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)

Though we have many professing Christians out there today who show no difference from the world, the call to holiness is one that a true Christian is to abide by. To be holy means to be like God in terms of doing what is right and being blameless and it also means to be separated from the ways of the world. Is this true in our lives today or have we fooled ourselves into thinking that we are acceptable to God because there was one day when we confessed Christ? But do we our lives confess now? Do they confess that we really are followers of Christ or do they confess that we continue to embrace everything opposed to Christ?

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
(Colossians 1:21-23 - ESV)

Indeed Jesus delivers us from our sins and presents us holy before God because of the forgiveness of sins that we experience through Him. But this forgiveness is for sins past. That means if we are sinning NOW, we must repent of our sins NOW.  Nowhere in the Bible is it taught that when we come to Christ, our sins are forgiven past, present and future. Nowhere in the Bible is it taught that when we sin after we repent and believe in Jesus that God doesn’t see our sin but just sees Jesus. People are trying to fool us and get us to think that as Christians, we are supposed to sin left and right this side of heaven.  But if this is true, it nullifies a great portion of the Bible and makes all the warnings that we’re given in the Bible to be righteous and blameless to be wasted ink.

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

“And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins. Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.
(Ezekiel 33:12-13 - ESV)

This is truth for today as well brothers and sisters. Some things from the Old Testament do carry over to the New Covenant in Jesus Christ and this is one of those things. We can at one point come to Christ and then through being unholy (sinning and doing evil), we can get to a place where our conscience has been seared and fall away from the faith. And if we’re sinning now, we’re already well on our way. But the good news is that if you hear God’s voice within your heart telling you to repent, you indeed can return to Him.

Holiness is a huge thing when it comes to God. We see the word “holy” not only ascribed to God but also to His name, His works, His temple, His people and the land He gives His people. He has perfect holiness because He always does what is right and is always about what is right. And He calls us to be like Him.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
(Exodus 19:5-6 - ESV)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
(1 Peter 2:9 - ESV)

God’s people are to be a holy nation. To be holy also means to belong to God. Do we operate our lives in such a way that we live as though we’re not our own but we belong to God? When a person belongs to someone else, they are responsible and accountable to that person who possesses them. We are accountable to God for everything we say, think and do. And as HIS people, we are to carry out what He desires. One of the things He desires from us is holiness.

You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
(Leviticus 20:26 - ESV)

The fact that many professing Christians have an identity crisis has hurt the witness of Jesus Christ in many ways. Earlier in this article, I stated that to be holy means to be separated from the ways of the world. Can a Christian be no different than the world and please God? No. Can a Christian be no different than the world and still attract people to Jesus? No.

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
(Hebrews 12:14 - ESV)

Indeed love is one of those things that may attract people to Christ but holiness in believers is another important one. Holiness shows the world that we are different and that Jesus Christ is the better way. With many professing Christians committing every sin comparable to the world, is it any wonder that Jesus Christ has become a stench in the nostrils of people who could possibly repent and believe?  What a difference it would make if professing Christians did not lie, did not fornicate, did not steal, did not hate, did not try to serve God and money, did not slander, did not get caught up in pointless debates, did not divorce for unblblical reasons, did not support homosexuality, etc.

While we can prevent others from seeing the Lord through our lack of holiness, we can also prevent ourselves from seeing the Lord as well. Let’s be cautious in how we live and how we conduct ourselves as believers because it does make a difference.

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.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
(Romans 8:5-10 -ESV)

The Spirit of God  and the Spirit of Christ is also the “Holy” Spirit. And one of the missions of the Holy Spirit is to make us holy. This isn’t something we can do on our own but we can only do it with God’s help. Will we allow God through His Holy Spirit to clean our lives up and conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ? Or will we fight God at every turn because we more prefer the things of the flesh rather than Him? As in many things, the choice is ours.

Holiness is a standard that God has given us by which we MUST live out as believers. If you’re finding that we are falling short of that standard, repent and return to the Lord and allow Him to do His work in you. Allow Him to give you a new heart that will cause you to yield to Him so He can work His holiness in you.

We can live out holiness if we really desire to. And we must live out holiness in order to be true Christians. Ignore the people who have a defeatist attitude and say that we have to continue to be in bondage to sin all of our lives. This isn’t true. The truth is that we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus and through Christ, we can conquer this flesh and be holy.