October 1, 2018 PERFECTIING HOLINESS
2 Corinthians 7:1: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
God has made many awesome promises to those who have put their faith and trust in Him and these promises should serve as a motivation for us to live in such a way that our lives honor Him. Living holy lives is God’s plan and desire for us as we see in 1 Peter 1:16, “Be holy, because I am holy”. As believers, we are now the temple of God and His presence in us enables us to live in such a way that we reflect His nature. Being holy is not a result of human effort and determination, but a result of His presence. Some miss the point of 1 Peter 1:16 by believing that our actions do not matter that much because our holiness is a “done deal” because we are “in Christ.” There is truth in that understanding, but we must make the connection that BECAUSE we are in Christ, and BECAUSE He has made us holy, we are to express holiness in the lives we live. God is holy and God is our Father and we have been joined to Him, we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to His kingdom of light, and now we are to be expressions of His nature. As believers, we should have a healthy fear of God-a fear of missing what He has for us and a fear of falling short of His plans and design for us. In God’s grace, rather than making us robots, He gives us the opportunity to work with Him as He works in us. Even though we belong to Him, we still have the power of choice as to whether we walk in His ways or not. The verse above says we are to be “perfecting” holiness; we are to be growing in and maturing in holiness. The key part in being holy is spending time in God’s word and letting it speak to us, conforming our life to His word, and obeying the voice of the Spirit within us. When we read the commands that Jesus gave, let us be quick to do what He commands; keeping His commands leads to abundant life and to holiness-it’s just that simple! His commands are not burdensome, but are actually descriptions of what our new nature is like; when we walk according to our true identity in Him, obeying Him and being holy becomes natural. Mere human beings who have been redeemed by the Lamb, can in fact live lives of holiness in the midst of a dark world. Today, let us express the nature of our Father.
Holiness: The state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity.
1 Peter 1:15: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.”
Blessings,
Buddy
October 1, 2018 PERFECTIING HOLINESS
2 Corinthians 7:1: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
God has made many awesome promises to those who have put their faith and trust in Him and these promises should serve as a motivation for us to live in such a way that our lives honor Him. Living holy lives is God’s plan and desire for us as we see in 1 Peter 1:16, “Be holy, because I am holy”. As believers, we are now the temple of God and His presence in us enables us to live in such a way that we reflect His nature. Being holy is not a result of human effort and determination, but a result of His presence. Some miss the point of 1 Peter 1:16 by believing that our actions do not matter that much because our holiness is a “done deal” because we are “in Christ.” There is truth in that understanding, but we must make the connection that BECAUSE we are in Christ, and BECAUSE He has made us holy, we are to express holiness in the lives we live. God is holy and God is our Father and we have been joined to Him, we have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to His kingdom of light, and now we are to be expressions of His nature. As believers, we should have a healthy fear of God-a fear of missing what He has for us and a fear of falling short of His plans and design for us. In God’s grace, rather than making us robots, He gives us the opportunity to work with Him as He works in us. Even though we belong to Him, we still have the power of choice as to whether we walk in His ways or not. The verse above says we are to be “perfecting” holiness; we are to be growing in and maturing in holiness. The key part in being holy is spending time in God’s word and letting it speak to us, conforming our life to His word, and obeying the voice of the Spirit within us. When we read the commands that Jesus gave, let us be quick to do what He commands; keeping His commands leads to abundant life and to holiness-it’s just that simple! His commands are not burdensome, but are actually descriptions of what our new nature is like; when we walk according to our true identity in Him, obeying Him and being holy becomes natural. Mere human beings who have been redeemed by the Lamb, can in fact live lives of holiness in the midst of a dark world. Today, let us express the nature of our Father.
Holiness: The state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity.
1 Peter 1:15: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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