How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

How would you define holiness and holy living?

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Doing our best to put on the mind of Christ, His will, His purpose first and foremost in our everyday lives, thereby presenting ourselves a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to the Lord.

Along with the realization that any "thought of righteousness" asside from him, is not even righteous, but rather nothing but filth at best.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

What are your thoughts Big D??

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

My description would not include one thing about how you dress or how you cut, or don't cut your hair.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Holiness is very simple, it is about living as if Jesus Christ was standing next to you, which he is.

That's a good thought. I'd like to develope on that thought.

The only thing wrong with it is that Jesus standing next to you is that He's outside of you. The Fathers will is that you be conformed into the very image of Jesus. The issue is identification. He shouldn't be next to you, He must BE your identity. To be Holy, cultivate the very person of Christ in you. You must reckon yourself CRUCIFIED. You're dead. You no longer live...He's living in you, He's your life and identity.

To be holy...be Jesus.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

TF Tenney defined it to me once in a one on one conversation as "a relationship with God". As good a definition as I've heard.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Holiness is imitating the life of Christ.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

I think it's a good definition. But soteriologically, it's incomplete. Many have a "relationship" with Jesus but never allow themselves to be conformed into His image and likeness. For example, Judas. Judas had a "relationship" with Jesus. However, Judas was never transformed into the likeness of Christ through that relationship.

Being holy is grounded in our transformation through regeneration and our being conformed into the image of Jesus Himself, the likeness of His very person flowing from us into the world as a river flows into the the sea.

Obviously, holiness isn't adherence to standards issued by a church or denomination. Why? Because they will only conform you into the image of their bylaws and denomination. The "Apostolic Identity" movement scares me in this respect. They are so focused on being conformed into the notion of what a 21st century Pentecostal should be... they might die good "Pentecostals" fashioned into the image of the Pentecostal church... but they may not truly reckon themselves crucified with Christ and through the Spirit be conformed soley into His image. In the Judgment Jesus might agree... they were wonderful Pentecostals. But the problem is... Jesus isn't a Pentecostal. Jesus is God. We are to take on the mind of Christ and be conformed into His image. Standards can never bring the holiness being led of the Spirit can bring as one seeks to find their identity in Christ alone.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Imitating is good. And we should strive to do it when we don't necessarily "feel" the life of Christ abiding in us. However, Jesus must become our very life. The very air we breathe. Our entire identity must be lost in Him. We must allow ourselves to vanish as a vapor and allow His life to flow through us.

More than an imitation... a true reproduction of Christ's own person in us through the Spirit.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

The standard is... Jesus. Holiness is allowing yourself to truly be an extension of Jesus Himself as you allow Him to live His life through you. Reckon yourself dead and you'll find that nevertheless you life, not you, but Christ who lives within you.

In sports they tell you to keep your eyes on the ball. Feel the ball. Be the ball.

In Spirit filled Christianity we are called to... keep our eyes upon Jesus. Feel Jesus. Be Jesus.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Yeah but riding a donkey is not as easy as it looks!:happydance

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

So true! I never thought of that. LOL

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Awesome post! Amen!

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

The trouble with simply "imitating" is we don't have the capacity to be righteous without Jesus. Allowing Jesus to live in us and through us is the goal. Not easy to do, and not because He isn't willing, but because we are so stubborn to surrender.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Ah... so "Oneness" is more than a Christology... it's a state of being for the believer. God desires to be "one" with us in Jesus Christ, through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Imagine how we'd live if we realized that through the baptism of the Holy Spirit... we are one with God as Jesus was one with the Father?

John 14:20
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Also consider...

John 17:11
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

You see, if we are all one with Christ (who is God) through the Spirit... we are also one with one another in Christ. And how would that influence our love for one another?

I think we get lost in our sense of independence and individualism in the West. Our religion begins to be something we do (legalism)... not what we are (regenerated).

