How can I live a holy life?

Answer

In order to address the question of how to live a holy life, we must first understand what holy means. To be holy means to be set apart or separate from sin and evil. God is holy—completely separate from everything that is evil “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”, (1 John 1:5). God calls us to be holy, just as He is “because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”, (1 Peter 1:16, quoting Leviticus 19:2), but it’s vital to understand that apart from God this is impossible. We must have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and filling us with His holiness. We can only live a holy life through the power of the Spirit; thus, the first step to living a holy life is to accept Jesus as Savior “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”, (Ephesians 1:13).

Once we have taken that step of salvation, we are declared righteous “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”, (Romans 5:1). But what does it look like to be actually righteous—to live a holy life? In 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8, Paul emphasizes sexual purity as part of holy living: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know.

God” (verses 3–5).

Beyond avoiding sexual immorality and keeping sex within God’s design for marriage, we can live a holy life by being obedient to God in all areas of life (1 Peter 1:14-16). Knowing and obeying God’s Word is crucial «Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. », (John 17:17). Memorizing God’s Word in our hearts prevents us from sinning «Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee. », (Psalm 119:11). When we obey God, we are distancing ourselves from evil. We are presenting our bodies as “living sacrifices” to God (Romans 12:1-2). The purpose of leading a holy life is to glorify God and reflect His character to those around us «Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. », (Matthew 5:16). Living a holy life of obedience to God is experiencing true freedom from the enslavement of sin «knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. », (Romans 6:6).

Choosing obedience to God is not always easy, especially if we attempt to do it alone. Satan would delight in leading us back into bondage through disobedience. However, we have the assurance, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” «Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he thatIt is in the world.” (1 John 4:4). The Holy Spirit will produce Christlikeness in us, and, as we yield to Him, we can live a holy life “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16).

Here is the mindset we should have: “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:11). Any time we face temptation, we should say, “I’m dead to that! That was part of my old life! I am a new creation in Christ!” “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). To live a holy life, to separate ourselves from sin, we must see ourselves as God does—as born-again children of the Most High, clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

We also have the benefit of being part of the Body of Christ. Fellowship with other Christians and making ourselves accountable to them is a great source of strength in living a holy life. As Christians, we are called to encourage one another in this matter (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Remember, we are not trying to live a holy life in order to earn salvation; living a holy life is a natural outgrowth of being saved by God’s grace and filled with His Spirit. It is also important to not give up when we mess up. When we fail, our response should be to confess the sin and keep moving forward in our Christian walk “If we confess our sins, he is faithful andJust to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). Romans 8:1 states, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” God’s grace doesn’t disappear when we make mistakes.

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