Leviticus 11:44-45
"For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."
The command to be holy that the Lord gave to the Israelite nation is the same command that He gave to the first century Christians through His apostles and to those of us today who are born from above.
1 Peter 1:13-16
"Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy."
Holy is not something you try to be, holy is what a true believer of Christ Jesus will BECOME as the HOLY Spirit of God works on the inside of man, to purify the heart, renew the mind and transform the inner man (soul & spirit) into the image of the Son of God.
We don't hear too much preaching on holiness today, why is that?
When we read the epistles that the apostles wrote to the first century saints, we see a big emphasis on sanctification (which means to be made holy), maturity, and perfection (which means complete). Many believers today don't fully understand the process of sanctification and how our fleshly bodies can still contain demonic strongholds, evil spirits, spots and blemishes, after being born from above, and these evil things must be broken, cast out, cleansed and healed in order to walk as a holy man or woman of God!
Is it possible to be completely sanctified, blameless, and free from all defilement of the flesh, soul, and spirit while we are on this earth? The scriptures tell us so!
Ephesians 5:25-27
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
May we all strive to be like the Son of Man, who was God manifested in the flesh, and sanctified by the Father and had nothing of Satan in Him, let us fight the good fight of faith and press on for maturity in Christ and the fullness of God!
In Jesus,
Tyrone
