You Are Called to be a Saint预览

Saints must avoid sin

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” (Ephesians 5:3)

Being a saint means living a holy life that honors God. This implies staying away from sin. The apostle John phrases this quite strongly in 1 John 3:6; if you keep sinning, you do not abide in God and don’t know Him. For Jesus appeared to take away sin, and in Him, there is no sin at all! So, if you want to belong to Him and imitate Him, you have to leave your old sinful lifestyle behind you and walk in newness of life.

Some early Christians thought it would be fine to just keep on sinning since God would forgive them anyway. Maybe their sins would even be a great opportunity for Him to prove His love and forgiveness! But no, the Bible says, the proper thing to do for saints is to stay away from sin. God hates it. It hurts Him. People who consciously keep on sinning can’t be part of His kingdom.

The Bible also says that every saint is still a sinner. But there is an important difference between ‘struggling to live a holy life’ and ‘just continuing in your sin.’ Take today’s verse seriously. If there is sin in your life, stop it and ask for forgiveness. Only then do you live according to your calling as a saint.