Thinking about Holy Living
The consistent message of Scripture is that God desires for His people to be holy. This crystallizes in 1 Peter 1:15-16 where Peter recites an OT ethic as an enduring theme for followers of Jesus:
1 Peter 1:15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
What does it mean to be holy? Holiness is defined by the character of God. God’s people are called to embody a life that reflects God’s character.
All too often “holy living” is thought of predominantly in the negative, i.e., on the elimination of sin. I want to suggest that holiness is more about what one does than what one does not do. Holiness involves becoming the person that God created you to be. It means that one is able through the power of God to be unleashed to deploy all of one’s gifts, talents, and passions in the work of God’s mission and to live authentically and genuinely in community with other Christ followers.
As we rethink and rearticulate holiness theology for the 21st century, let’s construct a biblical doctrine of holiness that is…
dynamic rather than static;
engaged with/in the world rather than detached from it;
creative/unique rather than standardized or cookie cutter;
unleashed for God’s good rather than stifled or dry docked for eternity;
courageous in the face of evil rather than timid…
What do you think?
© 2007 Brian D. Russell
It is through holy living that things come to pass, in the kingdom of God. Easy? No. Necessary…yes.
Thank you for a wonderfully grounding post about living in a Christ-like manner. I pray that I can be counted as one. Thanks again!
Marty
Good stuff Brian, although I have come to the conclusion that the greatest barriers in developing such a doctrine of holiness is the current doctrine of holiness which infects many of our churches and seems to be just about the opposite of what you describe. Of course this shouldn’t surprise us as Jesus’ biggest clashes came with those holding very static and rigid forms of holiness
Tramadol tablets for dogs….
Tramadol tablets for dogs….