Holy Christian Living

By Pastor William Cunningham
Pursuing the Truth Ministries
© 2005 All rights reserved

INTRODUCTION

If Martians were to land on planet earth and analyze your life for a period of time, would they get an idea of what Christianity is and how it affects a person? There are many people who claim to be Christian and yet their lifestyles are far removed from what a true Christian’s lifestyle should be. People think that going to church makes one a Christian. People think that they are a Christian because the responded to an altar call and yet they live the same lives as they did before with no change whatsoever, not even in the heart or mind.

Many have no idea of what Christianity is and yet they still call themselves, “Christian.” One thing that a Christian should have is holiness. A Christian’s life should demonstrate an increasing level of holiness. I say increasing because true Christians grow in the faith and each day they grow closer and closet to the image of Jesus Christ.

A true Christian is remorseful about his or her sins. They don’t look for a way to continue in sin through situational justification. Instead they look for ways to live a holy life, which is acceptable to God. A true Christian tries his or her best to know God more and more. A true Christians does his or her best to abide by the teachings and Spirit of Jesus Christ. A true Christian is connected to the Father through Jesus Christ and the Spirit of the Lord is evident in his or her life.

We are missing the concept of holy living in many churches today. We are so engrossed in prosperous living and good health that we do not consider the importance of holiness and being joined to Christ (Matthew 11:28-30). It is good to be prosperous and it is surely good to be healthy, but we should not let these supersede the fact that we must be holy whether rich or poor, healthy or sick.

Scripture Lesson

Let’s begin our discussion by referring to a few scriptures.

• (Leviticus 11:44-45) -- {44}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. {45}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 20:7) -- {7}Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.
• (Leviticus 20:26) -- {26}And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
• (Matthew 5:48) -- {48}Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
• (2 Corinthians 6:14-16) -- {14}Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? {15}And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? {16}And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
• (2 Corinthians 7:1) -- {1}Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Our topical scripture, which links God’s expectation of the Israelite people and the people of God now (Christians), is given next.

(1 Peter 1:15-16) -- {15}but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, {16}because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Peter makes the point here that because God is holy we should be holy in our conduct (lifestyle). He quotes the saying in the Hebrew Scriptures (our Old Testament) that we should be holy because God is holy.

This follows since we are made in the image of God and especially as Christians we should be representatives of God and His Kingdom.

(2 Corinthians 5:20) -- {20}Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

If Martians were to land on earth (and we know that there are no Martians) and examine your life, would they see a person living holy and thus a true representative of God the Father and His Kingdom?

I think it is expedient that we define holiness (to be holy) before we move further in this discussion.

Holy

The Nelsons Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines holy as: moral and ethical wholeness or perfection; freedom from moral evil. Holiness is one of the essential elements of God’s nature required of His people. Holiness may also be rendered “sanctification” or “godliness.” The Hebrew word for holy denotes that which is “sanctified” or “set apart” for divine service.

Holiness is a characteristic of God. No one is holy like the Lord (Ex. 15:11; 1 Sam 2:2; Rev. 15:4), however God calls us to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Holiness for humans is not perfect, but involves consecration and sanctification. Let’s define these terms.

• Consecration: The act of setting apart, or dedicating, something or someone for God’s use. So to consecrate is to reserve something for God’s use. This includes our very life.
• Sanctification: The process of God’s grace by which the believer is separated from sin and becomes dedicated to God’s righteousness. Sanctification results in holiness or purification from the guilt and power of sin. We note here that sanctification is a process that lasts one’s entire life (Hebrews 10:14). This holiness is not fully obtained until after death (Hebrews 12:23).
• Morals: Of or concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human action and character (The American Heritage Dictionary). Morals may be thought of as the standard and conformity to such standard of what is right or wrong. We can see here how important the Way of God is in regards to human conduct. We humans will tend to define our own morals as we go forth with a sinful life.

Consider the following scripture.

(1 Thessalonians 4:3-5) -- {3}For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; {4}that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, {5}not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

We have to conduct ourselves in the way of holiness (sanctification). We do have a degree of control on what we do. However, many have become lascivious in their activities and apathetic towards the will and way of God.

Consider also the following scripture.

(Matthew 7:13-14) -- {13}“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. {14}Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Living a holy life means that we have to live a certain way. We have to live the narrow (confined and defined) way. Living a Christian life means that we must conduct ourselves in a way that is consistent with the Kingdom of God. One cannot claim to be a Christian and at the same time live his or her own life. Consider the following scripture.

(James 1:22-25) -- {22}But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. {23}For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; {24}for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. {25}But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

(Matthew 7:21-27) -- {21}“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. {22}Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ {23}And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ {24}“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: {25}and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. {26}“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: {27}and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

The point here is that the Kingdom of God should be evident in your lifestyle. However, I should point out that this is not mere activity, which could very well be a mere façade. This lifestyle comes from the heart. In other words, one lives a Christian life because one is a Christian and not because one wants to be or wants to look like one. One lives a holy life because of the Holy Spirit within.

Relationship

One cannot live a holy life without a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Christians are those who have been born again. Christians have the Holy Spirit abiding within. Christians are new creations in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). True Christians have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Are you a Christian? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that has given you the forgiveness of your sin? Do you believe that Jesus is indeed the son of God? Do you accept Jesus Christ as Lord?

(Romans 10:9-10) -- {9}that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. {10}For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

So we must have a relationship with the Father in order to live a Christian life. We do not have the power within ourselves to be holy.

Sanctification

We said earlier that sanctification is basically the process of being holy. Holiness is not something that simply overtakes us and takes a hold of us. We have to be determined that we will be holy. There is a disposition of a real Christian for a holy life. A true Christian strives to be holy by nature of the Spirit that lives within. A true Christians begins the journey towards holiness the moment he or she becomes saved. Actually, the trip to sanctification began prior to being born again. There is the seeking process that we should consider as well. Jesus said seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7).

Understand that holiness is a process throughout a Christian’s life. However, Christians strive for this. It is not something that just happens. This is what separates true Christians from those merely professing to be a Christian. True Christians are always seeking God and professed Christians are always saving themselves (through religious rites, self-righteous acts, and the like).

This sanctification process involves much prayer and watchfulness. It also involves relationship and things pertaining as we described previously. A Christian is consistently praying for direction and for help living in the flesh and dealing with the war that goes on within us. However, we still strive to please God and therefore live a holy life. We are watchful for the traps that would take us away from God’s way and destroy us.

Conclusion

Christians are to be holy because God the Father is holy. Christians have the Holy Spirit abiding within and because of that we have a “natural” desire or new disposition for the things and way of God. Therefore, a true Christian is always in the process of holiness. We pray for strength and direction. We study the Bible so that we would know the Way of God and stand against the schemes of the devil.

(Ephesians 6:11-13) -- {11}Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. {12}For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. {13}Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Be holy as God your heavenly Father is holy. Be sanctified and be holy. Amen.