Grace and Holiness

To aprreciate Grace we gotta ask ourselves hypothectically if Jesus never came to die on the cross what will it be like for us? Will we even be in church? n if we do go to church,will we be bringing cattle for atonement n sacrifice for our sins?
but theoretically now in knowing we have Jesus that died on the cross for us as the sacrificial lamb for us all and once and for all.
Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)
From the blood of Jesus we can enter into His presence and have a relationship with God in the name of Jesus cos it is by the name of Jesus and it is Jesus who clothes us with His righteousness before a Holy God.
We however cannot make light of sin.We have to magnify the consequence of sin n eradicate sin.We have to hate sin! Be perfect,therefore as your heavenly father is perfect(Matthew 5:48).But we cannot do it by our own effort lo.When Jesus ascended to be the father, He promised us the Helper, the Holy Spirit who will guide us in to all truth and lead us into deeper knowledge of Jesus and the Holiness of God because the Holy Spirit by Himself, the mame implies that He is holy and He is God.
How do we avoid sin?
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation–but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:1-17)

We have to therefore set our minds in the Spirit and have the mind of Christ knowing our very identity in God having been crucified and resurrected in Jesus therefore we have shared in His suffering and We are to die to ourselves having to take up our own cross everyday.

16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want (Galatians 5:16,17)

this verse explains why we find it so hard to get of a sin,God is seperating us from our sin and our Spirit is willing to be moulded no doubt about that but our flesh when being pulled away from sin will hold on to it and even reluctantly like reach out to try grab it back like as if being swept by a current and we'll try grab on to something.Just let go and see what God is gonna do with a life submitted to Him wholly because God does a continuous work in us.The Nitty Gritty stuff we tink needn't need change,He will point them out and ask us to change with the helper the Holy Spirit.These Nitty Gritty stuff perhaps we dun see anything wrong with it cos it has so become a norm in us perhaps as David spoke about in Psalms:
12 Who can discern his errors?

Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then will I be blameless,

innocent of great transgression. (Psalms 19:12,13)


Pray and ask God to help reveal the hidden faults in you and together in partnership with the Holy Spirit,He will change you if only u'll let go and let God do that work He wants in your life and in my life.