Holiness is a way of life.

Not only have we been called with a holy calling in our relationship with God, but we've also been called to holiness. I think God intended holiness to be a way of life. As we practice holiness to God we learn how to practice holiness in other relationships. Last month we began discussing holiness with reference to our relationship with God, and we'll do the same this month.

God treats His children as holy.

We are holy to God, set apart for his purposes alone according to the Scriptures. That's the purpose of our being reborn by the Holy Spirit. Our spirits are made alive to God and we discover that God has placed us in the circle of His great love with a view of conforming us to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. We have the tremendous hope of being saved from the wrath of God and eternal damnation when Jesus comes in the glory of His Father with His angels. The salvation and regeneration of our spirit is a work of grace accomplished entirely by God on behalf of the elect. In the work of justification, God positionally removes our sins far from us as far as the east is from the west. Because God treats us as holy and because He is holy, we have a responsibility with that calling.

His children are to be holy.

Consider the following passages. Perhaps you may want to members of the family read one, and then we'll discuss their meaning.

Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:2).

 "You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 20:7).

Because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).

Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me," says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1).

Notice Leviticus 20:7 uses the command, "consecrate yourselves" to explain what it means to be holy. You might have one of your children find the word consecrate in a dictionary and read it. What other words are synonyms? In 2 Corinthians, the apostle gave a practical explanation from God's Word. To be holy is to be separate. We separate ourselves (in lifestyle and values) from the rest of the people around us because of our holy calling as sons and daughters of God. Because we are His, He has called us to separate ourselves from the world's ways. We have been saved and we need not fear eternal punishment for sin, but we still have to be saved from the defilement of sins. He has treated us holy, but now it remains for us to treat Him holy and separate ourselves from fleshly indulgence.

We are to treat God holy.

Along with having a holy calling and being called to holiness, we are to treat God as holy to us. We might understand this to mean that we treat his relationship with honor above all others. A couple of examples from the Old Testament illustrate what it means to treat God as holy.

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, "It is what the Lord spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.'" So Aaron, therefore, kept silent (Leviticus 10:1-3).

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them" (Numbers 20:12. This is recorded again in Deuteronomy 32:51).

Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's sons, thought they would be creative and offer to God an incense of their own making instead of the one prescribed by God. When they did, fire from God came from the Holy of Holies and consumed them. They did not treat God as holy. For the same reason, Moses and Aaron were not allowed into the Promised Land they did not treat God holy. This raises a question: Are we to think that Nadab, Abihu, and Moses were not saved or under grace? Surely they were! They were under the grace of God as are we who believe in Christ. So what do these events teach us about our rising to the call of holiness?

If believers do not treat God as holy and walk faithfully according to the light they have in God's Word, they may not inherit all the blessings for which they had hoped.

If this is a new thought to you, as it recently has been to me, then you may be shocked, disheartened, confused, and reactionary. I realize I may have just stirred a hornet's nest. But before you write me off as having lost my marbles, declare me a heretic, and click this article into the cyber-trash, please read me out and carefully search the Scriptures. Your eternal happiness may depend upon it!

I'm not saying your eternal salvation may depend upon it or that someone can lose his eternal salvation. Eternal salvation, which is based entirely upon the grace of God and the righteousness of Jesus Christ was completed at the cross and declared done by God from all eternity. However the eternal state of the soul based on our faithfulness to obey His Word is a work in progress. The way you live today is determining your experience when Jesus comes. This is your choice! If you intend to draw near to God for eternity and enjoy all of the blessings He offers, then you will now treat Him as holy.Work out your salvation with fear and trembling?

What did Paul mean when he admonished the Philippians to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). He certainly didn't have in mind justification by faith. Why did he say we have to work out our salvation if we've already been saved? We might ask, "Since salvation is by grace apart from works, why should this salvation be done with fear and trembling? If the apostle believed what most evangelicals believe today, he would have no basis for writing such a statement. Many people have embraced false hopes based on specific misconceptions.

Below are six common misconceptions which produce false hopes.

