Holiness is Mandatory
One of the most under preached subjects in Christianity today is the topic of Holiness.
The Bible teaches that holiness is a command from God; Leviticus 20:7-8, Hebrews 12:14 , 1 Peter 1:15-16, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.
So what is Holiness?
The greek word ἁγιασμός (hagiasmos) as defined by Thayer’s Greek Lexicon is the effect of consecration: sanctification of heart and life, 1 Corinthians 1:30 (Christ is he to whom we are indebted for sanctification); 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Romans 6:19, 22; 1 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 12:14; ἁγιασμός πνεύματος sanctification wrought by the Holy Spirit, 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2. It is opposed to lust in 1 Thessalonians 4:3f. (It is used in a ritual sense, Judges 17:3 (Alexandrian LXX); Ezekiel 45:4; (Amos 2:11); Sir. 7:31, etc.) (On its use in the N. T. cf. Ellicott on 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:13.)
Christians need to be reminded that Holiness is not an optional part of following Jesus. It is a recurring command from God in both old and new testaments to set ourselves apart from the world and to conform ourselves to the likeness of Jesus Christ who is our model, full of obedience to the Father, full of Truth and full of Life.
Being a Christian is not a religion, it is a discipline. Jesus commanded us to make disciples, not start a religion and do religious things. Being a Christian is to practice a discipline like medicine, law, engineering, karate etc. We practice the discipline of our faith that Jesus taught us when we do the things Jesus commands us to do like repenting of our sins daily and forsaking all habitual sins (denying ourselves), forgiving and loving one another, praying, fasting, giving alms, loving our enemies, showing mercy and kindness to the poor and less fortunate, feeding the hungry, witnessing to the lost and preaching the good news, this is Holiness.
