosea 11:9, and His holiness is the essence of that “otherness.” His very being is completely absent of even a trace of sin James 1:13; Hebrews 6:18. He is high above any other, and no one can compare to Him Psalm 40:5. God’s holiness pervades His entire being and shapes all His attributes. His love is a holy love, His mercy is holy mercy, and even His anger and wrath are holy anger and holy wrath. These concepts are difficult for humans to grasp, just as God is difficult for us to understand in His entirety. So, what does it mean for us to be holy, as Born Again Believers? When God told Israel to be holy in Leviticus 11 and 19, He was instructing them to be distinct from the other nations by giving them specific regulations to govern their lives. Israel is Gods chosen nation and God has set them apart from all other people groups. They are His special people, and consequently they were given standards that God wanted them to live by so the world would know they belonged to Him. As Born Again Believers, we need to be set apart from the world unto the Lord. We need to be living by Gods standards, not the worlds. God isnt calling us to be perfect, but to be distinct or set apart, from the world. First Peter 2:9 describes believers as a holy nation. It is a fact! We are separated from the world; we need to live out that reality in our day-to-day lives, which Peter tells us how to do in 1 Peter 1:14-16. Finally, so how can we become holy? What do we have to do to be Holy?Holiness only results from a Right Relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and accepting His gifts of forgiveness of sin and of eternal life. If we have not placed our Faith in Gods Son Alone to save us from our sins, then our pursuit of Holiness is in vain. So, we must first make sure we are born-again believers John 3. If we truly are believers, then we recognize that our position in Christ automatically sets us apart from the world 1 Peter 2:9. After all, we have a relationship with the One True Living God! Then we must daily live a set-apart life, not trying to blend in with the world, but instead living according to Gods Word and following the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:18-24 in everything give thanks; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the (Holy) Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. Many years since I saw that “without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” I began by following after it and inciting all with whom I had intercourse to do the same. Ten years after, God gave me a clearer view than I ever had before of the way to obtain it (Holiness); namely, by faith (alone) in the Son of God. And immediately I declared to all, “We are saved from sin, we are made holy by faith.” This I testified in private, in public, and in print, and God confirmed it by a thousand witnesses. I have continued to declare this for above thirty years, and God has continued to confirm my work. —Personal Testimony of John Wesley in 1771 ****1 Corinthians 15:1-4, tells you how to be saved by Gods Grace by Faith alone in what Jesus the Christ has done, not by any works of man**** https://youtube/watch?v=sEzdT0Lj-go
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 06:59:46 +0000
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