UncommonSample

“Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Galatians 2:16

We warp the word holiness to make up rules and agendas that God never intended for us. The status quo religious way to be holy is gruesome, condemning, and not enjoyable. Quite frankly, it’s unbiblical. Often we try to establish a position based on our behavior. But that’s not the case for authentic Christianity.

The Apostle Paul faced this very issue with new Christians in several churches. When they heard the message of the Gospel, they assumed being holy meant practicing things that made them holy. People think being holy is hating the world more. Some people even think it is a practice of making yourself miserable. Like the woman who refused to eat out on a Sunday. Did her made-up rule somehow make her family holier than my family? Certainly not! This standard was a made-up practice (maybe a personal conviction) she had established, not something God asked all of us to do.

So if being holy is not about making up rules to follow, what is holiness? What does it look like to walk in holiness? Holiness is more. Perhaps not simple in practice, but certainly simple in theory. Being holy is thinking rightly about the world, and by rightly, I mean thinking about God’s thoughts about the world. Trading your own eyes, heart, and opinions for His.

I started looking at my own life and investigating the substance of my life. Did it look a lot like Paul or like God? Is my marriage of God? Perhaps I don’t see my wife with the same tenderness and grace God sees her. Maybe God wants me to soften my heart toward her. Do I entertain myself in a holy way? What about the way I treat other people? Do I think rightly about people even when they disagree with me? How am I filling all the spaces of my life? By my standards of rightness and fairness, or by God’s standards?

We may be intimidated when asking ourselves these questions, but that is part of the holiness of God we have been called to do. By professing Jesus Christ, you have gained so much more than salvation. You have gained a position of holiness. But how are we using that position?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In what areas is your life “of God?”
2. In what areas could you invite God into your life?
3. How could you partner with the people in your small group to help you live a set-apart life?