Holy Life
24 Jan, 2018 by Dan Baker Youth Resources.
Can a person really be expected to live a holy life in this world? When God said, “Be ye holy, for I am holy,” did He really mean for us to take Him literally? Surely, He knows it is possible! I mean, consider what the average Joe has to face each day: television and advertising assault him with sensuality and materialism; contemporary music glorifies lifestyles that are anything but holy; the people he works with urge him to loosen up and go with the flow. On and on it goes. And it isn’t any better for the average Mary—she faces all the above and more. So, in the midst of all this, we’re supposed to act like angels? Now I’m not saying we don’t want to, after all, we are Christians and we certainly do want to make Heaven when this life ends. But we get kind of concerned when we read in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews that without holiness, “no man shall see the Lord”. So, what’s the answer? And just what is holiness? Let’s settle one issue right away. God means exactly what He says. Now before you throw your hands in the air and walk off in hopeless frustration, listen to this: God is not a tyrant; He is not commanding something that He knows is impossible for us to do, nor is He unaware of what you and I face in this wicked world. Yet He still requires the true Christian to be holy.
So how do we reconcile our struggles with His requirements? First, let’s nail down the meaning of the word holy. The Webster’s Dictionary tells us that it means “… spiritually perfect or pure; untainted by evil or sin; sinless; saintly”. Whew! Sounds like a pretty tall order, doesn’t it? But let’s look at the Bible definition. We read in 2 Timothy 2:22 that we are to “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart”. Notice the last two words—“pure heart”. Throughout Scripture, we find the theme of God desiring a pure heart repeated over and over.
Remember when David’s brothers were paraded before the prophet Samuel? One fine specimen of manhood after another, yet God rejected them. Why? God told Samuel that “man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart”. Paul tells us that God sees all the thoughts and intents of our hearts. And we read in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that God is looking for that one who has a heart that is perfect toward Him.
Do you see where we’re heading? God is more concerned with the condition of our hearts than He is with our outward actions. So does that mean we can do anything we want and it’s all right with God? No, it means that if we prayerfully and carefully maintain the pure heart that God gives us when He sanctifies us, our actions will be pure in God’s eyes. He looks for pure motives and an earnest sincere desire to please Him. So even when our actions seem to fall short of our ideals for holiness, remember that God is looking on the heart.
If we have a desire to be holy planted in our hearts, we’ll avoid situations that might defile our hearts. How? For one thing, we need to say with the psalmist, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes”. Be extremely selective in what you look at and what you read. Then do the same thing with your ears. Don’t purposely listen to the things that could lead you downward. And make sure you keep your thoughts in line with Philippians 4:8!
Granted, there will always be things paraded before our eyes and forced into our ears that we have no control over. And Satan can flash thoughts across our minds. But we aren’t responsible for what we involuntarily face in life, only for how we respond to what we face. The Lord will give us strength if we are willing to turn to Him when we are in need. Did you catch the phrase if we are willing? Never underestimate the danger of a misdirected will. If we wilfully begin to lean towards something that is antagonistic to heart-holiness, we will frustrate God’s attempts to help us.
Yes, God demands holiness, but rejoice—it’s attainable for all who desire it and are willing to diligently seek it!
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