1 Peter 1:16
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Some will argue that Holiness is not important, but I submit that if it is in the Bible it is important.
Holiness in the life of a child of God is not optional but is a command; we can see that from our scripture reading.
Holiness it to the Child of God what the born again experience is to the sinner.
The Bible also tells us this:
1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
(ASV) but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living;
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
(ASV) Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness,
Heb 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,
(CEV) Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don’t, you will never see the Lord.
(NIV) Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
This is what holiness means: holiness means to imitate Christ, to be Christ like.
The holy person will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature, but he will put on the personality and mind of Christ and will let Christ be formed in him.
Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Galatians 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
It means thinking as God thinks, loving what He loves, hating what He hates, and acting as Christ would act.
It means having the mind of Christ
1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Specifically, holiness consists of two components:
(1) separation from sin and worldliness and
(2) dedication to God and His will.
TO DO RIGHT (keep God’s commandments) and
TO BE MADE RIGHT (be justified of one’s sins).
In simple, plain terms, righteousness means from these words, to do what is right, lawful--obeying God’s commandments and their statutes, and to be made right.
The words righteous and righteousness have been inspired to be written into God’s Word over 500 times!
Do you think God would aspire to repeat Himself so many times if he didn’t expect us to get it?
Why should we live holy?
The first reason for holiness is to please God.
We belong to God in a double sense: by creation and by redemption.
Therefore, we have no right to live contrary to God’s will.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Jesus Christ paid for us, he redeemed us, as we would redeem a coupon, He owns us, we are not our own to do with as we see fit, but we belong to Him for Him to do with us as he chooses.
Our responsibility is to yield ourselves to him.
The second reason for holiness is to communicate Christ to others.
People will be attracted to Christ only to the extent that they see Christ in us.
They will believe our proclamation that Jesus saves from sin, only if they can see the saving power of the gospel operative in our lives.
We must be an example of God’s awesome love, His saving power, His life changing power, His overcoming power, that power and love that only a born again believer can know through our faith in Jesus Christ.
People who are dissatisfied with their worldly life and who seek salvation will only be attracted to a church that is clearly different from the world.
The third reason for holiness is to benefit ourselves, both now and for eternity.
From the spiritual point of view, living for God is the logical, reasonable, and expected thing to do.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
The life of holiness brings great benefits in this life—physically, mentally, and spiritually —and it leads to eternal life.
When we are born again we have become holy by the grace and mercy of God.
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Since we have become born again now we have the responsibility to cleanse ourselves by the word of God
(II Corinthians 6:17-7:1). “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”
It says; “come out from among them” who is them? The world…
It says; be separate, it says touch not the unclean thing, and after you do this it says; “and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
God’s Holy Word tells us that we must “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”
(Romans 12:1-2). “I beseech you therefore,brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God”
The truth of Christ is found in;
Ephesians 4:22-24, NKJV “that ye put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness”
It will affect our total being
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
If you have not lost your desire to do the things you used to do before you knew the Lord, if you are not a new creature, a different person, then I would admonish you to take a deep look into yourself, examine yourself, to be sure you are in the faith, and that you have made your calling and election sure.
Let us look now at holiness in a child of God.
Not to Lie
Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
Not to be angry and sin
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Not to steal and to watch what we say and do.
Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Watch what we say.
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Rom 12:17-21 Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Eph 5:3-5 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; (4) neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. (5) For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Col 3:5-9 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (6) Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, (7) in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. (8) But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. (9) Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
1Co 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
I think in these passages God makes it very clear that if you do not take shed of the things of this world, and embrace the things of God that he will take away the inheritance that we have in Christ which would be the entire kingdom of God.
And if I interpret the Bible correctly the only thing left is eternal separation from God, combined with the torments of a very real hell.
Watch how we dress and what we wear as separation of the sexes.
Deu 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Isa 47:2-3 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. (3) Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.
1 Timothy 2:8-9 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. (9) In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
1Pe 3:3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
Deuteronomy 7:25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
God compared His unfaithful people to an adulteress who adorns herself for her lovers.
(Jeremiah 4:30, NKJV). “And when you are plundered, What will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, Though you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you will make yourself fair; Your lovers will despise you;They will seek your life”
(Ezekiel 23:40, NKJV). “Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments”
The length of our hair as serpation of the sexes.
1Co 11:6-14 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered (14) Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
Now here’s the one that’s going to be tough
Watch what we see and hear
Mat 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
And if our eyes are the windows to our soul, shouldn’t we be very careful what we let into that soul???
Watch our attitudes.
ISa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Be fair & Just.
Lev 19:35-36 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. (36) Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.
2Co 8:21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
Leave the occult alone.
Lev 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.
Do not mark our bodies.
Lev 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
Act 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
2Ti 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Tit 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
1Jo 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
Phi 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
You can’t hold hands with the world and Jesus. You can’t walk in the darkness and light.
You have to make a clear cut choice, and the choice is yours to make, it’s your decision.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Do you know when your appointment is???
