Flourishing in Holiness – Why is it Necessary?

“…as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct…” (1 Peter 1:15 NKJV)

    Why is holiness necessary? Because God who called us is holy; He is pure and set apart from sin and evil (it does not, cannot, dwell with Him, Psalm 5:5) making Him not only the source, but also the absolute standard for purity and holiness.

    God, who is holy, called us. How?  By the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). You heard the gospel – the ‘good news’ of Jesus – you believed it (Romans 10:17), and you obeyed it (Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:37-38, 8:30-39). God called to you through His word and you answered His call through faith and obedience to His commands.

    God called us with a holy calling (2 Timothy 1:8-9) – not because we were worthy – but because He is holy and He loved us (1 John 4:8-10), and loves us still! God does not want any to perish, He wants all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9); He wants all to be saved and come to the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

“…as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16 NKJV) 

    God called us in holiness to be holy, not unclean (1 Thessalonians 4:7, please read verses 1-8 also). God sent His only begotten Son to live and to die, a sacrificial Lamb, “that He might redeem us from every lawless deed” (Titus 2:11-14). How can we, who have heard and obeyed the gospel and have been baptized for the remission of our sins – released from the very bondage of sin that held us captive – turn back to sinful practices?     

“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as truth is in Jesus; that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which is created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:20-24 NKJV) 

    We must regard God as holy (Leviticus 10:3) and understand that to be in His presence we too must be striving – doing all that is necessary – to be holy (Hebrews 12:14); we need to diligent in removing our old habits and determined to replace them with the new holy habits He has told us to busy ourselves with (ex: 2 Timothy 2:22, Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 3, Titus 3:8, 14, etc.).

    God is holy. He has called us with a holy calling to be holy, sacred, and set apart/different from the world (Romans 12:2) – His word provides us with all we need to know to flourish in holiness. Take time this week to read the book of Leviticus, taking note of the numerous times ‘holy’ is mentioned; let it open your eyes to the fact that we must be holy.

    Let us learn to reverence and hallow God properly so we can truly appreciate the clean slate, the “new man,” He has granted us, created in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24) – He gave us a head start, now we need to finish the race (Hebrews 12:1-2)! 

    Are you running toward the goal?

You can do it! So can I!!