Holiness

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1

Now , this is a great subject in the religions of the world. What exactly does it mean in the light of the gospel? Let's explore!! 

God is the creator of the world and we can't know anything unless He tells us. Thank God that He has revealed all things to us by His word and His Spirit. Many people , when they hear holiness; what comes in their mind is "not doing wrong" and the human effort to live right. Yes , religions do that because there is no life in their believing. In Christianity, it's a different story. 

In the Old Testament , vessels which were used in the temple were called holy or concentrated vessels. The reason they were called Holy was because they lived in the presence of God. There was no way they could be holy by themselves. The doctrine of holiness hasn't changed since then , IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MAN'S ACTIONS BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 

“Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] risen from the dead, [as the prophesied King] descended from David, according to the good news (the Gospel) that I preach. ” 2 Timothy 2:8

Wow , this is amazingly instructive from the Apostle. Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ as risen from the dead!! When Jesus rose from the dead , the bible says those of us who believe rose up with Him to a new life. (Colossians 2:5). 

Scripture shows us that this new person that we are has been created after God (with God as the model) in righteousness and true holiness.(Ephesians 4:24). It doesn't have to become holy , it's created in true holiness. The words in this scripture were carefully selected by God's Spirit - He calls it "true holiness" meaning there is "false holiness". This "false holiness" is what many advocate which is based on human effort to try to accomplish something only God can do. 

Christianity is not about "not doing wrong" , it's about living the right life that has been given to us. Ephesians 2:10 says we are God's own handiwork , recreated in Christ for GOOD WORKS!! How I love this picture of the new you. When we believed in Jesus, we were blessed with God's presence thus making us holy.

Understanding that we have already been made holy , created for good works , blessed with His presence ; now He tells us to present our bodies for the Master's use. Giving our bodies as instruments of righteousness ; letting our lips be heaven's mouthpiece, our hands the pipeline of heaven's blessings , everything about us becomes a blessing to all those who are around us. I call it LIVING GOD'S DREAM FOR YOU. This is our true worship. 

“And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

Summary : 

1. Understand that you're risen with Christ ; you have a new life. 

2. Understand that you are holy because God's presence lives in you. 

3. Live this good life in you. 

4. Be involved in what God is doing in your local church , university or city. Be all out for Jesus. 

Remember: You are loved by God.