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

I think what TFT was trying to communicate was that unless we are walking in Christ we can never be holy. Walking in the Spirit requires faith and faith fades and diminishes when we fail to stay connected to Jesus through prayer and abiding in the Word and maintaining an attitude of thanksgiving and praise. To me it's an awareness of His abiding Presence and fostering that awareness through devotion and consecration.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Obviously all out of a sincere love and desire to simply know Him. Which ultimately is granted to us by Gods grace.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

I whole heartedly agree. No doubt that's what TFT meant. I was just developing a thought off his statement as a springboard. :)

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Imagine the freedom... and the sobering reality... of dropping "standards" and "religious identity" and fully embracing an epic quest to be as one with God in Christ Jesus through the Spirit as humanly possible. Walking entirely by the Spirit. Doing as He bids you in all things... as you allow the very life of Christ to live through you on earth.

I can't explain the feeling.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Imagine the spiritual authority the least of us would harness? No doubt the least born again saint would be greater than John the Baptist.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

God is Holy. I define Holiness as the atribute of Gods perfection that He expects us to relate to.

Holy Living in my mind is bending my will to the Spirit of Grace.

Titus tells us that Grace is a teacher. That means that the instruction is either accepted or rejected. when we bend our will to the instruction of Grace, we walk in Holiness. When we reject the instruction, then we have given our answer to God.

Teaching Holiness can only be done with the context of Sanctification. And Sanctification is that process of walking thru life and allowing grace to filter out what God wants filtered.

I liken it to walking down a dark hallway the end of which is where God resides. The closer we get to the end of the hall where God is, the more of His light we have. As we use that Light to view ourselves, we see those things about us that are unclean. before we can progress further toward the light, we have to deal with what we see.

Each time we use that light to deal with our own darkness, the closer we come to God...

To me this is Holiness. This is Sanctification. They can no more be seperated than the two sides of a coin.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Holiness and Holy Living are works of Grace And Works Of The Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. Living a lifestyle of seperation is an expression of gratitude for the work of Grace that has been done in one's life.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Hey, that's a good post.

How do we define separation?

I see it as seeking to be as much like Jesus that you've drawn so near to Him... you no longer relate to the sinful things of this world.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Seperation from the world,is when one draws nigh to God,and lets their desires be changed from desiring things of a sinful nature to desiring things of a Godly nature.
Thanks for the compliment.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Great points bro! :thumbsup

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

Holiness also has alot to do with faith,because if one has a strong trust in The Lord,then they will want to do what their Lord instructs them to do,it goes way deeper than merely externals.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

If we partake in the divine nature,then our behavior will reflect this.

I need to write a book,can anybody help me put one together.

So true.

I was taught something challenging by an elder. I had confessed to him about a sin I was struggling with. I was in doubt that I was saved, feeling like if I were truly regenerated, having a new nature through the Holy Ghost, it wouldn't be so hard to overcome. He stared at me a minute and then asked how I felt about my sin. I shared that I was ashamed, felt guilty, and depressed over it. He explained that my old sinful nature wouldn't feel that way, instead it would feel said sin was perfectly fine. The very fact that I have a new nature through the abiding presence of the Spirit is what is causing my feelings of guilt and shame. Reason being that my actions weren't in alignment with my new nature as a new creature in Christ through the Spirit. I realized that my deep sorrow and conviction were evidence that I was saved. I felt the weight of world lift off my shoulders. He went on to explain that my carnal mind, which desires to please the flesh, was still very much a part of me. The key was to repent and then renew my mind through Bible study and prayer, seeking to put on and cultivate the mind of Christ Jesus in me. I was deeply encouraged realizing that the Christian walk is a journey through the process of being conformed into the image of Jesus through His victory. Not a self won victory I had to feverishly maintain.

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

I could agree with about everything thats been said. I will just add to.

2 Cor. 7:1

Re: How would you define holiness and holy living?
 

We become holy as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds


Romans 12:1-2
New King James Version (NKJV)

Living Sacrifices to God
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.