Title: Pursue Holiness
1 Thessalonians (24) Pursue holiness (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
< What is a holy life? >
What is the most lacking in the Korean church today? It is 'holiness'. The emphasis on ‘holiness’ creates a lot of opposition, prejudice, and cynicism. However, if you really want the second coming of Jesus, you must be interested in holiness. The “holy life” and “the second coming of Jesus” are closely related (verse 23). In other words, just as the mission to the ends of the earth is essential to the preparation for the Lord's return, a holy life is also essential to the preparation for the Lord's return. The ‘holy life’ is to prepare for the ‘second coming of Jesus’, and the ‘return of Jesus’ is to complete the ‘holy life’.
Can we live on this earth and be completely holy? Many believers are troubled by this problem and are disappointed because of their unholy appearance. And then you rationalize it like this. “You cannot live a completely holy life on this earth!” However, the text says that we can live a holy life even on this earth (verse 23). To fulfill the quest for a holy life, we must first understand the biblical meaning of holiness. What is a 'holy life'?
First, it means ‘a life separated from sin’. In Genesis 1, on the first day, God did not extinguish the darkness, but separated the darkness from the light. Holiness is not the complete annihilation of evil, but separation from it and distance from it.
Second, it means 'a life devoted to God'. Holiness not only means “separate from” but also “separate to”. In other words, a life separated from the world is holy, but a life toward God is also holy.
Third, it means 'a life filled with good things'. In other words, God must fill the empty heart separated from sin with good things. In other words, if you acknowledge God's absolute ownership over you and give your soul completely to God so that God can work as He pleases in you, God builds a house of blessing in that soul and the building of a holy life is accomplished.
< Pursue Holiness >
How can I live a holy life? First, have strong faith. Verse 23 first refers to God as the ‘God of peace’. Who can find and enjoy the peace of God? It is the one who has been saved. Ultimately, the first basic step for holiness is to believe in Jesus and be saved. Salvation gives ‘peace with God’, but holiness gives ‘the peace of God’. After all, the greatest evidence of holiness is not the splendid gifts, powers, or miracles, but the outer peace and inner peace that comes from the God of peace.
Seek holiness. Some interpret the holy life only spiritually. But in addition to the spiritual life, the physical life is also important. For some, the spiritual life is great, but the physical life is a mess. He is number one in the church, but at work, he is a troublemaker. If you go to a restaurant and pray aloud, and then start eating, the meat is not even half cooked, but you eat it all by yourself and chew it out loud, making it difficult for the employees. To dedicate yourself to God with such an image is contradictory.
Some people hold a megaphone on the street and shout, “Heaven of Jesus, Hell of Unbelief.” In the old days, such a method appealed to people, but now a lot more people are offended by it. In the old days, it was thought that it was a sign of good faith, but really good faith is having a complete religious personality.
Others, on the other hand, consider the holy to be without humor. In the Korean church, it is misunderstood that it is holy when you have to hold the Bible next to you, raise your head up, and say “Hallelujah! Sometimes they break the vocal cords to make the voice hoarse and divine. Those figures are not holy figures. If you nurture your body, mind, and soul in Jesus Christ and devote yourself cleanly, you will not go through the tedious process of suffering and God will give you clean blessings.