As Christians, we should be adherents of Christ, our Lord and Savior. Moreover, we are to carry out and preach The Great Commission to all humanity, whereby we are governed. Likewise, as verbalized in I Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;” (King James Version), we should live a conscientious life that is pleasing to God. Nevertheless, in order to have Holiness, we must be compliant to God’s commandments and attend to our conscience. However, our conscience begins with the heart and it is the heart which fuels our conscious to compel us to live our lives Holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1)
Holiness Defined
Moreover, the Bible tells us in I Thessalonians 4:7, “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (King James Version). According to Bible.org, (2013), “Holiness is to be distinct, to be separate, in a class by oneself. It is to be morally pure.” Likewise, holiness is living an upright and virtuous life and being idealized in God’s view. Furthermore, holiness is a way of life, living in God’s homogeneousness, in all that we do. It is a veracious representation of what Christ would verbalize or do.
What does the Bible say About Holiness?
The Devil wants us to attune ourselves to the World rather than that of a Godly lifestyle. He kens if we do not show ourselves as the light of the world, then there would be no reason for unbelievers to desire to follow Christ. However, the Bible inductively authorizes us to pattern ourselves after Christ in all that we do which is expounded upon in our “Call to be Holy,” in I Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore,...
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...tion with God. In other words, without God, it is impossible to be Holy. Moreover, the Bible tells us in I Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, be ye holy for I am holy” (Kings James Version). Therefore, in order to become Holy; we must abide in Christ and become a new creature as stated in (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because of this correlation, our mind (conscience), body and heart is transformed. We have become as babes in Christ Jesus our Lord. Consequently, giving us a clean heart whereby we can now be Holy (Psalms 51:10.
References:
Deffinbaugh, R. L. (2004). “The Holiness of God. “ Retrieved from: https://bible.org/seriespage/holiness-god
Elwell, W.A. (1996). Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books
Etzel, G. & Gutierrez, B. (2012). Praxis: Beyond Theory. Virginia Beach, VA: Academx Publishing Services, Inc.
...between the ways of God and the ways of Satan. We cannot trust society, or others to tell us differently. Paul writes, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5). A Christians, we must dedicate our lives to obeying God and our way of life, our Christian ethical code. We must live our lives with great dignity and moral character.
In his thought-provoking book, “The Pursuit of Holiness,” Jerry Bridges offers a personal look on what it means to be holy like Christ. The book is scripture backed and covers all areas of holiness as a Christian. In the book, Bridges starts off with assessing just what holiness is. To be holy is to be morally blameless and to have no sin (p. 15). Holiness is being separated from the ways of the world and becoming more like Christ. To be holy does not mean that you obey a set of rules, but is instead string to do always do what is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. In Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2, Paul challenges the people to give up their bodies as a holy sacrifice for kingdom work. He continues on saying that this is truly
Not our own personal gain or our own popularity, but to be humbled and shine as the salt and light of the Earth. In the new testament book of Matthew, in chapter 5, Jesus is teaching to his disciples on a mountainside. He has already began to decribe what a life of following Chirst entails. In verses 13-16:
Salvation is not something we can attain through holiness on our own. By Christ doing God’s will and dying for us on the cross, we are made holy. The author put it like this, “Holiness, then, is not necessary as a condition of salvation – that would be salvation by works – but as a part of salvation that is received by faith in Christ” (p. 34). While Jesus was here on earth he lived a life that was perfectly holy. His holiness was not just attributed to that fact that he had no sin, but that he
1 Peter 1:13-16 says " Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy". Just like in the Old Testament, objects, places, and people can be made holy by the works of Jesus Christ (New Testament). The only way a believer can be holy in the New Testament is by accepting his gift of eternal life! No man on this planet (past, present, or future) can achieve holiness on their own. This is the result of sin, man continuance disobedience to a holy and righteous God. The only thing that can fix this rebellion is accepting the justification works of Christ, and than allow His sanctification produce holiness in the believers
The Apostle Paul rights about the conviction of the heart (Romans 2:15), when as Christians our perception of right and wrong is only justified by a common morality of other Christian believers. How instead we should live is in our justification of our savior, giving to him our body, sprite and mind and all he asks of it. By using the meaning of our life and our talents to influence those with the naturalistic and pantheism beliefs, shows our God is the creator and alive (Hebrews 11:32-40).
