Why believers must be holy

God cannot be altogether wholly other because he shares his holiness with other worldviews and authorities, diminishing his glory.

He made this people holy. God gave Israel a charge to be separate from other nations. By doing so, other nations would look to Israel and find God attractive. Israel failed. This rescue initiative continues with the Church.

They connect to their context in meaningful ways. Contextualization is tricky. Our enemy wishes to see contextualization abused. False teachers abusing contextualization beware. This makes way for license to abuse grace. Our enemy would like to see grace abused. Where relativism dilutes holiness, liberty dirties holiness. Liberty is fostered by foolishness. Here we are prone to ruin holiness with another abuse.

The flip side of liberty is legalism. The evidence of the new birth is righteous behavior in the life of the believer. Sanctification is evident in a changed life. God changes us from the inside out 2 Cor. God commands that the Christian be holy 1 Peter ; Lev. His innermost nature is holy, and a holy God calls for a holy people 1 Cor. Holy living demands determination Rom.

The Christian is responsible for his inner life and outward walk. All areas of our life should be in the process of being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Sin is abnormal and unnatural for the believer. The Christian does not experience the sinless life perfectly on this earth 1 John , 10 , however we do overcome sin through the power of the Holy Spirit Gal. Holiness or sanctification can be perfected, i.

A maturing, or growing holiness, is an increased Christ-likeness 2 Cor. It is a progressive sanctification, not sinless perfection. We will receive glorification when we see Jesus in heaven, and not before then. Until then, we are to grow in His likeness 1 John Our responsibility is to yield ourselves to the inner working of the Holy Spirit and keep on growing in His likeness James The eternal purpose of God in Christ is for us to be holy.

God has saved you by the Holy Spirit to make you His holy people 2 Thess. In addition to being a well-known conference speaker, he served as a minister of the Bethesda Free Church, in Sunderland, U. His publications were read and admired by the late F. Chris chrispoblete served as editor for social content strategy at Blue Letter Bible. That is what he wants us to be and covered with the blood of our Savior and the help of His Holy Spirit we too can be pure and white as snow in the eyes of our Father.

They were kept up, fed perfectly, protected, and treated much differently than just any old sheep. What great Sufficient Grace we have and what a wonderful helper in His Spirit so we too can be choice sheep ready for relationship and sacrifice just as Christ.

In Spirit and Grace I walk in Love to Honor my Father in these 7 reasons listed above with my behavior, my thoughts, my hopes and my love. The lost world needs to see His best face through our best face and our true hearts. We must remember that we were sanctified, are being sanctified and will ultimately be sanctified. I love so much the way you put it Donna! What a glorious thing ye? To be the Children of His Royal Court!

Praise God!!!!! But in addition to that, there are very strong practical reasons why a Christian should pursue holiness: why he should resist the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Here are ten of them. Sin brings dishonor to the name of the Lord Jesus. The outside world is justified in associating the disciple with his Master. If the disciple sins, people reproach the Master and drag His name in the mud 2 Samuel Remembering what our sins cost the Savior.

No thinking believer would want to continue in that which nailed the Son of God to the cross 1 Peter He demonstrated His love by paying an enormous price to redeem us. He has provided everything necessary for a life of godliness. It is a miserable response to such love to go back over the bridge to our former way of life 2 Corinthians Sin not only breaks His law, but His heart as well, whereas holiness delights Him. When we sin, it stumbles other believers.