Holiness----What is it????

Major

Major

Supporter
In 1 Peter 1:16 we read,........
"You shall be holy, for I am holy."

What is holiness? How can we be holy?

The word translated "holiness" in the New Testament means to be "set apart."

How can we be set apart and perfect when the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that ..."All people have sinned and come short of the approval of God. We are all sinners and far from perfect. Our only option to be set apart is through the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus as Lord, He cleanses us from sin and makes us holy according to 1 John 1:7. Really smart people often refer to this concept as positional sanctification.

In addition to being "made" holy, we are called to live holy lives. 1 Peter 1:15 says...........
"As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct."

We are commanded to avoid the ways of sin that we practiced before becoming a Christian and live according to God's ways. That is a word we do not here much said about today and it is "Separation" and those really smart people I mentioned call it , "Progressive Sanctification".

Simply said, we are to try and live our lives now as children of God instead of what we did before we were saved which was to act like children of Satan.

I know how old fashioned this sounds to some but here is the bottom line......
1. We as Christians "must" stop cussing and using God's name in vain.
2. We as Christians "must" stop dressing with our underwear down to our knees.
3. We as Christians "must" stop wearing revealing swimwear and clothing.
4. We as Christians "must" stop putting stuff into our bodies such as tobacco and alcohol.
5. We as Christians can not read Playboy magazines on Saturday night and then go to church on Sunday morning.
6. We as Christians should have a desire to be active in a local church.
7. We as Christians "must" love of mates and families.

Now I could go on and on and on but I think you get the idea. IF.....IF. we are the born again believers in Jesus Christ and He has given us a New Life then we "Must" lives our lives "SEPERATED" from the world of sin............HOLY!

1 Corinthians 11:1 .............
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
 
Major said:
In 1 Peter 1:16 we read,........
"You shall be holy, for I am holy."

What is holiness? How can we be holy?

The word translated "holiness" in the New Testament means to be "set apart."

How can we be set apart and perfect when the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that ..."All people have sinned and come short of the approval of God. We are all sinners and far from perfect. Our only option to be set apart is through the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus as Lord, He cleanses us from sin and makes us holy according to 1 John 1:7. Really smart people often refer to this concept as positional sanctification.

In addition to being "made" holy, we are called to live holy lives. 1 Peter 1:15 says...........
"As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct."

We are commanded to avoid the ways of sin that we practiced before becoming a Christian and live according to God's ways. That is a word we do not here much said about today and it is "Separation" and those really smart people I mentioned call it , "Progressive Sanctification".

Simply said, we are to try and live our lives now as children of God instead of what we did before we were saved which was to act like children of Satan.

I know how old fashioned this sounds to some but here is the bottom line......
1. We as Christians "must" stop cussing and using God's name in vain.
2. We as Christians "must" stop dressing with our underwear down to our knees.
3. We as Christians "must" stop wearing revealing swimwear and clothing.
4. We as Christians "must" stop putting stuff into our bodies such as tobacco and alcohol.
5. We as Christians can not read Playboy magazines on Saturday night and then go to church on Sunday morning.
6. We as Christians should have a desire to be active in a local church.
7. We as Christians "must" love of mates and families.

Now I could go on and on and on but I think you get the idea. IF.....IF. we are the born again believers in Jesus Christ and He has given us a New Life then we "Must" lives our lives "SEPERATED" from the world of sin............HOLY!

1 Corinthians 11:1 .............
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Click to expand...
Couldn't say it better, although I am a work in progress in some of those areas.
 
Via dolarossa said:
Me too.
But if we don’t have to do anything to fix things then we just wait on God right?
Will he just take the desire to do all those things away like He took away my smoking?
Click to expand...

Wrong. Never forget that the Prince of the power of the air is Satan and most of the time, he has more to say to you than does God.
Consider how you are enticed/tempted every single day of your life to drink alcohol, smoke, watch R rated movies, dance with strangers and the list goes on and on.

