Nov 13, 2019 3 min
I know that in the day in which we live, holiness seems old-fashioned. For instance, people seemed determined to do exactly what they desire, regardless of whether it violates Scripture. Think about it: did you ever think that you would see the day when there would be so-called “church conventions” to determine if homosexuality should be honored by the Church as an acceptable lifestyle? Isn’t it ironic that the Church would be confused about homosexuality when the Bible is absolutely clear about its perspective? At any rate, holiness is not out of style. Contrary to popular opinion, God still requires holiness of His people. Consider the following scripture: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). The Greek word used for holiness in this verse is hagios, which “fundamentally signifies separated, and hence, in Scripture in its moral and spiritual significance, separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God.”
To be holy means to be set apart for God. In short, if you are holy, then God’s purposes become your purposes; God’s pursuits become your pursuits; God’s plans become your plans, and so forth. The bottom line is that you cannot be holy (or set apart) unto God and disagree with Him. For instance, you cannot disagree with what the Bible has to say about homosexuality, adultery, fornication, lying, etc. and expect to walk in holiness. Therefore, one of the first things you must establish concerning walking in holiness is your decision (from which you must never turn back) to agree with absolutely everything God says. Hence, the Bible becomes absolutely crucial to your maintaining a consistent stance of holiness because you cannot agree with what you do not know. Therefore, do not expect to walk consistently in holiness if you are not willing to commit to studying the Word of God.
In the aforementioned scripture, Paul states that holiness is our reasonable service. In other words, when we are acting holy, we are not doing anything extra. We are acting exactly how we have been programmed to act. Now, that is completely different from the way many Christians view holiness today. For the most part, we think that holiness is preserved for special Christians, for those who really have it going on with God—so to speak. However, the Biblical perspective of holiness is drastically different. II Corinthians 5:21 states, “For He (God) has made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us…that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” According to this scripture, righteousness is something WE ARE, not something we work to attain. In essence, because of the new birth, we have been given a new nature, and righteousness is a part of that nature. Where we were (before the new birth) naturally inclined to evil, we are now (because of the new birth) naturally inclined to good. That is why holiness is our reasonable service. It is what we were designed to do as a result of the new birth. Every born-again believer is absolutely capable of walking in holiness. We are wired for it! The next time you are tempted to declare holiness as obsolete or something that is beyond your grasp, remember that holiness is already on the inside of you ready to be comprehended by those around you who are looking for answers. Holiness is crucial in this day and time. The challenge is making it an outward expression, something we will discuss at a later time. For now, suffice it to say that holiness is still in style. And holiness is for you!
God bless you as you continue to hear and heed His Voice!
