As Christians, we should be adherents of Christ, our Lord and Savior. Moreover, we are to carry out and preach The Great Commission to all humanity, whereby we are governed. Likewise, as verbalized in I Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;” (King James Version), we should live a conscientious life that is pleasing to God. Nevertheless, in order to have Holiness, we must be compliant to God’s commandments and attend to our conscience. However, our conscience begins with the heart and it is the heart which fuels our conscious to compel us to live our lives Holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1)
Holiness Defined
Moreover, the Bible tells us in I Thessalonians 4:7, “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (King James Version). According to Bible.org, (2013), “Holiness is to be distinct, to be separate, in a class by oneself. It is to be morally pure.” Likewise, holiness is living an upright and virtuous life and being idealized in God’s view. Furthermore, holiness is a way of life, living in God’s homogeneousness, in all that we do. It is a veracious representation of what Christ would verbalize or do.
What does the Bible say About Holiness?
The Devil wants us to attune ourselves to the World rather than that of a Godly lifestyle. He kens if we do not show ourselves as the light of the world, then there would be no reason for unbelievers to desire to follow Christ. However, the Bible inductively authorizes us to pattern ourselves after Christ in all that we do which is expounded upon in our “Call to be Holy,” in I Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore,...
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...tion with God. In other words, without God, it is impossible to be Holy. Moreover, the Bible tells us in I Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, be ye holy for I am holy” (Kings James Version). Therefore, in order to become Holy; we must abide in Christ and become a new creature as stated in (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because of this correlation, our mind (conscience), body and heart is transformed. We have become as babes in Christ Jesus our Lord. Consequently, giving us a clean heart whereby we can now be Holy (Psalms 51:10.
References:
Deffinbaugh, R. L. (2004). “The Holiness of God. “ Retrieved from: https://bible.org/seriespage/holiness-god
Elwell, W.A. (1996). Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books
Etzel, G. & Gutierrez, B. (2012). Praxis: Beyond Theory. Virginia Beach, VA: Academx Publishing Services, Inc.
Holiness is “the presence or character of God reflected especially in the quality of human beings’ moral and spiritual lives, while “sanctification”: is the process by which human being are made holy” (p. 79, Campbell and Burns). Wesley believed that there is an inward and outward holiness. Inward holiness is when the individual seek to reflect God’s love in their live. Outward holiness is reflection of God’s love as witness to other people. Holiness is the normal state of being that a person is trying to return to. Sanctification is the process in which a person seeks to obtain holiness. Holiness is a deep intense personal relationship with God’s love.
...between the ways of God and the ways of Satan. We cannot trust society, or others to tell us differently. Paul writes, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5). A Christians, we must dedicate our lives to obeying God and our way of life, our Christian ethical code. We must live our lives with great dignity and moral character.
In The Pursuit of Holiness the author, Jerry Bridges, shows the Christian what it looks like to be truly holy. Holiness is to live a life of conformity to God’s will. Holiness is a joint effort between God and his people, it is not something God just gives us when we accept him into our lives. Many times Christians neglect the responsibility we have of moving towards God and pursuing holiness. Holiness is not something that is fully attainable, it is a constant pursuit to be like God. Holiness is expected by God. Not only is it expected, it is a part of our birthright as Christians. God specifically calls us to holiness, “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44a). God is perfectly holy. Therefore, to be holy is to conform to the character of God, and not to this world. Since God is perfectly holy we can have confidence that when dealing with us he is just and perfect. Bridges explains that holiness is God’s greatest attribute. Since he is holy, that makes all his other attributes good, holy, and just. God, being all of these things, cannot hold us to a standard of any less than holiness.
The Apostle Paul rights about the conviction of the heart (Romans 2:15), when as Christians our perception of right and wrong is only justified by a common morality of other Christian believers. How instead we should live is in our justification of our savior, giving to him our body, sprite and mind and all he asks of it. By using the meaning of our life and our talents to influence those with the naturalistic and pantheism beliefs, shows our God is the creator and alive (Hebrews 11:32-40).
One of the main themes in Chapter Fourteen is that of morality. Cari Barney defined morality as “conformity to the rules of right conduct” (lecture). Man is “a moral being” obligated “to act according to moral principles” (McDonald, 2007, p. 165). Deep down within man’s conscience, there is the sense of knowing right from wrong and knowing God’s requirements (Romans 2:14-15). This awareness should cause all humans to strive to adhere to what God requires of us. The moral consciousness of man is within the heart (Proverbs 4:23). McDonald (2007) stated, “So man is in himself a moral being with moral obligations and responsibilities (p. 165). Man’s lifestyle should resemble biblical principles that have been instructed by God.
