There are all kinds of instructions in how one lives a holy life. This is something that every Christian should know how it is done. Hebrews 12:14 “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” If we want to be with the Lord when we pass on, we must be holy and live a holy life. Wouldn’t you consider this important to know?

Both the Old and New Testaments teach: we are to be people of peace and are to walk in holiness and righteousness. We are required to have certain attitudes and responsibilities to God and others; we are to pursue peace and reconciliation in all cases. We certainly should not cause dissensions like a number of Christians do.

Under the New Covenant, we have our sins forgiven. We must be righteous and holy in order to enter into God’s presence. Holiness, in this case, means devoted or consecrated to God’s service. To live for the Lord is to live in holiness. Holiness and righteousness are gifts of grace and we are to honor God in how we treat others. A right relationship with God leads to the right relationship with fellow believers. We may not always feel a love for some people, but we must pursue peace as we become more Christ-like.

This is how I believe the Bible tells us to become holy. We are told that we must surrender our self-centered, carnal natures and pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to have a Christ-centered nature. Until we replace our self-centered natures with lusts and evil appetites, we will not receive holiness. Holiness is not automatic it requires a Christian to SURRENDER. The more mature we become spiritually, depends on our desires and discipline to allow the Holy Spirit to change us. It is a process and the amount of time it takes to become holy will vary with each person.

2nd Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

Divine power includes resurrection power, ascension power and dominion power used to take Christ to heaven. This power manifests itself in the lives of Christians. This power gives us everything needed for life, holiness and godliness. This God-given power is not something that we develop without the Holy Spirit’s assistance. God gives this power to each believer who receives the Holy Spirit. Carnal man does not have the power to live a life of godliness, (holiness, moral uprightness and honoring God) without divine power. The phase, ‘who called us by his own glory and goodness’ explains what attracts people to Jesus in the first place.

1 Peter 1:15 – “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;”

As God calls us to live a holy life, holiness begins with proper preparation of our minds. We will never become holy until our minds have become more Christ-centered. Proverbs 23:7 “For as a man thinks in his heart so is he.” It is only after we have surrendered and allowed the Holy Spirit to control our thinking and behavior will we recognize the source of holiness. We must know God, love Him and obey Him. We must live to please Him.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”

What happens if we do not live a holy life? If we live like the world, will we be able to live with Christ when He returns to earth to rule for a thousand years? Does how we live affect our relationship with Christ? God wants each of us to turn our lives over to the Holy Spirit. If we don’t surrender our self-centeredness, does that mean we are rejecting God? So what happens if we live impure lives? Will God punish us for deliberate sin?

1 Thessalonians 5:23 “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.”