Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 – NLT
The Word of God, the Bible, calls followers of Jesus to pursue a life of holiness, which begins with the new birth and continues with sanctification, which is the process of becoming more like Jesus in this life; and concludes with the resurrection – with an immortal body and sinless perfection.
Holiness is not an option, but a command to put into practice in every area of our lives.
1 Peter 1:15,16 teaches us: But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
Just as we must be born again of the water and the Spirit [John 3:3-5] to be able to enter the Kingdom of God, so we are to pursue holiness in order to see the Lord. [Hebrew 12:14]
It is imperative for the born again believer to pursue holiness, which comes by daily yielding your will, to the direction of the Holy Spirit.
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Hebrews 12:2 – NLT
God is holy – it is his nature. He is absolute purity and moral perfection.
The New Birth will have no eternal value unless the born again believer continues to walk by faith and strive to live after their new nature of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1,2 – NLT
We are to think as God thinks, loving what God loves; hating what God hates and acting as Jesus would act.
The New Birth is our initial experience of salvation, but the work of salvation does not end there. We are called as followers of Jesus to a continued life of holiness.
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12b – NKJV
To pursue holiness we must separate ourselves from sin and the ways of the world, and dedicate our lives, and our will, to God and to his will.
Ephesians 4:22-24 teaches us to: throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. – NLT
I will end with this Scripture from 2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things,
and I will welcome you.
And I will be your Father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”
Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. – NLT
It’s time to pursue holiness, letting Jesus be formed in us.
