Holiness in a Carnal World

In the Bible, book of Leviticus, Chapter 19:1-2, NKJV - And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.'

That also says to me, as it should to all other Christians, 'You shall be holy,....' Sounds simple enough, right? But what constitutes holiness? What do we have to do, or not do to reach that desired plane? The book of Leviticus is probably the most insightful book about the subject of holiness, and what it means to be holy.

Not everyone agrees on what constitutes holiness. Below are a few different explanations of what holiness is:

To be holy is to be morally blameless. It is to be separated from sin and therefore, consecrated to God. To live a holy life, then, is to live a life in conformity to the moral precepts of the Bible and in contrast to the sinful ways of the world. It is to live a life characterized by the (putting off) of your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires...and (putting on) the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22, 24).

by: Jerry Bridges

To be holy is to be wholly satisfied with Christ. Above all, it is to reflect the beauty and the splendor of our holy Lord in this dark world. In pursuing holiness, you will fulfill and experience all that God had in mind when He created you.

by: Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Then there are some who say they do not believe the law should be part of the path to holiness. It is debated between some that the gospel method of justification does not set aside the moral law. Others believe that God's law is set aside when the gospel method of justification and sanctification is employed.

Jesus Christ adopted the very words of the moral law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself."

Another slant on this debate says, "by the gospel plan, the sanctions of the gospel are added to the sanctions of the law, to enforce obedience to the law." According to this, we need both the law and the gospel. The gospel maintains that the law is right.

My personal view about this is that if one is making an important decision; for an example, if you are considering going to another place to buy and sell and possibly make a profit, and ask yourself, "What's wrong with planning? What's wrong with traveling? What's wrong with buying and selling? What's wrong with getting rich?" I say, you left out the most important entity. You are doing this without God. He should be a part of any venture you plan to undertake. Find out if it is God's will for you to do this. Have a talk with Him, and do not rely on your own knowledge and wisdom. If you, as a Christian, decide to make a major decision without God, you have become worldly. Worldliness in Scripture means carnal ideas, carnal attractions, and carnal ambitions (1 John 2:13-17). We are living at a time when we watch television, listen to the press and even some pastors that we feel out of it - unless we are 'with it' in the world.

The main thing we need to practice in order to be holy is to read the Bible and abide with God's teachings.

Also, we need to commune with God each day, and most importantly - we need to listen - we may hear His comment.

Sources:

Leviticus 19: 1-2, NKJV

Ephesians 4: 22-24, NKJV

1John 2:13-17, NKJV

http://www.stopsinning.net/Sanctification_F.htm

http://thegracetabernacle.org/quotes/Holiness-Defined.htm

Olford, Stephen F., "The Way of Holiness," Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 1998, p. 23.