Does your church talk much about holy living? It doesn’t seem to be a very popular topic – even in Christian circles. And yet hypocrisy is the number one reason people give for not wanting to have anything to do with Christianity or Christians. When we claim to follow Christ but don’t look like Him we keep people away from knowing the one source of eternal life.
In his book “The Pursuit of Holiness,” Jerry Bridges defines holiness like this:
To be holy is to be morally blameless. It is to be separated from sin and, therefore, consecrated to God… To live a holy life, then, is to live a life in conformity to the moral precepts of the Bible and in contrast to the sinful ways of the world.”
The apostle Paul described it as “putting off our old self,” which belongs to our life before Jesus, and to “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).
Sometimes we compare ourselves to the world or other Christians and think we’re doing pretty good. But, God doesn’t call us to “pretty good.” His holiness is our standard (1 Peter 1:16). Jesus died so we could be holy.
5 Benefits of Holiness
Holiness may seem hard, but the benefits far outweigh anything we might need to “sacrifice.” The gain is far greater than the loss of any worldly activity, behavior, or attitude.
Usually what it comes down to is simply our desire. Why would we want to live a holy life? The following five benefits are not the only reasons, but they’re ones Scripture mentions repeatedly.
- Holiness fosters intimacy with God and builds spiritual strength and stability (Psalm 15:1-6).
- Holy living makes us useful and effective for God’s purposes (2 Timothy 2:20-26).
- Our holy life causes people around us to glorify God (1 Peter 2:9-12).
- Holiness builds peace with God (2 Peter 3:10-18).
- A holy life pleases God and produces “fruit” (Ephesians 5:1-17).
I especially like the first benefit on that list. Perhaps you too long to experience a deep, intimate relationship with God, but often feel disconnected. According to Scripture, there is a direct connection between a holy life and experiencing God’s presence.
God shows us how to live a holy life in a godless culture.
God is not the one who is preventing you from experiencing all He has made available to you. He loves you and wants to see you living in total life prosperity! If God is not the problem, then who is?
There are Christians who believe that Satan is their biggest problem in life. Although he is your number one enemy, he is powerless against you. You have authority over the works of the devil (Luke 10:19 AMP), and the only way he can hurt or defeat you is if you allow him to do so.
When you develop a relationship with God and live according to His standards, you will become stronger and more successful (Daniel 11:32). When you hate what He hates and love what He loves, you will see His supernatural power at work in your life!
And, you will begin to align yourself to receive the promises that God had made you in the Word!
Be Encouraged, Leah
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