The challenge of holiness

Holiness is not only being consecrated for the service of God, but also means deviating from everything that is not holy, in obedience, and therefore fleeing from temptation and sin to which we will always be exposed in the process of spiritual growth. The Christian must sanctify himself, that is to say consecrate himself, but this is not enough. He also needs that such a consecration implicitly carried an irreproachable, testimonial behavior, of a lover of the things of God, that avoids the passions of the flesh and submits entirely to Him.

Paul exhorted Timothy to exercise a Christian life divorced from all that was not holy: "If someone keeps himself clean, he will become a noble vessel, sanctified, useful for the Lord and prepared for every good work" (2 Tim 2 :twenty-one).

The holiness of the Christian is the will of God. God's desire is that we can express the life of Christ through our own. It is an exclusive work of the Holy Spirit to be born again, to make us a new creation whose past was crucified on the cross of Christ. The holiness of the Christian who by the work and grace of God breaks into a new life in Christ, is one of the many miracles that God performs in the believer. We are called to it. Practicing it will allow us to live a calm and safe life without the fears that come when we stop focusing on God and we lend ourselves to dance in the unbridled troupe of the world. Through Ezekiel God prophesied that He would give us a new heart and infuse us with a new spirit (Ezek. 36:26 a). Our limited mind is unable to understand the mystery of spiritual birth. That the Spirit of the Most High God coexists in our being, commits us to "do what is holy", to focus our conduct towards the holiness of God, to have as our goal to be more like Christ.

Yes, the bible affirms that we are already saints but such separation for the service of God is not to live in a crystal ball and watch the world collapse around us showing indulgence and indolent conformity without taking sides in the matter. The Christian community that understands holiness as the challenge of trying to become more like Christ while responsibly confronting the iniquities of the world, equipped with an arsenal of justice and love for others, will always be blessed. Holiness is like having an itinerary, a goal, a challenge that leads inevitably to the feet of Christ by showing ourselves open and in solidarity with others in our way of serving God and our neighbor.

The Word says that holiness is something that is sought and practiced, it is not that we are already saints and it is over. The condition of saints - separated, consecrated or sanctified for God - has no validity if the expression of our Christian walk is contrary to the will of God in our relationship with Him and with others. Humility, love, dedication to the cause of the other, permanent flight from sin, are, among others, Christian virtues that magnify God and sanctify us. In the maturity process, the Christian must sanctify himself immersed in the world, not behind his back, being an agent of peace and harmony, offering himself to the exercise of virtue, forgetting himself (diminishing) so that God grows in his interior and is made visible by our testimony.

The Word says that “… we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). This verse teaches us that the dimension of holiness is not a game because to overlook it is to disrespect the cross and the death and resurrection of Christ. Holiness is brotherly love, if not just appearance and vanity. It's about "being it, not looking like it." The Lord reminds us: “Regarding brotherly love… God himself has taught you to love one another… However, brothers, we encourage you to love each other even more, to try to live in peace with everyone, to take care of your own responsibilities and work with your own hands. So I have commanded you, so that your way of life will earn you the respect of those who are not believers, and not have to depend on anyone ”(1 Thessalonians 4: 10-12).

God bless you!