2. Holiness in life
Holiness
(from the word holy, saint;
sacred=physically pure, morally
blameless or religiously consecrated);
moral purity
3. Possible Hindrances to Living a Holy Life
1. Lack or Neglect of studying God’s word
2. Third party
a) a person
b) a thing(s) of this world, I Jn. 2:15-17
3. Self-worth/worship
4. Priority
Our life must be a life devoted and dedicated to God
4. I. LIVING FOR GOD
v. 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children
A. Imitating or following God
Imitate (mimetes), an imitator
Its verb form, mimeomai, to imitate
(mimos—to mimic)
Paul uses the same word and tells the Corinthians to follow or
imitate him, (I Cor. 4:16); and tells them again, “Follow me as I follow
Christ.” (I Cor. 11:1). He uses the same word again to instruct the church
at Thessalonica, (I Thess. 1:6).
5. Paul presents to us an answer to three
questions here:
1. Who to imitate (follow)?
2. Why we follow?
3. How to follow?
6. 1. Who to imitate (follow)?
Imitate God
Follow God
Make God our model
2. Why we follow?
We follow God because we are His beloved
children.
B. As God’s beloved children
Beloved (esteemed, dear, worthy of love, favourite, a
word used only of Christ as the Beloved One, and
of God’s children)
7. I Pe 1:14—16
“Like children ruled by God, do not go back to the old desires
of the time when you were without knowledge:
But be holy in every detail of your lives, as he, whose
servants you are, is holy;
Because it has been said in the Writings, You are to be holy,
for I am holy.”
8. God loves His children and disciplines them:
Heb 12:5—6
“You are children of God, and he speaks words of comfort to
you. You have forgotten these words: "My child, don't think the
Lord's discipline is worth nothing, and don't stop trying when he
corrects you.
The Lord disciplines everyone he loves; he punishes
everyone he accepts as a child."
9. “The idea (of imitate) underlies the whole teaching of the
New Testament on the subject of Christian character and
conduct. To be like God, and to set ourselves to resemble Him,
is the sum of all duty; and in the measure in which we
approximate thereto, we come to perfection.”
(Alexander MacLaren).
10. “As we do imitate God, we become representatives of
God, especially before those who have shut God out
of their life. “What are we sent into the world for? Is
it not that we may keep men in mind of God, whom
they are most anxious to forget? If we are imitators
of God, as dear children, they will be compelled to
recollect that there is a God, for they will see His
character reflected in ours. I have heard of an
atheist who said he could get over every argument
except the example of his godly mother: he could
never answer that.”
(Spurgeon)
11. 3. How to follow or imitate—God
We imitate God by loving like
Christ and giving His life...
12. II. LIVING IN LOVE
v. 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also
loved you and gave Himself up for us, an
offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant
aroma.
Walk (peripateo, to walk; to live—to
regulate one’s life, to conduct one’s life)
13. A. Loving like Christ
Christ’s love is sacrificial
Christ’s love is unconditional
Christ’s love is gracious
Christ’s love manifests itself in giving
Himself
B. Giving like Christ
Freely gives
Expecting nothing in return
14. 1Jn 4:7—9
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God,
and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because
God is love.
In this the love of God was made manifest among us,
that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might
live through him.”
Our walk in holiness of life is characterized by the
outworking love of Christ that is in us.
15. Rom. 5:5 “...God's love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Eph 3:17—19
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the saints
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses
knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of
God.”
16. God our Father desires that we grow in
the knowledge of His word (in the right
doctrine), so we grow more as loving and
giving children of Him in worship and
service to Him, to His church, and to the
world.
The Christian life is a life that is devoted
and dedicated to God—to His purpose and
glory.
17. III. LIVING IN PURITY
vv. 3—5 But sexual immorality and all impurity or
covetousness must not even be named among you,
as is proper among saints. Let there be no
filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which
are out of place, but instead let there be
thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that
everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or
who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
18. A. Pure in thoughts, in words, and in works
Paul uses a comprehensive list of sexual sins:
• Fornication (porneia), a broad word describing
sexual sin
• Uncleanness, another broad word for “dirty” moral
behavior, especially in a sexual sense
• Filthiness, which has much the same as
uncleanness
• Coarse jesting, which has the idea of inappropriate,
“dirty” sexual humor
19. B. Full of thanksgiving
“ But rather giving of thanks: Positively, the
Christian is to give thanks for sex. We receive it
thankfully as a gift, and we enjoy sex in a way that
glorifies the Giver.
God’s purpose in giving sex is not primarily for
the gratification of the individual, but for the
bonding together of husband and wife in a one-flesh
relationship. Certain expressions of sexuality are sin
not because God wants to deprive some aspect of
enjoyment, but because they work against His
primary purpose for sex.” (David Guzik)
20. Things to GET RID OFF for holy living
Eph 5:5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually
immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Eph 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of
these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of
disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Therefore do not become partners with them;
21. CONCLUSION
Live for God
Live in love
Live in purity
To live for Him in our walk with Him in love like Christ, purity in mind,
words, and in our profession must be our life’s goal and priority. God is our
Father, He is our model of life in love, mind, words and what we do. Our life He
has given us must be a life devoted and dedicated to Him alone.
Today, make God your number One priority in life, in your family, in church,
or work. Make Him your model in life, your work, in your words, in your
relationship with one another and others
