Holiness is for You

Not even an hour into the day and already the quiet time is derailed.

Is there any hope for genuine and honest obedience and godliness?

Rom.6:14 “For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.” (emphasis added)

Whatever our sin problem might be, we have hope.

We can walk in obedience and live out holiness. Actually, God expects us to life a holy life. And, holiness is the birthright of every Christian because “sin will not rule over” us.

So, what picture comes to mind when you think of holiness?

Did you know: the word for holy in its various forms occurs over 600 times in the Scripture?! The book of Leviticus is devoted to holiness. And, the idea of holiness is woven into the fabric of Scripture as a whole.

What are some passages that come to mind when thinking about holiness?

Leviticus 20:7 “Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.”

The idea of holiness means to be morally separated to God, which necessarily includes being separated from sin.

Consider the following passages of Scripture:

1 Thes.4:3-7 “For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality, that each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passions, like the Gentiles, who don’t know God. This means one must not transgress against and take advantage of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness.”

1 Pet.1:14-16 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.”

Rev.22:11 “Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy still be filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; let the holy still be holy.”

Truly, Eph.4:22 “to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires,” and Eph.4:24 “and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.” capture the heart of holiness.

So, if holiness is a basic aspect of the Christian life, do we experience in our daily lives like we should? If yes, why? If not, why not?

Not to oversimplify the answer, but consider the following:

Possible Reasons we do not Experience Holiness:

We often think of sin as something that is man-centric and not God-centric.

We are so concerned with our victory over sin that we miss the part where sin grieves the heart of God.

God desires us to walk in obedience, not just “victory.” This might seem like semantics, but it reveals at least in part a motivational heart issue, and if we’re not careful, pride will quickly set in. Does God want us to experience victory over sin in our life? Absolutely, but as a by-product of obedience.

We may misunderstand what it means to live by faith.

Sometimes we think (some have unknowingly taught when cheap grace becomes our only emphasis) that there is no effort of holiness on our part.

J.C. Ryle says, “…faith in Christ is the root of all holiness…no well-instructed Christian will ever think of denying. But surely the Scriptures teach us that in following holiness the true Christian needs personal exertion and work as well as faith.”

Can we truly put away any sin that we struggle with?

There are some sins we simply do not take seriously.

What sins do you think the church as a whole refuses to count as serious? Honest talk, no time for “Sunday school piety” here.

Song of Songs 2:15 “Catch the foxes for us— the little foxes that ruin the vineyards— for our vineyards are in bloom.” Notice it’s the “little foxes” (yes, in this context it deals with sexual sin, but the principle seems to translate) that ruin the vineyard, much in the same way that it’s the small compromises that lead to bigger downfalls. (Maybe trace some of these compromise/sin issues, asking for others’ input).

Are we willing to put aside our judgment on matters of holiness and righteousness in order to adopt God’s standard of holiness and righteousness? Will we call it sin not because we judge it okay or not but because God’s word forbids it?

Our challenge this week:

Whenever you sin this week, think about the fact that this sin is primarily rebellion against God rather than your own personal failure.

Take personal responsibility for sin. Don’t blame shift, and trust in God’s grace whenever you fall.

Consider the areas of your life where you have refused to obey God and begin to let the Holy Spirit soften you in those areas.