"He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time"
Of course the question that begs to be asked from this scripture is "exactly what constitutes a 'Holy Life?'"
There are thousands of people who would give you a pretty radical view of what constitutes a holy life. Take a look at a lot of the terrorists: There are those who would tell you that their motivation is to become holy; to earn favor with Allah or God (remember not all religious terrorists are Muslim), and they act to cleanse the world of the unfaithful.
Well, if truth be told, what is really happening is that a large number of weak-willed people allow themselves to believe a bunch of religious justification for horrible acts at the bidding of evil leaders. They tell their blind followers to do something in the name of a diety. Maybe they are motivated by some screwed-up sense of religious obedience. Usually though, it is more about having power, at the expense of innocents.
But that's the most extreme level of how people think they are living "holy lives." It often comes dressed in far more subtle ways. I am often at a loss to explain why homosexuality is the preferred sin to justify condemnation of people in church communities. I've been at churches where gay staff members and ministers have been rejected by senior staff in a church, who in turn have affairs with their secretaries, steal from the offering plates, and callously destroying lives around them. I cannot begin to count the highly visible celebrity ministers who have been brought down by their own indiscretions. But they never seem to learn. They often resurface, outwardly penitent, but every bit as judgemental as before.
Or would a holy life be someone who likes to pray publicly, insist on everyone observing their holidays as they scoff those of other cultures? Or how about the "recovered alcoholic" who is quick to condemn someone else for having a glass of wine with dinner? Prevaricators, Polluters, Pornographers, and Politicians all hold their heads up higher than everyone else around them, so they can be admired, idolized and imitated. They play off the envy of their peers, and promote themselves shamelessly.
I think it's pretty clear: a lot of people leading "Holy Lives" are simply playing "holier than you." I think it just isn't so. I don't believe anyone, not even the "holiest" of us on earth can stand before God and say they live a holy life. Why is that, you ask? Because we're all fallible, mortal, humans. Everyone has at least one downfall, and most of us have several. We want things that we cannot afford, we seek approval from others, we crave fame or money or care more for our pets than people we know. Thousands of sins, those errors of judgement and hurtful decisions we made can never be erased.
Holiness is not something we can attain by ourselves. The term assumes there is, somewhere, some entity that has the right to confer that judgement upon us. I mean, why would holiness be a desirable attribute if it simply means we obtained such status in the eyes of someone who is equally flawed as we are.
No, a holy life isn't something we can make happen. But that's not to say we cannot have a holy life. The crazy thing is though, the only way to get it is to realize we cannot make it ourselves. It is when we acknowledge that we are flawed, and that only through the forgiveness of the completely un-flawed, can we be made holy. That's what the term "Grace" means. God, the perfect entity, grants us status as "made holy" and our shortcomings are overlooked.
If nothing else comes out of this season of Lent, let this be the thing you gain; the knowledge that God, by coming to earth as one of us, understands our sins (flaws), and forgives them. No radical act, no rebellious movement, no act of valor or generosity on our part will ever erase your transgressions. What was done is done, and cannot be undone. But in God, it doesn't matter. Give it a try. Give him the chance to make you holy.
You will live the better for it.
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