God saves us from the coming judgment but WE are the ones that must say "NO".

It is up to "US" to correct or better said..."STOP" the sin that separates us from the love of God. It is also important that we understand that God sustains us “with a willing spirit.”

But, IF we all just sit and wait on God to give us the power and ability to say no......how long do you think that He will wait to do it for us????

Those examples I listed are not in and of them selves sin. What they do is to open the "Door" of opportunity so that we can sin. What we must do is to "Keep the Door Closed."

Do you remember what God asked Cain in Genesis 4:7..........
"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, SIN LIETH AT THE DOOR. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."

Cain opened the door and you know the rest of that story.
 
Last edited:
Major said:
In 1 Peter 1:16 we read,........
"You shall be holy, for I am holy." What is holiness? How can we be holy? The word translated "holiness" in the New Testament means to be "set apart." How can we be set apart and perfect when the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that ..."All people have sinned and come short of the approval of God. We are all sinners and far from perfect. Our only option to be set apart is through the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus as Lord, He cleanses us from sin and makes us holy according to 1 John 1:7. Really smart people often refer to this concept as positional sanctification.
We are commanded to avoid the ways of sin that we practiced before becoming a Christian and live according to God's ways. That is a word we do not here much said about today and it is "Separation" and those really smart people I mentioned call it , "Progressive Sanctification".
Simply said, we are to try and live our lives now as children of God instead of what we did before we were saved which was to act like children of Satan.
I know how old fashioned this sounds to some but here is the bottom line......
1. We as Christians "must" stop cussing and using God's name in vain.
2. We as Christians "must" stop dressing with our underwear down to our knees.
3. We as Christians "must" stop wearing revealing swimwear and clothing.
4. We as Christians "must" stop putting stuff into our bodies such as tobacco and alcohol.
5. We as Christians can not read Playboy magazines on Saturday night and then go to church on Sunday morning.
6. We as Christians should have a desire to be active in a local church.
7. We as Christians "must" love of mates and families.
Now I could go on and on and on but I think you get the idea. IF.....IF. we are the born again believers in Jesus Christ and He has given us a New Life then we "Must" lives our lives "SEPERATED" from the world of sin............HOLY!

1 Corinthians 11:1 .............
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Click to expand...

Via dolarossa said:
Me too.
But if we don’t have to do anything to fix things then we just wait on God right?
Will he just take the desire to do all those things away like He took away my smoking?
Click to expand...

Hello Major;

Thank you for sharing, Holiness----What is it???? As I was reading your thread it spoke to me, "this is a question Christians should ask ourselves and make it a part of our prayer each day before we serve and every night before we rest."

I feel when Via quit smoking she desires to better serve God, physically, and that is a sign of Holiness. She also asked a question that many of us ask God,
so how do we define Holiness and what is it?

First, don't limit God because of our limitations, and this is an encouragement. We are weak which is an opportunity for God to work in our lives and reveal His strength in us while equipping us with the tools to;

Pray more to God. I personally adore God. I didn't always and didn't give much thought about being Holy, but I chose to trust Him and slowly but surely, He filled (grew) me with the Holy Spirit and maturity. A lot of lessons were learned in my life but still, God came through!

Read the Bible. Some are avid readers and love reading large portions of the Scriptures. Some are not avid readers and can only read part of a chapter. God doesn't measure how much one can read, He searches our hearts of what we do read and here is the amazing part about God. He will help us increase our reading and comprehension abilities!

Ask for Wisdom. Each day before we set ourselves from the world and unto God, ask His guidance in EVERYTHING WE DO AND SAY, that will bring Him glory.

Admit when we are wrong or fall into sin with others or ourselves. The world's just is not really just because we can get away with being wrong or having our sin condoned. God's just is righteous, sovereign (in complete control) and Holy! There is no room for sin with God's Holiness! He also corrects our wrongs and makes them right for His glory.

