‘Living holy’ is both a heart and an action matter (remember…faith without works is dead). ‘Living holy’ is a lifestyle. I think we sometimes forget that it is a lifestyle and too often move into a “Do or Don’t Do” situation. Quite frankly, because it is a Bible-based lifestyle, we must go to the Bible for the answer. If we define the ‘living holy’ lifestyle outside of the Bible, we are left only using our life experiences to explain it and justify it while asking others to abide by it. That’s not going to work because that makes it subject to the condition of our hearts (good or bad) and not God’s Word.
One of the most frequently quoted verses about being holy is what God said, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Now, there is nothing wrong with that. However, it still makes you say, “what does that mean?” 😉
Now, this is where the heart and action come in…1 Peter 1:13-16, radically lays out an invitation to be holy in all areas of our lives. One of the Bible translations puts it this way, “Roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”
It’s also good to remember that everything about God is holy. True holiness includes justice, mercy, truth, and righteousness. To be holy is to be absolutely devoted to God in all that we do, demonstrating who He is to the world. Grace has sealed holiness into our lives, yet we are to make the right choices and to yield to Christ and God’s Word as the Holy Spirit lives in us. Holiness is not merely actions we perform nor is it a dress code, but it’s what we take to heart and act upon as we live our lives in God’s presence.
‘Living Holy’ is a lifestyle lived through a heart changed by the knowledge and acceptance of Jesus Christ as it is reflected in their actions toward God and others.
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