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In times gone by, the sound of holiness preached in the church of God has been like a melody sweetly resonating in the souls of God’s people. However, holiness is not a message of the past — it is a message for the present, a message that can continue to shine glowing rays of hope and joy into the dark billows of a sinful world.
Living a holy life is necessary for sustaining a relationship with Christ. Linking grace and salvation with the necessity to live holy, the Apostle Paul provides a challenge to abhor wrong doing and adore righteousness:
“For the grace of God that beings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:11-4, NIV).
One of the lessons we learn from Paul’s exhortation is that every Christian can live a holy life by making two commitments:
1) Making a commitment to say “no” to Sinful living.
2) Making a commitment to say “yes” to godly living.
COMMITMENT 1: SAY “NO” TO SINFUL LIVING. Paul urges the followers of Christ to say “no” to unglodliness and worldly passions. Paul was concerned with Christian character and we in the church today must also be concerned with Christian character. Say “no” to sinful living is central to being in right relationship with the Lord.
We must allow Christ to prune away the dormant branches in our lives, digging and uprooting the sinful behaviors that separate us from Him. We must not be deceived into thinking that unholy living is acceptable. Instead, we must be willing to identify sin and march against it, conquering sin within us. Salvation looses the chains of sin, liberating Christians from its bondage and delivering them from defeat.
The early Church of God pioneers enthusiastically sang “I am reigning, sweetly reigning, far above this world of strife; in my blessed, loving Savior I am reigning in this life.”8 The joy that abounded in their singing souls came from living holy lives that were free from sin. They had made a commitment to saying “no” to sinful living and were reaping the bountiful benefits of joy and peace in their lives.
As followers of Christ, we need to be vigilant to guard ourselves from the proliferation of sin and temptation that prowls around us, slyly invading the doors of the heart we neglectfully leave unlocked. There are many ways to guard yourself from lurking sin, such as refusing to view anything on television that Christ would not watch if He were sitting in your home. The morals and standards of Hollywood are far different from the morals and standards of God’s Children. Do not be afraid to turn off the television set and set an example in your household.
It is sad that many who profess Christ justify sinful behavior and do things that God hates. God hates sin and we are to hate sin, too. We must consciously raise the standard in our lives, homes and churches to be holy.
Choose to live a holy life by making a commitment to say “no” to sinful living.
COMMITMENT 2: SAY “YES” TO GODLY LIVING. While Paul tells Christians to forsake ungodliness and worldly passions, he urges the followers to Christ to say “yes” to godly living. He gives a short recipe for a life of holiness: be self-controlled, upright, and godly.
Self-control is a matter to which each Christian needs to pay particular attention. Christians can practice self-control by allowing God to take total control. Self-control is important not just in actions, but also in our conversations. It is important to be self-controlled when circumstances tempt us to talk unwholesomely or spread the latest gossip. It is important to listen to ourselves dialogue with friends and colleagues. Ask yourself the question, Do I participate in the same gossip people at work or school participate in? Allow Christ to have total reign in your life and you will attain total self-control.
In addition to being self-controlled, Paul encourages believers to be upright and godly. The Christ we praise in our speaking should be exemplified in our living.
In a society that glamorizes consumerism and normalizes immoral conduct, it takes effort for Christians to truly be “peculiar” living godly lives and boldly resisting worldliness. As Christians we should “be holy and without blame” (Eph 1:4b).
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