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“But now that you have been set free from sin and have
become slaves to God; the benefits you reap lead to holiness, and the result is
eternal life.” Romans 6:22 (NIV)
in the highest sense belongs to God ( Isaiah 6:3 ; Revelation 15:4 ), and to Christians as consecrated to God's service, and in so far as they are conformed in all things to the will of God ( Romans 6:19 Romans 6:22 ; Ephesians 1:4 ; Titus 1:8 ; 1 Peter 1:15 ). Personal holiness is a work of gradual development. It is carried on under many hindrances, hence the frequent admonitions to watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance ( 1 Corinthians 1:30 ; 2 co 7:1 ; Ephesians 4:23 Ephesians 4:24 ). (See SANCTIFICATION .)1
Paul
writes to the believers in Rome. He reminds them God set them free from their
sinful pasts. Further, he relates they have become God’s servants.
When
people ask Jesus to come into their hearts, they receive certain “benefits.”
Believers have peace, wholeness, eternal life, and the Holy Spirit and His
gifts. These benefits work together in our hearts to set us apart for God’s
service. We become sanctified—separated from the secular and the sinful for a
sacred purpose. 2
Recently,
in Sunday school, we heard of Mother Teresa’s history. Her father died when she
was 8 years old. She felt called by God to go to India to minister to the
people there. She never saw her homeland in Macedonia again. She felt called of
God to spend her life in His service.
I have always admired her for her work and for her living
out her faith. God prepared her for the task He gave her to do.
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1. http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/holiness/
2 The New
Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Moody Press, Chicago, revised 1988, page 1124
You don't hear much on holiness these days, do you? Thanks for sharing this with us. Enjoy the rest of the week! :)
ReplyDeleteKaren: You're welcome.I love the graphic and that definition of Holiness.
DeleteWe don't hear much about it indeed, although the Bible speaks about holiness from cover to cover. I actually visited the place where Mother Theresa used to live in Macedonia (although she is was born in Albania)... there is a memory plaque where the house once stood.
ReplyDeleteMarja: When I first heard the term 'sanctified', I asked what that meant. My co-worker gave me her definition by describing her grandmother. White gloves, holy talk, etc.After being in a holiness church for almost two decades I learned it has to do with the condition of our hearts. Although, we now are in a different denomination, several of us still can say we seek to strive for holiness.
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