For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 1 Thessalonians 4:7
Most unsaved people are highly unlikely to have a Gospel bumper sticker on their cars. That’s how I knew the person ahead of me in the rush hour traffic was probably a Christian; his bumper sticker read ‘Christ died for the ungodly’. As Christians, we notice these things and appreciate them, knowing that another Christian is near. Years ago, it used to be a little harder to pick out the Christians in a crowd. It’s becoming easier these days, as Christians contrast more sharply with the way the world around us dresses, talks, and behaves.
We often cringe at the immodest way people around us wear, or don’t wear, their clothes. Things that were shockingly indecent years ago are the becoming the normal fashion. And the speech of so many we encounter is saturated with profanity, obscenities, and disgusting expressions that betray the defiled hearts of the speakers. Standards of morality seem to have vanished as people openly commit those sins that used to be hushed up when I was a youngster. All these things are inappropriate for Christians because, as our text declares, God has called us to a far higher standard.
Holiness is far more than just not dressing, talking or behaving like the immoral world. One definition describes holiness as dedicated, purified, or set apart from filthiness or defilement, for the sacred purpose of serving and worshiping God. Holiness is not merely the shunning of the evil but includes the embracing of the good. Peter reminds us that God declares: ‘Be ye holy for I am holy’ – 1 Peter 1:16.
It’s not just our outward appearance, but our very minds ought to become more like our Lord, because He is holy, and desires us to be holy too. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/kq94vnHjCOQ