Saturday, May 9, 2020

Holy As He Is Holy.


Just started reading a new e-book last night from Hoopla - online library connected to our local library.

(Holy Spirit, Holy Living - by Antipas Harris)

Here are a few excerpts from the book. Not sure it will all turn out to be good, but so far I do like some of the points the author has made.

May God help me to find truth and only truth as I take this book to His holy word and make sure it doesn't contradict what God has said.

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'Holiness, as a lifestyle, necessarily involves the desire to think as God thinks, love what God loves, hate what God hates, and act as God intends. At the core, holiness is love for God and everything that God has created--especially fellow human beings. Jesus is our chief exemplar of a holy life. He lived according to his Father's standards and loves unconditionally.'

'All of those who profess to be a member of Christ's church are called to live and love like Christ in practical ways.'

'The courageous, uncompromising, corporate image of Christ-like distinctiveness consists of people who are committed to living out faith in their everyday lives.'

''Peter and Paul address the need for believers to embrace the peculiarity of the church in their own personal lives. Peter speaks of the church as a chosen people (1 Pet 2:9) called out of the world and set apart as a people of God. Paul charges the chosen of God to come out from the world and live a life of distinction (2 Corinthians 6:17). Therefore, whatever negative images of holiness have thwarted contemporary Christians' minds, holiness remains a distinction that Christians must possess because we belong to the church of Jesus Christ.'

'God sets believers apart from the world to be formed into the likeness of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul introduces the "body of Christ' metaphor interchangeably with "church." The church is made up of a close-knit group of believers, which forms the body of Christ. God summons the "called-out ones" to be formed into the likeness of Christ. We are formed into Christ's likeness through the profession of faith, the transformation of the heart, behavior that is consistent with the teachings of Christ, and through participation with a believing community.'

'Holiness is the distinctive that separates the life of the believer and the church from the rest of the world.'

'Regardless of what language we use, Old and New Testament teachings emphasize holiness as foundational to what it means to please the Lord. The two consistent categories for holiness in the Old and New Testaments are purification and separation. God has always intended for God's people to reflect divine purity and to live out that purity with boldness in predominantly "pagan" societies.'

Lev 20:26  And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine. 

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 
1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 

'Peter is teaching that personal piety must connect with how we live and the choices we make on an everyday basis. Purity is not just an attribute of who we are as believers but how we act as believers.'

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 
2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

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