One of the main themes in Chapter Fourteen is that of morality. Cari Barney defined morality as “conformity to the rules of right conduct” (lecture). Man is “a moral being” obligated “to act according to moral principles” (McDonald, 2007, p. 165). Deep down within man’s conscience, there is the sense of knowing right from wrong and knowing God’s requirements (Romans 2:14-15). This awareness should cause all humans to strive to adhere to what God requires of us. The moral consciousness of man is within the heart (Proverbs 4:23). McDonald (2007) stated, “So man is in himself a moral being with moral obligations and responsibilities (p. 165). Man’s lifestyle should resemble biblical principles that have been instructed by God.
Romans 3:9, “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.” The Jews have God’s law and think they’re righteous, however, they are actually breaking it in many ways (Hindson & Towns). In Romans 3:28-30 it is written that man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Today, Christians face the cultural challenges, which involve the laws and morals within their society. An important element for a faithful Christian is the daily practice of sanctification. Sanctification, the impartation of God’s righteousness and through the believer conform him progressively to the image of Jesus Christ (Hindson & Towns) impacts the believer in Christ from a cultural perspective. The believers Holy Spirit must be nourished daily through their faith in Jesus Christ in the world of sin that we live. I know that I have to filter through all that I am exposed with in my culture. I have to make important decisions that fall in line with my beliefs. It is especially challenging with the ever changing secular movement which degrades and drifts away from our Christian values and
Hence, as a Christian adherent, it is essential they follow the words of the Lord and express their faith in the correct manner. Individuals can do this by following the steps of Paul of Tarsus, in his attempt to spread Christianity worldwide, abide by the ethical teachings set by the church such as euthanasia and participate in Saturday/Sunday Worship.
In the defense speech given by Socrates at the beginning of his trial, he hints at a definition of holiness. “..I live in great poverty because of my service to the god” (23C). Piety, according to Socrates, is defined by one who sacrifices his own necessities and luxuries in order to better service the gods; it is the willingness of one to please the god by way of a disservice to himself; a general forfeit of life-excesses as well as life requirements.
“The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges focuses primarily on God’s holiness and how all of God’s children should live their lives always making an effort to be holy. Bridges states that everyone is called to be holy. It is important for Christians to pursue holiness. Similarly, God does not force anyone to be holy. It is up to each individual to decide for themselves to follow God and be holy.
Our main goal is to present everyone fully mature in Christ. (Col. 1:28) we warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Th. 5:14-15) We pray for them (Jam. 5:13-16) and help them to recognize and repent for their sins. (Matt.
For example, almost all the Christians who work at their workplace have to face spiritual worldliness. It is common to socialize with other coworkers. However, when they meet each other outside of their workplace, they tend to go to a bar or somewhere they can drink alcohol. Christians might be tempted to drink alcohol, because they have strong desires of flesh. However, if they set apart from the worldliness, they may banish their desires of the flesh and follow the Word of God. Furthermore, holiness helps Christians to warn or flee from disobedient Christians (2. Thess. 3:6, 14-15; 1 Cor. 5:9-13). In other words, holiness helps the Christian to see himself, whether he is obeying God or not, and helps him to distinguish whether his bretheren obeys the Word of God or not.
Holiness is something that one can obtain in this life. It removes all evil from his heart, allowing him to truly and completely serve God. This does not mean he will not make mistakes, because he still will since he is still human.
“All of morals comes down to the virtues.” (Keenan, 142) Keenan asserts that these virtues are the cardinal virtues, consisting of courage, temperance, justice, and prudence, and date back to Aristotle in Ancient Greece. The word cardinal is derived from the root, cardo, meaning hinge. Simply stated, the Christian moral life hinges on the cardinal virtues. Keenan suggests an updating of the cardinal virtues to become justice, fidelity, self-care, and prudence. He provides reasoning for the new virtue list. He defines each virtue with its social implications. For example, individuals should seek to set up society with equal justice for all persons. These descriptions help the Christian understand when the virtues are best applicable to self and/or others. Thomas Aquinas adds three theological virtues to the mix: faith, hope, and charity. Familiar from the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians, these virtues seek to help Christian theologians through the ages maintain the integrity of the Gospel and continue to make it relevant in the modern world. Keenan recounts Bernard of Clairvaux’s beliefs that cultivating the virtues is a way to assimilate with the humanity of Jesus. (Keenan, 136) According to Aquinas, “Every human action is a moral action.” (Keenan, 142) The purpose of the virtues is to guide Christians, and when the Christian studies and applies the virtues to his life, his actions will demonstrate morality. The Bible heralds in Proverbs 3:32, “Devious people are detestable to the Lord, but the virtuous are his close