God demands holiness from His people because holiness is His nature. Every thing associated with Him is holy. His name is holy; His word is holy; His angels are holy; His abode, heaven, is holy; His saints are holy. When Satan and his angels came short of His holiness standard He drove them away from heaven and condemned them to everlasting fire.
Ezekiel 28:15, 18 "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee."
How To Be Holy And Maintain The Holy Life
Heaven is eternally holy. Jesus came to this world to save men from sin and make them holy so they can be with him in his eternal dwelling place. The instruments God uses to make men holy are the blood of Jesus, the word of God, the Holy Spirit, the name of Jesus, and of course His holy ministers, who teach and lead men to holiness. The holy life is one that does not commit sin, that loves God wholeheartedly, loves fellow men sincerely and keeps God's commandments totally.
Holiness begins at the salvation of the soul, deepens at sanctification of the heart and is established by personal discipline and diligence in keeping God's word. Hence the holy life requires the unified actions of both God and the believer. The believer submits himself to God to make him holy and diligently exercises himself to obey and practice the word of God. To obey God regularly requires faith in God and regular prayer for His grace.
Ezekiel 36:25-27"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh; And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them."
Ephesians 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; 26 That He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
Hebrews 9:14 "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" 1 Thessalonians 5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Psalm 51:5-7, 10 "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desireth truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
READ ALSO: How To Obtain Genuine Salvation Through Christ.
The above scriptures and several others show the promises of God to make you holy and the means He has provided to make you holy. God who makes you holy is able to preserve you in His holiness to the end of your life.
Jude 24, 25 "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, and dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Pray earnestly through faith in Christ and receive a clean, pure and holy heart and life from God. Persist in prayer until you have the witness, assurance and evidence.
Seven Things To do To Keep Your Holy Life To The End
When God has cleansed, sanctified and filled you with His holiness, it will be required of you to employ the help of God and the means of grace to preserve yourself in His holiness. The scriptures show us how to keep ourselves in the holiness of God every day of our life. We must follow scriptural guidelines carefully so as not to lose God's holiness and the eternal life it gives.
No. 1: Study and meditate regularly on God's word and obey it promptly.
Psalm 119:9-11,60 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wonder from thy commandments.11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments."
No. 2: Associate with holy people and learn the sound doctrines of God's word that will establish you in scriptural holiness.
Psalm 119:63 "I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts." Malachi 4:16, 17 "Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name.; And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."
2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
No. 3: Have a firm determination to keep yourself from all kinds of sins: in marriage, in the family, in the church, in the Christian ministry, in your business career, educational pursuit, workplace and everywhere.
Job 27:3-6 "All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. 5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.; My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live."
Daniel 1:8 "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."1 Thessalonians 2:10 "Ye are witnesses and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe."
No. 4: Employ all means of grace to resist sin, Satan and the influence of the ungodly world in your life and bring your body under subjection so that you may win the crown of life.
Romans 6:12-14 "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."
READ ALSO: How A Backslider Can Reconciled Back To God.
1 Peter 5:8, 9 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."
1 Corinthians 9:27 "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away."
No. 5: Preach and teach holiness firmly and consistently.
This will make your family, church and companions holy and serve as a means of strengthening and preserving you in the holy walk.
Psalm 40:8-11 "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. 10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation." Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: Let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me."
Genesis 18:18, 19 "Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him."
Colossians 1:28, 29 "Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily."
No. 6: Give more attention to holy living than to success and achievement in life.
Make sure all your success and achievements are gotten in holiness, Be determined to forgo any gain in this life that would take holiness away from you and be prepared too to suffer any reproach or persecution that comes against you as a result of your holy life.
Matthew 16:24-26 "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Philippians 3:7-9 "But what things were gain to me, those I counted
Holiness, Righteousness and Truth: The Standard for Heaven
At this moment, Heaven is very paramount and essential because it"s a glorious place prepared for the prepare children of God whose garment are pure, holy and without spot or wriggle. Therefore, in order to inherit the Kingdom of God, you must repent and return back unto God through his son Jesus Christ and if you refuse to repent and later dies in your sinful and backslide state; you shall be devour in hell for eternity. Holiness, Righteousness and Truth are the only things that will bring man to the righteous kingdom of God. The standard for heaven is Holiness, Righteousness and Truth.
Isaiah 33:15-17: "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil, He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty: They shall behold the land that is very far off."
Isaiah 62:10-12: "Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the high way; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken."
Righteousness, truth and holiness of life are the things that will qualify any believer for entrance into heaven. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. As you are living your life today, always lift up the standard of Holiness in your personal life for people to see. Make it clear for the people. Let the whole world know. Lift up the banner of Holiness and Righteousness because thus is the characteristics of God, whom always loved you dearly.
Live Your Life As A Christian Ought To Live.
Philippians 2:15, 16 "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." 1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
Jesus Warned Against the Activities of False Prophets and Teachers
Jesus said,"Meddle not with them that are given to change. Be careful with the people you meet with. Be careful with the people that come around you." 2 John 10 "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed." Philippians 3:2 "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision."
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
READ ALSO: The Practice Of Witchcraft Doctrine In The Church.
Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." 2 Peter 3:16 "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."
Three Basic Warnings.
Be careful of women.
Be careful of worldly desires.
Be careful of the pride of life."
Nehemiah 13:26 "Did not Solomon King of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin." 1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. " God standard is very high; he is still unchangeable, therefore you must serve him with fear and tremble.
2 Peter 2:1-3: "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."
In these last days false teachers will arise and they are already operating in the world. These bring damnable heresies into the church, denying godliness and holiness. Many shall follow their ways. The way of truth, righteousness and holiness shall be evil spoken of. Timothy 2:19 "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."
Ephesians 5:27 "That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Hebrews 12:14 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."
