1 Thessalonians 4:7
“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”
One of the battles we fight in society is the desire for everyone to be the same. This battle has created a passive attitude that has caused many to not care whether or not they exceed in life. It is only the few who try to rise above the average and have no desire to be like everyone else who make the greatest mark on society.
Sadly, many in the Christian world have adopted the passive attitude that has no desire to be different than everyone else. We oftentimes look for God’s will in our lives, and one of the wills of God is that we become distinctly different from the world. The verse above says, “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” Notice that you are called “unto holiness.” In other words, you are called to be distinctly different from the world. There are three thoughts that come to mind as I look at this verse.
First, we were not called to identify with the world. There is an element in Christianity that decries the holiness standards God sets in the Scriptures. They want church services to become more casual, music to have the sound of the world and lifestyles to become more similar to the world. They think that if we can identify with the world that we will better reach the world. Friend, you were not called to identify with the world. You are not to look more like the world so you can reach them. We are not to identify with “uncleanness” just so we can clean them up. You won’t get people clean by jumping in the mud puddle with them. People must come out of the mud puddle to get clean. Stop trying to identify with the world and realize your calling to holiness.
Second, we were not called to be distant from the world. You will notice that the standard of God is holiness. God’s standard of holiness has nothing to do with where the world’s stance is. If distance was God’s standard, then we could scripturally change according to culture and conscience. Holiness never changes and neither should the Christian.
Third, we were called to be distinctly different. When God called the Christian unto holiness, then He was calling them to be distinctly different from the world. The church in Antioch was so distinctly different that they were called Christians. They were not called Christians because they lived the same lifestyle, but they were called Christians because they had a different lifestyle. They understood their calling to be distinctly different, and they lived it which resulted in being called a Christian. The Christian should be distinctly different in attitude, lifestyle, conversation and worship. None of these should be changed just to grab the world’s attention. The thing that will grab the world’s attention is when the Christian lives a distinctly different life.
Let me ask you, are you living such a distinctly different life that the world looks at you and calls you a Christian? I’m not asking you if they are calling you a Christian because you told them you are one, but I’m asking you if you are called a Christian because you are distinctly different. Being distinctly different is not being weird or out of touch, it is living a life of holiness. When you live a distinctly different life, then that is when you will be able to make the greatest impact on the world because you will have a reason to call them out of the world unto Christ.