Good morning everyone,

2 Corinthians 7:1-2-Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Many times I think the term "be holy" brings with it many misconceptions as to what it really means between us and Christ. Holy literally means "without mixture". So when you think of holiness, purity (not just sexual) usually comes to mind, and that is right to think that way. The issue however is that many Christians think of holiness as some kind of outward conformity of "does and don’ts". So we begin to ignore a personal "heart-checking" relationship with Jesus, and sometimes don’t realize that we’ve created "a mixture" in our hearts.

Just like a relationship, if their is any sort of "mixture" between the two, it dilutes the admiration and passion of the relationship. Many of us lack passion and the right admiration in relationships because there is usually "unchecked" sin between us diluting it. So it is no longer "holy" but defiled. So when something is defiled or corrupted, it doesn’t just stay at that same level, it gets worse if you don’t remove what is defiling it. It is only when we remember the love and admiration we have for the individual, do we then hopefully desire to make it right and whole or "holy" again.

The beauty of Jesus Christ is of course that He had such a passion for us that He came and died on our behalf, which made the relationship holy. Our mixture of sin had gotten in the way of us ever coming to know God as He created us to know Him. So walking in holiness before the Lord has all to do with our heart first, in relation to Jesus Christ. I believe it is too easy for any professing Christian to conform in behavior for 2hrs on Sunday and then be in an emotionally abusive relationship with their Lord. By emotionally abusive I mean by neglecting, lying, denial, and never repenting and saying sorry for all things we’ve done to Him throughout our day. My prayer for myself has been that I would see holiness as what is needed to admire and passionately love Jesus Christ like He loves me. Such a passion that He died to remove any "mixture" that could cause me not to know His love! So in reality I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to receive a love like that in all their relationships. But such a love can only come through being "Being Holy He is Holy". In doing so we confess and live out our desire to be "one" as Jesus and the Father are One, and repent of all "diluting sin" daily to keep the passion alive!

In His Love, Ld