Holy in All Your Conduct

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:13-21 ESV)

As those who profess to believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, this is how we are to live. We are to be those who take God and his Word seriously, and who put that word into practice in our daily lives, by the grace of God, in the power of God. And this is speaking of all Scriptures related to our relationships with Jesus Christ and our salvation from sin and with regard to what biblical faith looks like, in practice. We are to follow the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles with regard to our salvation.

Now, again, we have an indication here that God’s grace and our salvation from sin will not be received in entirety until Jesus Christ returns and he takes his faithful ones to be with him for eternity. In the meanwhile, we are to be those who are living holy lives, separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, if indeed we are. We are to be those who take God and his word seriously and who make it our practice to do what it says, in God’s power.

Therefore, we are to be those who make it our practice (lifestyle) to walk (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord. Thus, sin must no longer be our practice, but righteousness and holy and godly living are to be what we practice. And to obey the Lord is not just obedience to his commands, but it is walking in obedience to him day by day, as being led by the Holy Spirit in what to do, and in what actions to take, and in what to say to people, or to not say, and in ministering to other Christians and to the people of this world.

Thus, we are no longer to be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, and to the sinful patterns of behavior of the flesh. We are not to be partners with the ungodly in doing the things that they do. And we are not to fill our minds and hearts with the garbage of the world shoveled out to us on a daily basis on the internet or on TV or on any other sources of communication that we might have from the outside world which may have the potential to influence us to follow the world and the flesh, and not God and his righteousness.

We must prepare our minds and hearts for action. We must take God and his word seriously. And we must not play with fire and test fate. We must not be worldly people who give lip service to the Lord, who expect God to do everything for us while we entertain ourselves with the trappings of the world, and while we ignore him unless we need him for something. Our Lord is not content if we give him only a few minutes each day in reading a short devotional and praying our prayers. He wants us in total submission to him.

For Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross, not just to save us from the punishment of sin, and not just to give us the hope of eternal life with him, by genuine faith in him, but he died that we might put self to death and that we might die to sin and that we might now live for God in walks of obedience to him and to his will and purpose for our lives. He is now to be our owner-master, and we are to be his possession, and our lives are now to be lived for him and no longer for self. And this is not optional!!

So many people are being taught that a mere confession of Christ as Savior and Lord now secures them salvation from all sin and eternity in heaven with God, regardless of how they live. The Bible does not teach that. All throughout the New Testament we are taught that we must now put our sins behind us and we must walk in obedience to our Lord in moral purity, uprightness, godliness, honesty, faithfulness, and in self-control (under Holy Spirit control). For God is going to judge each one of us by our deeds.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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