Attaining a Holy Lifestyle, Part 1

The Christian Lifestyle - Attaining a Holy Lifestyle - Part 1 "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" Holy behavior is required of God's people. This is His command. We are to live set apart for His service, separated from all sin. But how do we live such a holy life? Let us take a quick survey of Romans 7 and 8. I will not read all of it, but you can starting in Romans 7:14 and continuing through 8:14. Paul may be speaking of himself in the past or of people in general when he says, "I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin." We want to see ourselves as free, but we tend to be slaves. We all fail, both in not doing good and in doing evil. Paul continues, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." We all fail because of the flesh, our inborn sinful nature inherited from Adam. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature." As a result, all self-powered efforts toward holiness are doomed. When I try to be holy, war breaks out within me. As long as I rely on me, the good in me will eventually lose. Chained to death, I need someone to deliver me. Paul puts it, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! Jesus gives us justification, declaring us not guilty of sin, and positional sanctification, making us holy in our standing before God. The Holy Spirit then enables progressive sanctification, growth in Christlikeness and holy living. The law and any other rules are powerless to control our flesh, but Jesus has overcome the flesh. The indwelling Spirit now enables us to live by God's standards. But we must choose between two ways of living. Most people allow the flesh to have its way. The result is hostility to God and failure to submit to Him. Those living by the flesh cannot please God. The consequence is death, spiritual death including emptiness and meaninglessness. The only alternative is to live according to the Spirit by faith in Jesus. His control brings life and peace. He dwells in all true believers bringing resurrection life. But for Christians in this life, there is an ongoing battle. Paul wrote to the Galatians, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law." As long as we have natural life, the sinful nature or flesh remains. As soon as we put faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit indwells us. The two cannot peacefully coexist. There is a battle within us. According to Paul in Romans 8, we have an obligation to take sides in this war. We have a responsibility in living a holy life. We must reject our flesh and put to death its misdeeds. We must choose to follow the Holy Spirit in all things. The Spirit enables us, but just what is our part? How do we cooperate with God? Let me share three things. First, we must let God receive all the glory. Salvation is an unearned gift from God. All of His gifts are of grace, unearned and undeserved by us. While some people are concerned that any cooperation from us will take the glory from God, God has chosen to make us responsible beings with free will. Therefore, He expects us to choose to do whatever He requires us to do. But the results come from His power at work in us. All the glory belongs to God! Do not claim credit. Second, God provides all we need to be victorious. In his second letter, Peter writes, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." He has given us everything we need to be like Him in holiness. What are these gifts? They surely include four things. First, He gives His word with practical examples, Jesus being the ultimate model, along with instruction on what we are to do and how to do it, encouragement, and correction. Second, He grants us the privilege of prayer, freedom to ask for help and direction, opportunity to confess any sin and receive forgiveness, and a way to build our faith through praise, worship, and prayer in the Spirit. Third, He gives His Holy Spirit in two distinct ways: to dwell in us making Jesus real to us and enabling holy living and to fill us to empower us for service as witnesses for Jesus. And finally, He provides fellowship with His church where we encourage one another, correct and instruct each other, and receive accountability and tangible love. My third and final point involves our responsibility to apply God's gifts. Peter went on to write, "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall." The responsibility here is ours. We must make every effort to add these qualities to ourselves. If we are progressing in them, we will be effective and productive in serving Jesus. When there is no progress, we are the ones at fault. God has given us gifts, but we must receive His gifts and apply them. If you do, God will see to it that you never fall. Applying God's gifts yields growth. So, we must read, study, meditate on, and live by His word. We must maintain an active and balanced prayer life. We must seek and follow the Holy Spirit and be filled with Him continually, for He is the One who will enable us to do all this. And we must not only attend church but get involved and share intimate fellowship. No one can meet God's standard of holiness through their own strength and power, but that does not relieve us of all responsibility. Through His Holy Spirit, God gives us everything we need to live in godliness, holiness, and victory. But God's great gifts will do us no good unless we receive them and apply them. Let us surrender our lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and rely on His Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Let us use the Bible, prayer, and the church as His gifts to grow more and more like Jesus in true holiness. But the choice is yours. Are you ready to grow spiritually?