These days it is rare for people to pursue Holiness. For them it is something unreachable. And as Christians, God’s call for us in 1 Peter 1:16 is to “be holy for I am holy” but right now what’s happening is the opposite. Morality is on a decline– we have accepted “complicated” as a normal status, live-in is permitted even by parents and teenage pregnancy is not only on the rise but the average age for child bearing is getting younger.
So, in a world that’s full of people being aware/unaware that they’re constantly committing sins, how can we educate everyone about the true meaning of being holy?
• being holy means, being sacred and dedicated or set apart for God. Being a frequent church-goer doesn’t make one set apart to God, this dedication needs acceptance in your heart that you are for God’s purpose only.
• God wants our obedience. As the bible said, those who don’t obey the message of God will face their consequences.
• God wants your purity. And by purity, God means you being set-apart from unholy doing and being reserved for God only.
Here are three facts about holiness that we need to know in order for us to fully understand and grasp why God call upon us to be holy.
1. Sanctification begins at conversion
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says that prior to receiving Jesus we were all once sinned but Jesus has absolved us from all sins.
Romans 6:18 “Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.”
2. Sanctification increases throughout life
As we walk with Jesus, we get to know about Him, we read the bible and we get transformed more and more like Him.
Romans 6:12 “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.”
3. Sanctification is completed at death
Why is it that sometimes, we catch ourselves sinning again even after we commit ourselves to Jesus? It’s because our sanctification is never complete until Jesus returns. When that time comes we will be holy like the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 3:2 “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”
So how do we apply this? Holiness is whole (it only takes one dot to make a clean paper not pure), and that Holiness starts off with the little things. So here are four points we should do to help us stay holy.
1. Turn away from your sins.
The only way we can accept that we can be holy is if we forget sins and focus more on becoming holy.
2. Crave for spiritual milk.
Like a child crying out for her milk, we too must also cry out and crave for spiritual milk (going to church, knowing God, praying, attending small group and reading His word) and those that don’t crave for this milk becomes spiritually malnourished.
3. Accept that you are set-apart for God’s use.
The bible says, we are God’s royal priest, holy nation and His very own possession. Therefore, we have to be careful that while we are in this world, when people look at our lives they will see that there is something special about us. Not creepy and not weird but different in a good way. There is a problem when people can’t tell the difference between believer and non-believer.
4. Watch what you expose yourself to.
In order to be holy, we must take care of our spiritual being as well as our mental health. We can do this by being concerned about what we expose ourselves to. What do you think about and focus on? What do you watch and listen to? Who do you hang around with? All these affect our behavior and affect our being “set apart”.
God says through Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let’s settle this, though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”
Regardless of how dirty you’ve been in the past, God’s cleansing power cleanse you and makes you like new. Now that you know this, do not let the devil and his lies lead you away from the great plan that God has for you.