These are just a few of the tools that God can empower us and there is no limitation in Holiness with God. So, how much Holiness do I exercise or apply daily? That's an answer of ongoing work between you and God.

Anna the Prophetess in Luke 2:36-37, 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. - ESV

Anna at an early age could have given up after her husband died and remained a virgin. But she chose God and He filled her with a separation (to God,) a positional position (we are saved from the penalty of sin) and progressive position (we continuously practice avoiding the temptation of sin).

Major, thank you for pointing out the sanctifications.

Whether we are new or seasoned disciples, are we striving for a more Holy life with God? The beautiful part is God loves us so much that all we have to do is ask Him and He will grow and mature us more unto Holiness with Him.

Just ask Him!









​

​

​

 
bobinfaith said:
Hello Major;

Thank you for sharing, Holiness----What is it???? As I was reading your thread it spoke to me, "this is a question Christians should ask ourselves and make it a part of our prayer each day before we serve and every night before we rest."

I feel when Via quit smoking she desires to better serve God, physically, and that is a sign of Holiness. She also asked a question that many of us ask God,
so how do we define Holiness and what is it?

First, don't limit God because of our limitations, and this is an encouragement. We are weak which is an opportunity for God to work in our lives and reveal His strength in us while equipping us with the tools to;

Pray more to God. I personally adore God. I didn't always and didn't give much thought about being Holy, but I chose to trust Him and slowly but surely, He filled (grew) me with the Holy Spirit and maturity. A lot of lessons were learned in my life but still, God came through!

Read the Bible. Some are avid readers and love reading large portions of the Scriptures. Some are not avid readers and can only read part of a chapter. God doesn't measure how much one can read, He searches our hearts of what we do read and here is the amazing part about God. He will help us increase our reading and comprehension abilities!

Ask for Wisdom. Each day before we set ourselves from the world and unto God, ask His guidance in EVERYTHING WE DO AND SAY, that will bring Him glory.

Admit when we are wrong or fall into sin with others or ourselves. The world's just is not really just because we can get away with being wrong or having our sin condoned. God's just is righteous, sovereign (in complete control) and Holy! There is no room for sin with God's Holiness! He also corrects our wrongs and makes them right for His glory.

These are just a few of the tools that God can empower us and there is no limitation in Holiness with God. So, how much Holiness do I exercise or apply daily? That's an answer of ongoing work between you and God.

Anna the Prophetess in Luke 2:36-37, 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. - ESV

Anna at an early age could have given up after her husband died and remained a virgin. But she chose God and He filled her with a separation (to God,) a positional position (we are saved from the penalty of sin) and progressive position (we continuously practice avoiding the temptation of sin).

Major, thank you for pointing out the sanctifications.

Whether we are new or seasoned disciples, are we striving for a more Holy life with God? The beautiful part is God loves us so much that all we have to do is ask Him and He will grow and mature us more unto Holiness with Him.

Just ask Him!









​

​

​

Click to expand...

Good stuff Bob!
 
Holiness must be learned. It is both a matter of knowing what is good and putting that knowledge into action.

Man lives by habit. Looking at life from a spiritual standpoint does not start as easy nor natural. As one prayerfully examines his own life in light of the scriptures, viewpoint becomes incorporated into personal attitudes.

Eventually feelings of being prevented from doing whatever one would wish becomes ever increasing joy in doing what pleases God. This happens because the Spirit has trained the committed believer to true want to please God.
 
Siloam said:
Holiness must be learned. It is both a matter of knowing what is good and putting that knowledge into action.

Man lives by habit. Looking at life from a spiritual standpoint does not start as easy nor natural. As one prayerfully examines his own life in light of the scriptures, viewpoint becomes incorporated into personal attitudes.

Eventually feelings of being prevented from doing whatever one would wish becomes ever increasing joy in doing what pleases God. This happens because the Spirit has trained the committed believer to true want to please God.
Click to expand...

Hello Siloam;

Well said, "Holiness must be learned."

God bless you and your family.
 
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