ENGAGING YOUR BODY IN HOLINESS
“You are not your own, God title deed says so.” Rev. George Varughese
Holiness Series
1 Peter 1:15
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16
- 1 Peter 1:15
- holy
- 40. ἅγιος, ία, ον hagios
- set apart, holy, sacred
-
HELPS Word-studies 40 hágios – properly, different (unlike), other (“otherness“), holy; for the believer, 40 (hágios) means “likeness of nature with the Lord” because “different from the world.”
The fundamental (core) meaning of 40 (hágios) is “different” – thus a temple in the 1st century was hagios (“holy”) because different from other buildings (Wm. Barclay). In the NT, 40 /hágios (“holy”) has the “technical” meaning “different from the world” because “like the Lord.”
[40 (hágios) implies something “set apart” and therefore “different(distinguished/distinct)” – i.e. “other,” because special to the Lord.]
PART A: WHAT IS HOLINESS
PART B: BODY THE IMPLEMENTOR OF HOLINESS
PART A: WHAT IS HOLINESS
1. What is the benchmark of Holiness? 1 Peter 1:15,16
1. God is the personification of holiness
- Jesus lived in Holiness
2. Jesus is the model of holiness / Jesus modelled holiness
- Jesus gave the meaning of what it means to be holy
- because Jesus lived it!
3. Jesus is the standard of holiness
- Jesus defined with His life
- We must derive the meaning of holiness from Jesus’ point of view
2. What is holiness – the principle ? 1 Peter 1:15
- to be different from the world, meaning of (hágios)
- likeness of Jesus
- set apart
3. What is holiness – the practice?
- to pattern our lives after the model of Jesus
- to live differently from the world
- Why?
- To live as children of God must mark a different lifestyle
- others labelled the follower of Jesus as Christians Acts 11:26
- to not live as the word is to live a holy life Romans 12:2
26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11:26
- Acts 11:26
- a Christian
- 5546. Χριστιανός, οῦ, ὁ Christianos
- from Christos
- follower of Christ
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1,2
4. Body is the implementor of holiness
- our body parts are the machinery for action either for sin or God
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1,2
PART B: BODY THE IMPLEMENTOR OF HOLINESS
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,”He says, “shall become one flesh.”[a] 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body[b] and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
Key Lessons:
1. The power to refuse the common lifestyle for the ideal lifestyle / way of living though it is permissible
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 Corinthians 12:12
2. We decide to not to live in the status quo
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 Corinthians 12:12
3. We decide to use our bodies for Jesus
13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 1 Corinthians 12:13
4. We must recognise the rightful owner of our body
13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 1 Corinthians 12:13
5 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
5. We are barred from joining our bodies with sin
- Jesus taught that to join our body with the harlot is to become as one with the harlot
- There is the soul level that becomes connected in sexual union
6. Realisation of the ownership of our body
- we house the life of God in our body
- we do not own our body!
- because Jesus bought us
7. The rightful use of our body is for the Lord!
REFERENCE:
- THE POSITION CALLED HOLINESS Psalm 24:3,4, Psalm 1:1,2
- ENGAGING YOUR BODY IN HOLINESS 1 Peter 1:15, 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, Romans 12:1,2
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