I have been learning and teaching about holiness lately, and I have been a bit bold in sharing, though not as bold as I should. One common response I get in response to what people thought of being holy (1 Peter 1:15-16) is "well, no one is perfect."
This is an excuse made by the self, desperately trying to protect it's self from the conviction of God's word. No one is perfect. We can't reach that standard, so why try? We are saved; that's all we need, right? Holiness is something that none of us can attain; God didn't really mean it, did he?
While it is true that none of us are perfect, and that none of us can attain holiness....on our own, we are commanded to be holy as He is holy! It is through Christ that we can be holy for Him, set apart for Him.
I am willing to be radically set apart for Him. While I am wrestling with figuring out what that looks like and what will bring Him glory, I believe that it is our duty to be set apart for Him, in the world, but not of the World. In James 4:4, it says that "... the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (KJV)
However, our self fights against the things of God, and it desires to be comfortable. It doesn't want to be challenged, and is more concerned about "me" than God. However, we need to instead, "since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2)
We need to deny self, and pursue holiness, through Christ's strength. While none of us are perfect, Christ is, and we need to follow Him, and strive for holiness none the less, even though we can't truly achieve it, but because He commands us to be holy for Him. May we give more up for Him instead of more for ourselves....may we deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him, and strive to be Holy. We may not be holy, or perfect, but He is, and we must follow after Him!
For Christ's Glory!
Thoughts and musings on following Christ, becoming a Warrior Poet, and living as a Disciple.
I absolutely agree with what you wrote here. We have the same power living inside of us as Christians that raised Jesus Christ from the dead! His Holy power enables us to say no to ungodliness and to put on Jesus Christ and pursue Him passionately in Spirit and Truth.
ReplyDeleteThe world around us lives by the shade of grey, and in attempts to reach the world by own humanly standards, parts of the Bride of Christ has cast off her pure white gown and traded it for what she thinks is a neutral shade of grey, too, so as to reach the world. But, that shade isn't her color, and it doesn't work. The Bride is to be WHITE. WHITE AS SNOW. Jesus' death on the cross would be vain if He wouldn't have come to indwell us and transform us into HIS likeness. We were already grey and even darker without Him. He has now given us the power to be cleansed and walking in HIS radiance. It's time to cast off the world and all the excuses and to say, Yes, Lord, I desire to be fully responsible in my relationship with You. Fully faithful.
Jesus Christ is Lord. When we bow the knee, there is no other way by which to live but through His work on the cross. And, that work was accomplished so that we could live VICTORIOUSLY in HIM. Thanks for the post, brother. Keep running the race with your eyes set on Him. God bless you!
Are we really holy, or are we not? When we pray, who ware we talking to? We are not talking to Jesus. Although some may think so, we are really talking to God. How do I make this assumption, what do you conclude the prayer with, "In Jesus Name." We aren't talking to Jesus, we are talking to the Father through Jesus. Why am I making a point of this? You specifically said that we are "not" Holy, and physically, emotionally, and mentally we are the opposite, we are completely unHoly. However, spiritually we are "now" Holy as a Christian. How can I make this statement? Because we cannot talk or go to the Father in prayer unless we are blameless, without sin, perfect, and Holy. We did not accomplish this Holiness on our own, but it is ours now. When Jesus died, He took our sins, so we were made clean, or perfect. However, we are not "simply" made clean, we are changed, we now have a "new" spirit, and that is what gives us eternal life. Now, I'm not going to go into details about the difference between eternal and everlasting life, and how having a new spirit gives us that. I merely want to point out, we "have to be" Holy in order to go to the Father. To God, we are Holy, because of that gift from Jesus. And one thing I want to add is that, it is our life now, it isn't a borrowed life from Jesus, He "gave" it too us.
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