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I felt a need to start a thread on what Holiness is and what it is not
I didn't want to mix it in on the Video thread
So here goes...
What does Holiness mean to you?"…
As obedient children, not conforming yourself to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy." - 1 Peter 1:14-16When Peter wrote this, he was not insinuating a bunch of legal requirements for the Christian to follow to become holy. What Peter was saying was, we now have the ability to be holy because HE is holy.
Can there be any willful sin and one be walking in holiness, too? That is a oxymoron. The world church preaches that no one can live free from sin, but that is contradictory to holy living.
Holiness to me means having those thoughts, behaviors, qualities, ect. that reflect the work that He is doing in our lives. We turn away from those things which are not pleasing to Him and the fruits of the Spirit are evident in our lives. We turn away from sin and seek to be pure in thought and actions. We need to pray that God shows us the things in our lives which may not reflect holiness and ask Him to help us become more and more what He would have us to be. God bless.
Holiness to me means having those thoughts, behaviors, qualities, ect. that reflect the work that He is doing in our lives. We turn away from those things which are not pleasing to Him and the fruits of the Spirit are evident in our lives. We turn away from sin and seek to be pure in thought and actions. We need to pray that God shows us the things in our lives which may not reflect holiness and ask Him to help us become more and more what He would have us to be. God bless.
God gave man the ability to be holy and blameless before Him...
2 Peter 3:14-17 "Be Steadfast"
...Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation ~ as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scripture.
You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
As we look forward to the coming day of the Lord, when Christ will return to separate the wicked from the righteous and to gather His saints together in the air, we must MAKE EVERY EFFORT to be SPOTLESS and BLAMELESS in Him. "Make every effort" means "intense effort."
we must continually strive ~ concentrate our efforts ~ on being righteous as Jesus is righteous.
God's Word declares, "...There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10); and that "...all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." (Isaiah 64:6). Paul, in writing to the Romans declared, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight..." (Romans 3:20).
So, how do we "put on" the breastplate of righteousness? According to His plan and purpose to have a people who would be set apart unto Him, holy and blameless, God created Adam and Eve in His own image, in righteousness and holiness. Adam and Eve were perfect. Having been created in God's image, they were holy and righteous. Their nature was pure, free from blemish, free from contamination. Holiness and righteousness were as natural to Adam and Eve's nature as man's nature is now to sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, they fell from this position of righteousness. Their Godlike nature was defiled, contaminated. Man became a slave to Satan, sin and unrighteousness. He was alienated from God.
To reconcile man to Himself, God made a covenant with him. He established the law through Moses and required man to walk in obedience to all His commandments. To break one law was to be guilty of all. If man obeyed the law, he received God's blessing. If he disobeyed, he was cursed. man in his fallen, sinful state was unable to fulfill the requirements of the Law.
God, Who is altogether holy, just and pure ~ the Source of all righteousness ~ saw the sinfulness of the people that He had chosen and set apart for Himself, to walk holy and blameless before Him, He saw their wickedness, how they continually turned their backs on Him, how they followed after idols, continually forsaking and disobeying His Law. He saw that it was impossible for man, in his fallen state, to walk holy and righteously before Him, to fulfill the requirements of the Law.
God, in His infinite love and mercy, had pity upon His people. He promised to cleanse them, to take away their sinful nature and place His Spirit within them SO THAT THEY WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO WALK HOLY AND BLAMELESS BEFORE HIM IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMANDMENTS. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within You; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh: and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes,and ye shall keep My judgements, and DO THEM" (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
Not only did God plan for man to be holy and blameless, HE GAVE HIM THE ABILITY!!!What would you think of a God Who would require His people to do something that was impossible for them to do? GOD GAVE MAN THE ABILITY TO BE HOLY. In essence, He said, "I'm going to remove the old sinful nature within you. I'm going to put MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU THAT WILL ENABLE YOU TO BE HOLY ~ TO WALK IN OBEDIENCE TO ME."
In accordance with His purpose and plan to have A PEOPLE ~ children who would be created in His own image, who would reflect His righteousness and holiness ~ HE SENT JESUS TO PAY FOR ALLOLD SINS PAST...2 Peter 1:3-11 states: By His divine power, God has given us EVERYTHING we need for LIVING A GODLY LIFE. WE HAVE RECEIVED ALL OF THIS BY COMING TO KNOW HIM, THE ONE WHO CALLED US TO HIMSELF by means of His marelous glory and excellence.
(4) And because of His glory and excellance, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires.
(5) In view of all this, MAKE EVERY EFFORT to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellance, and moral excellance with knowledge,
(6) and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient ENDURANCE, and patient endurance with godliness,
(7) and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
(8) The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(9) BUT THOSE WHO FAIL TO DEVELOPE IN THIS WAY ARE SHORTSIGHTED OR BLIND, FORGETTING THEY HAVE BEEN CLEANSED FROM THEIR OLD SINS.
(10) So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to PROVE you are REALLYAMONG THOSE GOD HAS CALLED AND CHOSEN. DO THESE THINGS AND YOU WILL NEVER FALL AWAY.
(11) THEN God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!!!!!!!!! AMEN!
Holiness to me means having those thoughts, behaviors, qualities, ect. that reflect the work that He is doing in our lives. We turn away from those things which are not pleasing to Him and the fruits of the Spirit are evident in our lives. We turn away from sin and seek to be pure in thought and actions. We need to pray that God shows us the things in our lives which may not reflect holiness and ask Him to help us become more and more what He would have us to be. God bless.
I'm glad I found this thread cos something's been bugging me for a while now ....
Does wearing of bikini by a christian woman to the pool or the beach, embarking on a modeling career or taking part in beauty pagaents constitute "unholy" behaviors, or make her any less holy?
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Purge me, O' Lord!
God gave man the ability to be holy and blameless before Him...
twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scripture.
