Called To Holiness

“The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!” Psalm‬ ‭99‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Reflection: why does God call His children to be holy? 

While traveling on a business trip years ago, a colleague told me that he decided to leave the Christian faith because of the enormous hypocrisy he saw in the church. He told me that the faith they proclaimed didn’t seem to mean anything to them. He saw people who went to church on Sunday, asking God for forgiveness for their sins, then go right back Monday morning to continue living a very worldly life. And the cycle continued, week after week. This was not only a difficult conversation as I had no excuses for their behavior, but his deep disappointment in so-called Christians, causing him to leave the faith, really impacted me. Because, he had a very important point. The faith is demonstrated in conduct. In action, which the Bible calls “fruit”. And God hates hypocrisy, as Jesus demonstrated clearly. 

Peter, who we all know was no saint in the beginning of his life, wrote “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”” 1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬. Was he too a hypocrite? The short answer is of course no. We know that Peter made some big mistakes in the beginning of his walk with Jesus. But he became a giant within the Christian movement.  Now, Peter’s call is not just for Christians to “try to do better”. No. He called for God’s children to 

“be holy in all your conduct”

There are many who make the argument that, as a new creation in Christ, we are already holy in Him. While that is true, why does God call us to “be holy”, and specifically “be holy in all our conduct”? Paul wrote to the Romans “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬. As a new creation in Christ, we have been given the Spirit of Christ. We have in a way two “beings” to contend with, the flesh and the Spirit, which are at war with each other. The decision we make is which one we favor. 

Paul explains “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Our Father is holy. And we read about His awesomeness in psalm 99, and for those He has called, He has called to be holy. “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬. Now, this can easily be confused with “works” or “religion” as we all know, and have seen throughout history. That is not at all what God is calling us to. As a new creation in Christ, we have been set free from the bondage to the law of sin and death. We have tasted what life is, what truth is, what we were created for, as the Spirit is revealing to us. It is so much better, which is why David writes “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” Psalm‬ ‭42‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬. It is only in Him we find life. 

We are not to judge others, but we can observe the fruit of the Spirit. If there is no fruit, like my colleague experienced, there is no life. So, if you have received Christ, let the Spirit lead you and change you. To become more and more like our Father each day, holy in all our conduct.