In the early 1900’s A. W. Tozer wrote, “We have learned to live with unholiness in our churches, and have come to look upon it as the natural and expected thing. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a church meeting, where the only attraction is God. One can only conclude that God’s professed children are bored with Him, for they must be wooed to church with a stick of striped candy, in the form of religious movies, games and entertainments.” I shudder to think what he would say about our churches today!
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:15, “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct”. So, why is it that we seem to think that doesn’t matter that much anymore? Or is it that we have just lost the true meaning of holiness? When writing to the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:3-4)
The word “Holy” means “set apart, different”. And that is exactly how we are to live. We are to be different than the world. They are to see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven!
Paul warned Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”
Note, Paul didn’t say that we should just tolerate or attempt to be like these people – he said AVOID such people! Be Different! Be Holy! That’s what our churches today are missing!