Title: 'True holiness' is the result of a heart condition.
Scripture base : Ephesians 4: 24.......And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

God's Word has much to say in regards to the need for us to be living our lives in holiness. Therefore it's important for us to have a good understanding of this subject.

Firstly, let's define what holiness means. The dictionary defines holiness as "the state or quality of being holy". The same dictionary defines 'holy' as "Regarded with or characterised by reverence because associated with God; having a divine origin; sacred; consecrated".

Let's take a moment to reckon these definitions. Holiness is the actual state of being 'holy'. Something is considered to be 'holy' when it is associated with God; or, when it is considered to be of a divine origin; or when it is considered to be sacred or consecrated....in other words, it is set apart for God's purpose.

You may recall in the scriptures that when something was made holy, or was set apart for God's holy purpose, it was said to be 'sanctified' which literally means 'made holy'.

So let's understand, that in order to live a holy life before God, my life must reflect God's principles. The world around us should see the reality of God in my life and readily associate me as someone who is living for God. Therefore the fruit of my Christianity should be obvious. People should be able to see from my actions, that the very source and origin of my life, is indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ. My life must bring Glory to Him! And in order to be truly holy, there must come a time in my life, where I determine with all of my heart, that I belong to God, and as such, my life is set apart and sanctified for His holy purpose.

Therein lies the key to true holiness. 'True holiness' originates from, a heartfelt decision, made by someone who genuinely loves the LORD and wants to serve Christ with all of their heart. When a person reaches this point in their relationship with God, they understand that God knows best; they sincerely love and trust Him enough to willingly yield to God's direction and God's principles, and they have willingly determined to place their own will, in subjection to God's will.

The end result of this sincere heartfelt decision is a dedicated Christian who has set apart their life for the sole purpose of serving God and seeing His divine will fulfilled. This kind of Christian willingly obeys God and follows His direction, because he or she sincerely loves God and they want their life to literally preach God's righteousness and God's principles, thereby bringing glory and honour to the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is this willing yielding, willing obedience, and willingnesss to set ourselves apart for God's holy purpose, that encapsulates the very essence of living a holy life before God. Holiness, is the real, down to earth experience of willingly saying 'yes Lord', and obeying God's direction for our lives. It is the very action of willingly yielding to His Word, to His Spirit, and to His will, and it all starts with the right heart condition.  

This type of heart condition can only be born out of a genuine love and appreciation for God, and when it exists it will be reflected in everything that we do and say. When we have this beautiful 'God loving' heart condition, it will always bring glory and honour to our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Of course the bible offers direction in every aspect of our lives. It covers such issues as marriage, fatherhood, motherhood, manhood, womanhood, dress, hair, speech, associations and friendships, conduct, worship, family, business and a multitude of other subjects associated with how we should live our lives.

Without a doubt 'true holiness'; that heartfelt yielding to God; will affect every aspect of our lives. It will be reflected in the way we conduct our marriage and relationships, the way we dress, the way we worship, the activities that we allow ourselves to become involved in. However, we should never fall prey to the trap of believing that holiness is like a 'uniform'. A uniform that we wear when it suits, or when we want to impress our Christian peers so that we can be seen to be living a holy life.

Holiness is not a uniform to be worn for some personal gain or to be seen of men. Holiness emanates from a genuine heartfelt condition that causes us to willingly say "not my will, but thine be done Lord". And it is born out of a pure love for Jesus Christ. It's a condition that affects every aspect of our lives, seven days a week, twenty four hours a day, and it creates a willing desire to see God glorified no matter who is around and no matter what circumstances exist.

When a person's heart isn't really in the activity they are involved in.......it shows!

In similar fashion, when our heart is not fully yielded to Christ.......it shows!

I am reminded of  a story about a young boy who was asked by his teacher to stand up. The boy refused to stand. Once again the teacher asked the boy to stand, and again the boy refused to stand in front of his classmates. Finally the teacher demanded the boy stand or he would be sent to the principal to be disciplined. With all this pressure, and the threat of judgement, the boy finally stood up, albeit very reluctantly, and as he stood he publically pronounced, "I'm standing on the outside but I'm really sitting on the inside"!

That's what it's like with us as Christians when we do our service for God reluctantly, or begrudgingly. We may be doing something that the bible says is correct in principle, but if our heart isn't in it, or if it isn't done out of a motivation of a genuine love for Jesus Christ,  it means and achieves absolutely nothing (1 Cor: 13: 1-3). This kind of half hearted, lacking in love service, certainly doesn't bring Glory to God, nor does it reflect the Godly attitude that is the very source of 'true holiness'.

'True holiness' originates from a beautiful heart condition that causes us to willingly obey God because we truly love Him and desire to see Him glorified through our life.

So in closing I encourage each and every one of us to make that heartfelt commitment to God that causes us to put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Let's all see God glorified in our lives!

Praise the LORD!

Pete.