Holy and Whole

Ireaneus, second century church leader, said, "The glory of God is a human being who is fully alive." Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). There is a big misunderstanding about the Christian life. Many think only of it in terms of eternal life in heaven.

But eternal life starts the moment we know Christ as Lord. "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins...God made us alive with Christ" (Eph 2:1, 4-5).

Paul prays that we will experience the fullness of God's blessings in every area of life: May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it (1 Thess 5:23-24).

Three words are important here: Peace, which means wholeness, completeness, harmony, soundness. Sanctify, meaning to make holy; to set apart for God's sacred purpose. Wholeness, which means connected to through and through.

God's work of grace in us is the word of wholeness. The Holy Spirit works in us to bring all of life under Christ's Lordship and blessing. The word salvation (sozo, Greek, Rom 1:16) means more than having ours sins forgiven and being promised heaven, as wonderful as those promises are.

It also means to set free and to make whole. Salvation is more than forgiveness for sins, escape from judgment and the promise of heaven. Jesus did not simply come into the world to save us from hell; He came to make us whole and to save us for an abundant life -- spirit, mind and body.

Christ came to restore humanity to the image of God.

Answering the Call to Holiness

Many Christians do not take holiness seriously. They do not realize that to be holy is a commandment from God. Since God has called us to holiness, we have to will ourselves to live the holy life. In 1 Peter 1:13 -16, we see God's call to holiness: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"

We also find in II Timothy 1:8-9, "...share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."

Everything that refers to God is holy. Holiness is the very essence of who He is. Our lives should always exemplify what Jesus' life was like when He lived on earth, because He exemplified what God's life is-a life of holiness. This was evident when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. No matter what Satan tempted Jesus with, or how often Satan tempted Him, Jesus never yielded to him.

Holiness is the quality of life. It should not be confused with two similar terms such as sanctification, which means to be set apart, and righteousness, which means right standing with God. When you were born again, you were made the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ.

Paul tells us this in II Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He also writes in 1 Corinthians 1:2, "... to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints..."

Sponsor AdGod makes us righteous and sanctifies us through Jesus Christ; those are things that He does. But it is up to us to be obedient to His call to holiness. We do not have to do anything to be sanctified, other than to live a sanctified life. Living the sanctified life is called holiness. This is how our character gets established. So Christians can't do anything to be righteous or sanctified, but everything to be holy.

It may seem difficult, but you can be holy, just as God the Father and Jesus are holy. It will take effort because it does not come overnight. You have to train yourself and remove yourself from unholy people, places, things and actions. You have to will yourself to do it. You have to go in the opposite direction of where your flesh or your mind may want to take you. You must remember that God cannot be involved in any kind of sin or immorality. When you get into sin or immorality, you park His power at the door and enter at your own risk.

Christians should desire to be pleasing to God instead of compromising their standards to please others. They must tell themselves, "I can abstain from fornication; I will not commit adultery; I will not worry; I will not overeat; I will not be jealous; I will not be envious; I will not be full of strife; I will not lie; I will not do anything that Jesus wouldn't do because I am holy."

To be victorious in living a life of holiness, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You need the Holy Spirit, the power of God, to help you because Satan will oppose you when you commit to obeying the Word of God. You need the supernatural power of God because Satan is a supernatural enemy. It is a supernatural life that God has called you to. It is a life of joy, peace and fulfillment.

The act of holiness is not an impossible task. God would never tell us to do something or be something that is impossible to accomplish. You can be holy; you can count yourself as dead to sin; you can overcome those temptations just as Jesus did because God has already made a way of escape.

Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

So, whatever challenge you're faced with, don't give up. It's a fight all your life. It doesn't matter how many times you fall; get up because one of these times, you're going to get the victory over that temptation so you can be right for God and live the life of holiness as you were called to do.

Never Lose our Faith

No matter in which position we are in...no matter what the circumstances we are facing...no matter how much burdens and sufferings we are crossing....we should never lose faith from the Leader and Guide our body & soul, Christ Jesus. He is everything for us. HE only can rescue us and save us from any kind of circumstances. But that all this is in His time only. Pray and Wait for His guidance and deliverance. The Lord definitely answer our prayer. Our prayers everything is counting in His book. So never lose our faith and be cheer up in the Lord Always. Amen !

Be a Practical Christian

Telling about Faith other Children of God and practicing the same Faith personally is entirely different. It is easy to share the faith through the Word of God and with many examples live and past. But when there is time to practice the same faith personally....is very very difficult. As child of God I had given counseling to many people....but...sometimes when there is time to depend upon the God's word....I also doubted. Of course..practicing faith is a continuous process till the end our life. Until then we have to face many troubles and temptations towards the practicing the faith and depending upon the Lord's Words....so be a practical Christian but not a Poetical Christian !!!

