Holiness is vertical and horizontal
Dr. Roberto Miranda
(Audio: Spanish)
SUMMARY: The call to holiness is a continuous and universal call throughout the Bible. God called Israel to be a holy people, morally and materially different from the pagan nations around them. These nations were characterized by riotous sexual behavior, worship of false gods, and human sacrifices. God's call to holiness includes a total consecration to Him, dedicating everything to Him, including our bodies. The body is important, and we must take care of it according to God's laws. Holiness calls us to see the body belongs to God, it is beautiful, but we must use it within the norms that God has established, live a sober life, and not glorify it above God.
Holiness is a call to live a life pleasing to God, reflecting his values and character. It involves taking care of our bodies, living a pure, monogamous sexual life, and being separated from the practices and values of the world while being involved in it as salt and light. Holiness is necessary for fellowship, receiving from, and being used by God. It is the base of all good things a Christian can receive. Seeking holiness and sanctifying our lives is the greatest blessing we can give to ourselves.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of holiness in the Christian life, as it is the prerequisite for receiving blessings from God. The devil may tempt people with worldly pleasures, but they ultimately lead to destruction and unhappiness. Holiness involves not only sexual purity, but also ethical and social dimensions, including how we treat others. The speaker believes that horizontal holiness, or how we relate to others, is just as important as vertical holiness, or our relationship with God. Living a holy life not only brings personal peace and protection, but also attracts others to the ways of the Lord.
The speaker emphasizes that both vertical and horizontal morality are important for Christians. He believes that the world is more convinced to enter into the ways of the Lord through horizontal morality, such as kindness, love, and treating each other well. He mentions that pastors have not given equal importance to horizontal morality, which has caused mistakes throughout Christian history. The speaker believes that the most difficult thing to execute and the easiest thing to ignore is the horizontal dimension of holiness, which requires a long and painful process of treatment and perfection by God. He hopes that over time, their church will reflect both internal and external holiness values. Lastly, he emphasizes that the use of gifts should be governed by mercy, consideration for others, and love for others.
The speaker prays for the values of their church to be reflected in their daily lives as peacemakers and agents of transformation in their communities. They ask God to make them pure, clean, merciful, gentle, generous, forgiving, truthful and affirming of the weak, like Jesus. They offer their lives to God and give Him honor and glory. Amen.
Holiness is a call to live a life pleasing to God, reflecting his values and character. It involves taking care of our bodies, living a pure, monogamous sexual life, and being separated from the practices and values of the world while being involved in it as salt and light. Holiness is necessary for fellowship, receiving from, and being used by God. It is the base of all good things a Christian can receive. Seeking holiness and sanctifying our lives is the greatest blessing we can give to ourselves.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of holiness in the Christian life, as it is the prerequisite for receiving blessings from God. The devil may tempt people with worldly pleasures, but they ultimately lead to destruction and unhappiness. Holiness involves not only sexual purity, but also ethical and social dimensions, including how we treat others. The speaker believes that horizontal holiness, or how we relate to others, is just as important as vertical holiness, or our relationship with God. Living a holy life not only brings personal peace and protection, but also attracts others to the ways of the Lord.
The speaker emphasizes that both vertical and horizontal morality are important for Christians. He believes that the world is more convinced to enter into the ways of the Lord through horizontal morality, such as kindness, love, and treating each other well. He mentions that pastors have not given equal importance to horizontal morality, which has caused mistakes throughout Christian history. The speaker believes that the most difficult thing to execute and the easiest thing to ignore is the horizontal dimension of holiness, which requires a long and painful process of treatment and perfection by God. He hopes that over time, their church will reflect both internal and external holiness values. Lastly, he emphasizes that the use of gifts should be governed by mercy, consideration for others, and love for others.
The speaker prays for the values of their church to be reflected in their daily lives as peacemakers and agents of transformation in their communities. They ask God to make them pure, clean, merciful, gentle, generous, forgiving, truthful and affirming of the weak, like Jesus. They offer their lives to God and give Him honor and glory. Amen.
Let's go to the word of the Lord in First Thessalonians, Chapter 3, in verse 12. The word of the Lord says there: “…And the Lord make you grow and abound in love for one another and for all, as also we do with you… – That is the Apostle Paul, as I do with you, let you also feel it with everyone else and with each other in the church. – … so that your hearts may be established and reprehensible in holiness before God, our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints…”
I use this text as a starting point for what I want to talk about this afternoon. The subject of holiness and how we define it. I want to talk to you in this series of sermons where we try to clarify and specify the beliefs of our church, what are the hallmarks of our congregation. I want to talk about a topic that is so important to the churches, the topic of holiness.
I use this text as a starting point for what I want to talk about this afternoon. The subject of holiness and how we define it. I want to talk to you in this series of sermons where we try to clarify and specify the beliefs of our church, what are the hallmarks of our congregation. I want to talk about a topic that is so important to the churches, the topic of holiness.
