Introduction
God says that since He is God and we are His people, we are to “be holy, for I am holy.”1 For us to behave in such a way, we must depend upon Him and His supernatural power in our lives. There is no way to do this unless we are in relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus.
There are many reasons for Christians to live in this manner, here are four:-First, He commands it. He bought us with the price of the blood of Jesus so we belong to Him.2
-Second, we benefit spiritually and physically from holy living. He created us to live righteous lives in relationship with Him, and holy living is the only way to do that. Since He is God, He knows what is best for our spirit. Also, the Proverbs tell us that trusting in the Lord is physically healing.3
-Third, our ambition is to be pleasing to Him. We are His creation and supernaturally become a vessel of honor to Him.4
-Fourth, we appear as lights in the world. We influence those around us to be reconciled to God by living holy, blameless lives that stand out in a dark world.5
Influencing Light
One aspect of this last point is the one I want to focus on in this article -perseverance. Being a light and influencing folks for Christ can be a long process. Many times we do not know the positive impact we have on people until sometime later. 1 Peter 2:12 tells us that our behavior and attitude can cause those who observe us to glorify God at some point in the future. The day of visitation here is thought by commentators to mean the time when God evaluates the lives of individual men. At that time, because of something they saw in us, they will honor God.
The time between them observing us and their proclamation honoring God might take some time. For us, it is a future event, and we probably will not get the benefit and encouragement of seeing it during our lifetime. This is where the need for perseverance comes in for us.
For example, Galatians 6:9 tells us, “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” I think God gives us this encouragement because of those times when we put forth the effort to do good but do not see any results. If every time we did good we received immediate positive feedback, it would not be nearly as hard to continue to do good. This can especially be true when it involves personal sacrifice or denying ourselves -both conditions that are part of the Christian life. Jesus tells those who desire to be His disciple, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24) Read about Jesus’ example of humility in my related paper, Christ Humbled Himself.
Paul also talks about denying ourselves in Titus 2:11 & 12 where “the grace of God” instructs us to “deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.”6 This is not the normal lifestyle choice for most people and takes the supernatural work of God in our lives. Worldly desires are not just something that non-Christians have, all of us are affected by them since we are in the world. They can be attractive, but to the degree that they are unrighteous or ungodly, we should deny them.
The true Biblical viewpoint is counter-cultural and spoken against in society. The view of men in the world apart from Christ sees God’s wisdom as foolish. God does not do things the way that men think He should.
Just one example we see today in America is in the desire to be rich. Many people focus on it despite the Biblical warning in 1 Timothy 6. Verses 9 and 10 say,
“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” God can’t really know what He is talking about, can He? Certainly that doesn’t apply to me? Yes, He does know, and yes, it does apply to me.
How do we persevere?
Here are several thoughts on how we can persevere in doing good:
–Remember our Salvation
Peter reminds us that if we forget our salvation, then we are blind or shortsighted. (2 Pet 1:9) We need to have the long view and not get too focused on the immediate. Remembering our ‘purification from our former sins’ helps us do that, in part, because it reminds us that we have been saved for a future in heaven.
–Persevere Once
Perseverance leads to hope which does not disappoint. (Romans 5:3-5) If we can persevere just one more time, we develop hope which helps us persevere the next time.
–Fix our hope on Him
Romans 8:25 says, “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” Hebrews 6:19 tells us, “this hope we have and an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.” We develop hope which anchors our soul with a sure expectation for the future. All this is done by faith based on the work of the cross.
–Read the Scriptures
Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Reading the Word of God produces in us the perseverance and encouragement we need to keep believing.
–Pursue Godliness
We need to flee unrighteousness and pursue godliness which includes perseverance. (1 Timothy 6:11) To pursue it, we must focus on it, and be deliberate.
–Do Good Works
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” We demonstrate the characteristics of godliness when we perform good works by the Spirit of God.
–It is Worth It
If we focus on the immediate, our toil in the Lord may seem wasted. We need to know that God will not let our work be for naught. 1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
–Jesus Overcame
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” We should remember to take courage because of the overcoming work of Jesus.
Conclusion
I have listed four reasons for us to pursue holiness in our lives, and then several passages that encourage us in that pursuit. Perseverance can be developed in us, and keeping the right perspective in an ungodly world takes work and the grace of God.
Whether or not we see the impact of our lives, we need to remember this: “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.” (Hebrews 6:10)
Appendix
In a related post, I talk about how to encourage each other as Christians to love and good deeds. Please see, Encourage One Another.
1 Leviticus 11:45; 1 Peter 1:16
2 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
3 1 Timothy 4:8; Proverbs 3:8 It [trusting in the Lord] will be healing to your body, and refreshment to your bones.
4 2 Corinthians 5:9; 2 Timothy 2:21 Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things [wickedness], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
5 Philippians 2:14, 15 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.
6 Titus 2:11, 12 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.