Being Holy

No one disputes that. Lightening the mood on the topic by no means belittles that point.

Believers who strive for practical holiness are going to fall as many times, if not more often, than unbelievers. The difference is that the believer will endeavor to get up again. But we in our rush to judgement of our brethren often point to the nuber of falls, and ignore the times the person gets up.

 

Galatians 6:7-9
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Can not a believer grow weary in well doing, and faint?

 

It makes you healty, indeed, which can contribute to holiness, but no, in and of itself, it does not make you holy.

How much time have you got for this one?

In short, I believe being holy means that, knowing you will fall in life, you prepare yourself to get up and stay up. Holy people are not seen by how often they avoid a fall, they're seen by how often and how well they get back up again. I liken it to grabbing the plowshears, pushing forward, and refusing to look back.

 

Being holy is doing that which you were created to do.

You were created to glorify God.

We glorify God by obeying his commands and following his direction for our lives.

But we must remember the distinction between positinal and practical sanctification here.

In the sense of our salvation, we are declared holy from the momment we believe on Christ and are saved.

This is the holiness that without it no one will see God.

But our practical holiness, or as Paul calls it the putting on and the putting off kind of holiness, is what our reward and blessing is based upon.

God will bless us when we follow him, and he will discipline us when we stray as his children. He will remove and grant reward based on our progressive walk with him.

IFBReformer