Called to Holiness, Not Uncleanness

Reflection

These are troubling times. When we look around, we see more and more lawlessness. There are those who openly reject the gospel, and even some who do not believe in God at all, yet walk around making themselves a god.

Some are easy to recognize. They live however they want, satisfying their own desires with no shame and no conviction. But if I’m honest, it made me think about something a little closer to home.

I love chocolate bars with nuts, especially hazelnuts. One day I was shopping and saw the large bars on sale, and I grabbed a few because they were so cheap. Later, I opened one, just planning to have a couple of squares.

But as soon as I tasted it, it melted in my mouth. It was good… really good. So I took another square, and then another, and before I knew it, the whole bar was gone.

And right after, I had that moment. I knew I had gone too far. It was just a chocolate bar, but there was still that sense of, “I should have stopped.”

That small moment made me think about something bigger. Sometimes we know what is right. We know what Scripture says. But we still give in because we enjoy it. It feels good in the moment, and we do not want to give it up.

Maybe it is fornication. Maybe it is holding onto anger instead of responding differently. Maybe it is partying, getting drunk, or even something like gossip. Whatever it is, we can find ourselves choosing it, knowing it does not align with what God has called us to.

For many of us, there is conviction. There is that sense that something is not right, and that is the Holy Spirit working in us.

But there are also those Paul is talking about in 1 Thessalonians 4:7–8. They knew the instructions. They knew how they were called to live, how to walk, and how to please God, but they rejected it.

And we see that today. People rejecting the truth so they can continue to satisfy the flesh. Making excuses. Saying things like, “God knows we can’t live like that,” or “I believe some of the Bible, but not all,” or “That was written by man.”

But this is more than just brushing off a suggestion. Scripture makes it clear that when we reject what God has said, we are not rejecting man. We are rejecting God. And that is what makes this so serious.

God has not just given us instructions and left us to figure it out on our own. He has given us His Spirit. That means this call to holiness is not empty. It is not unreachable. It is something He is actively working in us. And if we stop and think about it, His likeness is not uncleanness. It is not sin.

I know it can be hard to let go of things that feel good. We all feel that pull at times. But we have to remember that what God is calling us into is better than anything we are trying to hold onto.