Be Holy

[Christ4Ever]

'For I [am] the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I [am] holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 'For I [am] the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I [am] holy. Leviticus 11:44-45 NKJV

The people of Israel had an obligation to know which mammals, sea creatures, birds, insects, and creatures that crawl on the ground would make them ceremonially unclean if they ate them, and which ones did not. Working your way through such a list in today’s culture may seem like a foreign concept, but this was the call for the believer to maintain holiness.

Jesus changed this. In Matthew 15:10-11 (NIV), He said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” So, if what a person eats or doesn’t eat has no bearing on his holiness, then what does?

“What springs from a corrupt unregenerate heart—a perverse will and impure passions—these defile, i.e. make him a sinner,” wrote Bible commentator Adam Clarke.

You will be engaged in the process of minding your heart for the rest of your life as you are careful about what you watch and think. Jesus makes you holy, but even so, you are responsible for your thoughts and actions.

Prayer: Lord, my earnest desire is to be holy as You are holy. Empower me to mind my heart today and every day.

 

[B-A-C]

This is good. I agree with all you say here, but it's a bit of a sore subject for me right now.

There seems to be a great number of ..(hmm.. umm... false teachers) out there proclaiming with all their might.
You don't have to be Holy.
You don't have to be baptized.
You don't have to obey the commandments.
You don't have to have the Holy Spirit.
... but even if any of this is true, why would you make a point of making this the main message you are giving new Christians?
They don't want to be a Christian just so they can go on living like the did before. They are looking for something new, different, an escape from their past.

 

[Christ4Ever]

Dear Brother @B-A-C
A sure sign of the times when you the message to not only new Christians, but some who have been around do not include A Holy God, and One who tells us to also be Holy. Even though we may fall short at times during the process of becoming so. They should know that this is a process of moving forward, changing daily, and reaching out to a yet attained goal! Yet, if we at least are not reminded of this occasionally. We are too human by far, and forget too easily! Plus, if you don't teach it to the new believers. How will they know?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts brother.
With the Love of Christ Jesus.
YBIC
Nick
\o/
<><

 

[Jesus_is_LORD]

I love the topic of Holiness. Amen. Glory to God.

What is actually funny/interesting for me, is that we believe the lie of the enemy.

Maybe everyone can't say this, but for me I actually love walking in holiness. Honestly.
The devil would have you believe that sin is fun and you are missing out. Count me out.

I have no desire to be out there like the world, doing worldly things. This way, the narrow path
but me is much better. It is healthier for your body, your mind, your spirit.

Yea, the devil lies and often we believe that if we walk in Holiness we are missing out and it will be
miserable. For me the focus is on the love of Jesus, not what I'm losing but what I'm gaining. And when
you learn about how sin hurts people and grieves God, you get to a place where you embrace Holiness
like a breath of fresh air. Oh my goodness it is wonderful.