Holiness

So that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. 1 Thessalonians 3:13

How can we be holy? Firstly, we must realize that holiness is a gift of God’s grace. Why did God choose Israel as His nation? God knew that no nation on earth was good enough to be called His people, His “own little flock.” He chose Israel in His love and mercy, not because of anything they had done. He chose Israel in spite of all the wrongs the nation had done and would do. It is all grace.

Secondly, holiness requires covenant faithfulness. In Genesis 15 and 17, God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to make his descendants into a great nation. That promise was realized when God restated His agreement with the Israelite nation, the descendants of Abraham. God promised to bless and care for them. The people promised to obey Him. The covenant was thus sealed. But the good intentions of the people quickly wore off. Have you made a commitment to God? How are you holding up your end of the bargain?

Thirdly, holiness comes from wholehearted obedience to God. In Jeremiah 23:5-6, Jeremiah prophesied about times of distress that would come upon Israel. But some people would be protected by God in the midst of tribulation. The distinctive mark will be their holiness, not their wealth or prestige. This holiness comes from a sincere desire to obey God and from wholehearted devotion to Him.

Fourthly, holiness grows in response to God’s Word. A follower of Christ becomes sanctified (set apart for sacred use, cleansed and made holy) through believing and obeying the Word of God (Heb. 4:12). He or she has already accepted forgiveness through Christ’s sacrificial death (7:26-27). But daily application of God’s Word has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. The Scripture points out sin, motivates us to confess our sins, renews our relationship with Christ and guides us back to the right path.We are to be holy in the midst of an evil world. Jesus didn’t ask God to take believers out of the world but to use them in the world instead. Because Jesus sends us into the world, we should not try to escape from the world, nor should we avoid all relationships with non-Christians. We are called to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16), and we are to do the work that God sent us to do.

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