FAITH

Faith is used 4 ways in the Bible

How do we get faith? (Rom 10:17)
Faith ... but not faith only! (Jas 2:24)

I. Introduction

A. Faith is not just part of religion but every aspect of our everyday lives:

1. Science: Ever seen electricity? You accept it by faith

2. Geography: Ever seen the Eiffel Tower?

3. Evolutionist’s often chide those who believe in God for their faith

a. No one has ever seen any evidence for evolution it is purely theory

b. It takes more faith to believe in evolution than God

4. Store phones you to say your order is ready.

a. You accept by faith the word of the operator that the order is ready

b. Driving down to pick up the order is an ACT OF FAITH

5. We accept God because of testimony of creation & Bible Rom 1:18-20

a. Repentance and obedience to God’s word is an ACT OF FAITH

B. Simple definition of faith: Heb 11:1

1. Faith is the substance of hope

a. "Substance": Lit. Greek: "a standing under"

b. Faith "stands under" our hope, is the foundation of our hope: Rom 8:24.25

c. Faith is the "title-deed" our pledge to things hoped: Heb 3:14

2. Faith is the conviction of things not seen: Heb 11:3

a. We accept God not only exists but He created everything in 6 days

3. Faith accepts even that which appears unreasonable: Rom 4:17

II. Faith (Gr: pistis) used in four ways:

A. #1: A Personal Belief, Mental Acceptance & Acknowledgement Of God’s Existence:

1. Heb 11:1,6 Assurance of things hoped for conviction of things not seen

2. 2 Cor 4:18 We look at not at things seen, but at things not seen

3. 2 Cor 5:7 we walk by faith not sight

4. Jn 20:27-29 how blessed are they who have not seen but believe

B. #2: A conduct or work inspired by the compete surrender to mental acceptance:

1. Just as repentance can be seen: Mt 3:7-8, so too "faith can be seen": Mt 9:2

2. Jas 2:14-26 We show our faith by our works

3. We must have an obedient faith:

a. Obedience of faith: Rom 1:5; 15:18: 16:26

b. Acts 6:7 word kept spreading, great many priests became obedient to the faith

c. Mt 7:21-27 not only call "Lord", but obey

d. by faith, Abraham obeyed: Heb 11

4. Faith is said to do work:

a. Gal 5:6 faith working through love

b. 1 Th 1:3; 2 Th 1:11 work of faith

c. Heb 13:7 considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith

C. #3: A trusting or trustworthiness: (pistis)

1. Mt 24:45; 25:21,23; Lk 19:17 "faithful servant"

2. Rom 3:3 the faithfulness of God

3. 1 Cor 4:2 stewards must be faithful

4. 1 Cor 15:14,17 if Christ is not raised your faith is vain, worthless

5. 2 Th 1:3 your faith is greatly enlarged

D. #4: The System Of Doctrine And Morality Peculiar To Christianity:

1. Statements encouraging us to properly maintain the system of faith

a. Jude 3 contend earnestly for the faith

b. Gal 1:23 preaching the faith he once tried to destroy

c. Eph 4:5 only one faith

d. Eph 4:23 until we all attain to the unity of the faith

a. Acts 14:22 encouraging them to continue in the faith

f. Acts 16:5 strengthen in the faith

g. 2 Cor 13:5 test yourselves to see if you are in the faith

h. 1 Cor 16:13 stand firm in the faith

i. 2 Ti 4:7 1 have kept the faith

1. 1 Tit 1:13 reprove then that they may be sound in the faith

k. 1 Ti 4:1 in later times some will fall away from the faith

1. 1 Ti 4:6 nourished on the words of the faith and sound doctrine

m. 1 Ti 6:10 wandered away from the faith

n. 1 Ti 6:2021 Gone astray from the faith

2. Statements of general interest:

a. Gal 3:23 before the faith came we were under the law

b. Gal 6:10 especially the household of the faith

c. Acts 6:7 obedient to the faith

d. Rom 10:8 word of faith we preach

e. Lk 18:8 will Jesus find the faith upon the earth when He returns

III. How do we get faith?

A. Some wrongly teach faith comes directly from God, the Holy Spirit or Jesus

1. The Holy Spirit directly imparts faith independently of any medium.

2. God directly "operates" upon the sinner’s heart to make Him a believer.

3. Problem: If a man has no faith, it is God’s fault!

a. 1 Ti 2:34; 2 Pe 3:9 God’s desire is for all to believe!

b. Jn 8:24 "unless you believe..." Jesus places responsibility upon man

4. Col 2:18 Many people claim God revealed something to then when God hasn’t.

B. God indirectly imparts faith through the sodium or instrument of the Bible:

1. Rom 10:5-18

a. Who will ascend into heaven? ANSWER: Deut 30:10-14

b. V8 "the word of faith"

c. V17 faith comes from hearing the word of Christ

2. Jn 20:30-31 these things are written that you may believe

3. Jn 17:20,21 believe on me through their word.

4. Bible and faith used interchangeably: Acts 13:7,8 Gal 1:11,23

5. Acts 14:1 spoke in such a manner that many believed

6. Acts 15:7 hear the word of the gospel and believe

7. Acts 17:11,12 searched the scriptures daily-many therefore believed

8. Acts 18:8 many Corinthians, when they heard were believing being baptized

IV. Faith ... but not faith only!

A. There is a difference between faith only and saving faith: Jas 2:17,24

1. Demons believe, even confess Jesus as Lord: Jas 2:19; Mk 1:24.25

2. Jn 7:12.13 no one was openly speaking of His

3. Jn 12:42-43 many believed but would not confess the name of Jesus

4. Jn 9:22 Parents would not confess for fear of being put out of synagogue

V. Conclusion:

A. If we walk by faith and not by sight, how can we see faith: 2 Cor 5:7

B. Yet faith allows us to SEE THE UNSEEN and BELIEVE THE UNBELIEVABLE

C. "If God said it, I believe it and that settles it!"