“Therefore,
with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be
brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient
children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is
written: “Be holy, because I am holy *.” 1 Peter 1:13-16
Christians live by a different standard
than the world. It’s a standard that spells out morality and honest, ethical
behavior. It’s easy to see that the world lives by its own individual
standards. In some cases a different one for each person. This is not what God intended. Living for yourself is an empty
existence. Following the standards of
the Lord is not only freeing, but also rewarding. God knows what is good for us. We only think
we know.
The world is ever changing; God never
changes. His existence is eternal. The
world places their collective hope in temporal things that will not last
forever. It is thought that God is an Almighty killjoy that wishes to make us
all into spiritual robots. Nothing could
be further from the truth. We can literally
do anything we want to do, anything at all.
It’s only fair to follow up that statement with the following: Not all things are beneficial or
helpful. In Paul’s 1st letter
to the Corinthian church, he says,
"I
have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial.
"I have the right to do anything"--but not everything is
constructive. (1
Corinthians 10:23)
It is not the will of God that we live as we
choose. A virtuous life is pleasing to God, a life that glorifies Him and not you. Being holy is living a moral or virtuous life in all you think, say and
do. Just as sanctification is both instantaneous and progressive, so is being
holy and moral. When you receive Christ, not only are your sins forgiven, but you
are also seen as sanctified and holy in God’s sight at that very moment. Your
actual sanctification is acquired progressively as you live your life for Him. We must not make His grace a
cheap thing by accepting the reality of this and yet live as we choose. We are
in covenant with our God. Our desires should being changing; from pleasing
ourselves to pleasing our God. While we will never achieve perfection this side
of heaven, this is not a license to live as we choose. We are to seek perfection and in so doing seek to live
a life that is more like Christ each day.
* HOLY à MORAL à
VIRTUOUS (def) - concerned with principles of right and
wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those
principles. (The American Heritage Dictionary)
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