A CALL TO HOLY LIVING

The society we live in today has become an increasingly permissive one that allows and approves anything. This age is called a time of clouded ideals and confused standards. It is an age where pagan writers are teaching that ''if it feels good, do it''. The ''new morality'' of today is simply the old immorality updated but the truth remains that the standard of the bible never changes; Holy living cannot be watered down, it is the champion of purity and the guardian of the family and the home. Christianity is based on man's vertical relationship with God and his horizontal relationship with his fellow men. To live wholly in this world, we must live holy before God.

Apostle Paul pleaded that we should  be pure- 1 Thess. 4:1-8. When Paul addressed these Thessalonians about purity, it should be noted that they were new converts to Christian faith and chastity was unknown in their society; low standards of morality were an acceptable norm to them and immorality was often mixed religion, for their pagan temples had their ''sacred'' prostitutes. Also, these new converts lived at a time that was infamous for its laxity with regards to marriage relationship. Demosthenes, the great Athenian orator and statesman, is quoted as saying, ''We keep prostitutes for pleasure; we keep mistresses for the day-to-day needs of the body; we keep wives for begetting of children and for the faithful guardian of the homes.'' Such was the society these new converts had come out of. Sanctification was totally a new idea and they were just learning that serving God involved a holy living.

The society is regressing in many instances to the primitive  conditions of early Rome. The pressure is on to lower moral standards. The trend is towards quick and easy divorce. Lax interpretations allow the dissolution of Christian marriage contract for practically any reason. Books dealing with the breakup of Christian marriages (including those of ministers) reveal that this is a serious problem even in the church today. Not only this, Christians these days face a lot of issues that were not prominent in earlier times. Some of them confront us daily such as abortion, test tube babies, and surrogate mothers. Some groups even suggested that the taboo the society has placed on incest may be more harmful than the deeds themselves. Pornography has become a multi-million dollar business which in the last few years has affected even children.

Paul based his pleas for purity on the commandments or word of God he had preached to the Thessalonians in the beginning, by the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul had not preached his own ideas, he was simply an instrument through whom God made his ways known. The word of God remains the only weapon through which these ills can be defeated. Sanctification is not an option, it is God's will.

Christianity laid down a completely new code of ethics and Paul's exhortations to the Thessalonians are also applicable to today Christians. Hence, there is a great need today as in Paul's day to hold before the church the uncompromising demands of Christian morality.

To live holy, practical righteousness is required. A fervent love toward God and our brethren will affect our conduct towards others . Sanctification is not a holy aloofness; it is practical righteousness. Our conducts today as Christians can cause others to bless or curse the name of the Lord- Rom. 2:24; 1 Tim. 6:1. We may never know that the peace of the church has been jeopardized by unlovely attitudes and actions that are thoughtlessly displayed by their members. There are many people in our churches today that are there, not because of a sermon they heard but because of one they saw. The only way we can then prove Christianity to the world is by letting people see the fruits of the work of Christ in our lives; Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in us.

Holy living involves much more than quitting smoking and drinking; it involves controlling our bodies in an honourable way, speaking truthfully, doing useful works with our hands, loving one another and more.

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