Kiniry, Malcolm, and Mike Rose, eds. Critical Strategies, 3rd Ed. Boston, MA: St. Martin’s, 1998. Print.
Romans 3:9, “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.” The Jews have God’s law and think they’re righteous, however, they are actually breaking it in many ways (Hindson & Towns). In Romans 3:28-30 it is written that man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Today, Christians face the cultural challenges, which involve the laws and morals within their society. An important element for a faithful Christian is the daily practice of sanctification. Sanctification, the impartation of God’s righteousness and through the believer conform him progressively to the image of Jesus Christ (Hindson & Towns) impacts the believer in Christ from a cultural perspective. The believers Holy Spirit must be nourished daily through their faith in Jesus Christ in the world of sin that we live. I know that I have to filter through all that I am exposed with in my culture. I have to make important decisions that fall in line with my beliefs. It is especially challenging with the ever changing secular movement which degrades and drifts away from our Christian values and
In the defense speech given by Socrates at the beginning of his trial, he hints at a definition of holiness. “..I live in great poverty because of my service to the god” (23C). Piety, according to Socrates, is defined by one who sacrifices his own necessities and luxuries in order to better service the gods; it is the willingness of one to please the god by way of a disservice to himself; a general forfeit of life-excesses as well as life requirements.
“The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges focuses primarily on God’s holiness and how all of God’s children should live their lives always making an effort to be holy. Bridges states that everyone is called to be holy. It is important for Christians to pursue holiness. Similarly, God does not force anyone to be holy. It is up to each individual to decide for themselves to follow God and be holy.
“First, there is the call to be a Christian. Second, for each individual there is a specific call—a defining purpose or mission, a reason for being. Every individual is called of God to respond through service in the world. Third, there is the call that we face each day in response to the multiple demands on our lives—our immediate duties and responsibilities” (Smith, ...
You gave an impressive statement about “what role does morality play in the church and society today?” stating that the “Christian community does not only mean that we are followers of moral standards, but we are also preachers of His Word.” Doing and preaching God’s word is so vital to our society. Preaching and teaching God’s Word has a way to expose the truth because moral standards cannot just stand alone to polished our society. When moral ethics stand alone, it tends to have a way of not lasting. The Word of God clearly expresses that you cannot be a just hearer of the word but be doers. Being a doer of the Word of God has a way of exemplifying in what it preaches, or what it is saying, in other words, to make it a reality. Since the
The doctrine of the church is ecclesiology, which comes from the greek word church - human beings who are like Christ. This doctrine is a doctrine for the universal church. We sometimes enter a singular way of talking about our culture when the bible speaks in plurality. Ecclesiology gives us the basis of our belief and marks of the church which gives us clarity of what it means to be “one holy catholic and apostolic.” The church bears four marks: Unity, Holiness, Catholicity, and Apostolicity. These four marks are the truth about the church. We must act in Unity because the church is one, 1 Corinthians 12:12 say “Just as the body is one and as many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” The Holiness is a inheritance given to us by Christ. However we can not achieve that alone. As we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, He actualizes that for us. Catholicity is the universality and wholeness the church, making room for people to enter the body of Christ. Lastly is apostolicity which is about the authority and truth, and the authority of the apostles is in their eyewitness testimony of Jesus (2 Peter 1:16). The church teaches about the apostles truth that is true to the gospel of Jesus
“Christian Ethics is fundamentally a matter of participating in the unfolding drama of God’s creative and redemptive purposes for the world. Put otherwise, it is a matter of dwelling within the biblical story and of having one’s life shaped and formed by the love, the judgement, and the mercy of God” .
Our main goal is to present everyone fully mature in Christ. (Col. 1:28) we warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Th. 5:14-15) We pray for them (Jam. 5:13-16) and help them to recognize and repent for their sins. (Matt.
One can not grow into holiness, but he can only grow in it. Holiness consists of taking out the old and adding the new. “It will take a second work of grace, preceded by a whole-hearted consecration and as definite an act of faith as that which preceded [ones] conversion.”1