God has called all Christians to live a holy life, one that is marked by a constant pursuit of His righteousness through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. God Himself said in Leviticus 20:26, "You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own." It should be our lifelong pursuit to be holy!
Some of us might ask if we can allow even just a little sin in our lives. After all, we're only human, prone to making mistakes every now and then. While this might sound logical, God's Word still stands: James 2:10 says, "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws."
But I can never be sinless!
Friend, you might think that God is harsh, and might as well be saying that you can never be perfect and can be guilty of "a little sin" once in a while.
But you must realise that having that kind of thinking is dangerous. While we can never be sinless and perfect in our own strength, God has given us all that we need to live a holy life. We should not allow room even for just a little sin in our lives!
A little yeast
Allowing room for some sin in our lives, like a white lie here or a little stealing of spare change there, unknowingly and silently makes room for more!
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:6, "Your boasting about this is terrible. Don't you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?"
We should be careful with our desires. When we become lax and permissive about the things that we allow in our lives, in our thoughts and actions, we will soon find that we are living the same old life that brought Christ to the cross.
Let us be reminded of Romans 6:1-4, which says, "Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives."
Living under grace, not under the law
Friend, this is not about striving to live according to the law once more, proving to God that we are good and kind and all that. This is about living in gratefulness to God for His grace that was showered upon us while we were still sinners.
Remember, living a holy life doesn't mean not failing once in a while. It means not living for yourself or the world, but living for God alone.