Once a person is born again, then salvation is complete and the believer doesn't have to worry anymore about his soul's eternal state. However, there is more to salvation than the positional salvation where a person is justified in Christ by grace. Salvation also includes sanctification and glorification.

When Jesus comes there will be no more crying, and He will wipe away every tear (Revelation 7:17; 21:4). When will he wipe away the tears? When "first things are past." When the time of judgment is over, He will wipe away the tears, and they will receive their reward according to their faithfulness and God's mercies.

There is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ, so we don't ever have to face judgment (Romans 8:1). If you read on, you'll see Paul's point. There is no condemnation from God because we have been justified by faith, but Paul didn't mean there is no work to be done once we're regenerated. In verses 12-14 of Romans 8, he emphatically states that there will be! Those who are sons of God will put to death fleshly living.

He's removed our sins far from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalms 103:12). Whose sins will be removed? Only those who fear the Lord. If one doesn't work out his salvation in the fear of the Lord and walk faithfully according to God's Word, then the judgment of Christ will reveal that He never knew that person!

Everyone who believes in Christ will be saved to inherit all of the blessings of heaven regardless of what he does or how he lives because he is saved by grace and is promised eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:7-9).

These verses are references to regeneration and justification by faith, not a promise that believers won't have to give an account for their sins and be judged.

When Jesus comes, all believers will be raptured to be with Christ and they'll live in eternal bliss forever with Him (I Thessalonians 4:15-17). Although all believers have a hope of God's wrath being averted for eternity, this verse doesn't address what Christians will experience at the judgment seat of Christ.

I had to reconsider what I have always believed being saved by grace means. I found I had false hopes but didn't realize it! Because of these wrong ideas about salvation, I discovered I had overlooked a very sobering and motivational truth with regard to my eternal happiness. My eternal condition will be determined at the judgment when Jesus comes, and my rising to the call of holiness now contributes directly to my rewards, gain, and privileges in eternity with Christ.

Treating parents as holy has a future blessing.

For children and young people, treating their parents as holy is preparation for treating their spouses and children as holy, but most of all, it is preparation for treating God as holy. One of the ways a child or teen (who is born again) works out his or her salvation is by obeying the Lord when He commands obedience to parents. It is a responsibility of his or her calling.

There's a tremendous hope for children who treat their parents as holy before the Lord. To do it, they must die to themselves. They must lose their souls for Jesus sake. As they do, they may have confidence from the promise of Jesus that they will be rewarded with finding their souls when Jesus returns. Furthermore, they will have practiced dying to themselves which is foundational to all future relationships.

On the other hand, if they refuse to die to themselves in their relationship with their parents, they will be tested again in future callings. And if they fail to put their souls to death, then they have the terrifying expectation of judgment before Jesus Christ when He comes.

Resolved

Jonathan Edwards at the age of 29 wrote 69 profound resolutions and resolved to read them once a week. I select a couple of his resolutions for our encouragement and consideration that emphasize how our view of judgment and eternity move us to holiness.

Resolution 17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

Resolution 50. Resolved, that I will act so, as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world.

What resolutions might you and the members of your family pen in light of what you have read? How about taking a few moments to pray and consider one or two resolutions of your own. Discuss them, encourage each other with them, and then seek God's grace to live them as you take a step to rise to the call of holiness.

Our children need to know these things. Sound doctrine leads to holy living which leads to great reward. Are you in need of an idea for family devotions this month? If so, perhaps you might begin to study how Jesus and the apostles taught about the judgment of believers by Jesus Christ and its connection to holiness to the Lord. They are inextricably related.

Next month we'll continue our study on rising to the call of holiness by looking at some of the most motivational Scriptures in the New Testament. Until then, may we be renewed in our minds and present ourselves to God as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God.

The article above is a part of the message, Rising to the Call of Holiness in the RISING TO THE CALL series. The series is available on both audio cassette and CD. If you have enjoyed the Equipping Men Series, you'll also enjoy this sequel of twelve, practical, life-changing messages. This and other resources, including all past issues of the Chariot, are available at www.spiritofelijah.com.

            Norm Wakefield
            Elijah Ministries
            PO 377
            Bulverde, Texas 78163
            www.spiritofelijah.com