"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life.
He did this, not because we deserved it,
but because that was his plan
from before the beginning of time--
to show us his grace through Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 1:9
People who have been through harrowing near-death experiences often undergo a transformation of perspective. They realize life is short and that the things they were focusing on were shallow and meaningless. Family takes on a higher priority, friendships are cherished as never before, and God plays a more significant role in their lives.
I don't have to wait until I nearly die to go through this same kind of transformation. As a follower of Christ, I am called to live a certain way. Just as the Israelites were always set apart and peculiar to those living round them, the modern day people of God are also called to be different. . . to stick out like a sore thumb. . . to be salt and light.
Saved for Godliness
God is holy. He is set apart, morally pure and holiness is an integral part of every aspect of his character. His justice is holy, His love is holy, His grace is holy. God is above all things and sanctified from all of His creation.
I was not saved from the consequences of my sin through faith in Jesus Christ so that I can live my life the way I always have lived. There is a purpose for my life that goes well beyond my life! God's plan is not for my comfort, for my blessing or for my well-being. God's plan is for His name to be glorified throughout the earth.
God called me unto Himself so that I can live a holy life and thus reflect His nature in a dark and sinful world. Peter teaches about my calling as recorded in 1 Peter 1:14-15. "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do."
It is not enough for me to accept Jesus as my Savior and enjoy the assurance of entrance into heaven, but never change the way I live. As part of God's adopted family, I am to be like the Israelites when God told them to, "consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy." (Leviticus 11:44)
I am saved and adopted into God's family so that I can live a holy life; different from the lives of those around me who are not saved, wholesome and decent, and this holiness should permeate every aspect of my character. My love should look different from the love of the unsaved because it is God's love. My gentleness comes from God and sets me apart from the harshness that is prevalent in the world. My gracious attitude gives others a break when the world has no mercy.
God is glorified when I live the holy life He called me to live.
Plan of Grace
Now that I claim Jesus as my Savior, my life is not my own. I was bought at a price. Therefore, He calls me to live a holy life, but this is not accomplished through my own effort. I am unable to live a holy life in my own strength.
Rather, it is God's grace that is freely given that empowers me to resist temptation and submit to God. Where God's law shows me how far I fall short of His standard, it is powerless to save me. It is incapable of giving me the ability to follow it, thus pleasing God.
Instead, it is His grace which enables me to change my ways and become more like Christ. As James teaches, "He gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires." (James 4:6 NLT) Like the desire to be my own master. Or the longing to meet my innermost needs. Or the urge to do things my way instead of God's way.
Missionary leader and devotional writer Andrew Murray described grace this way. He said, "God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as an embodiment of his will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do."
Grace is a gift freely given by God that makes possible the living of a holy life.
Before Time Began
Writer Kate Atkinson describes the beginning in this way. "Before the beginning is the void and the void belongs in neither time nor space and is therefore beyond our imagination. Nothing will come of nothing unless it's the beginning of the world. This is how it begins, with the word and the word is life. The void is transformed by a gigantic firecracker allowing time to dawn and imagination to begin."
Before God created time, the earth was formless and empty.(Genesis 1:2) I cannot fathom anything eternal in nature. . . it is beyond my ability to understand. I cannot comprehend a place without time. . . it is out of my grasp.
This, however, does not mean that God was not able to think and plan before time began. He existed forever. There is no beginning to God. As He was formulating His plan for creation, He included a plan for saving us from our sins.
As incomprehensible as is the thought of the plan of salvation existing before time began, it is supported in the Apostle Paul's teachings to the church at Ephesus. "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT)
God's plan for my life began before time began.
The way I live my life reflects my understanding of how I fit into the scheme of things. Once I understand that I was saved for godliness, that God's plan of grace empowers me to live a holy life, and that this plan existed before time began, I am inspired to live as God has called me to live.
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I my life today will be more holy than it was yesterday.
How do I set low standards for myself in the area of holiness?
How do these low standards reflect poorly on God and the grace He has given me?
