The word holy means “set apart.” Christians are supposed to stand out and be different from others because we have been given the presence of Christ in our lives through his Holy Spirit. We have been changed or “born again.”

We are called to be holy because the presence of Jesus in us makes us holy. Jesus taught us to be in the world, but not like the world. Paul said “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). We are going to think about things differently if we think about them like Christ. We are going to believe differently about some cultural issues because we believe God’s word has provided the right answers.

When God made us his children, he called us to be holy. God often told his people, “Be holy because I am holy.” But is it realistically possible to live a holy life in an unholy world? Should we develop a monastic lifestyle, avoiding any exposure to ungodly thinking? Do we just put our heads down and plow through our lives, trying not to see or hear what is being said around us? Do we vote quietly, or should we picket with loud voices? 

There are answers to those questions, but there is not “an” answer.

God called us to be holy and then gave us the Bible and his Spirit so we could be. Galatians 5:25 says, “Keep in step with the Spirit.” The phrase “keep in step” is a picture word that can mean soldiers marching in perfect unison or two dancers moving around the dance floor with coordinated grace. The point is this: We have each been given God’s Holy Spirit, and he will call out our individual marching orders, or lead our dance. Each of us will be led to live a little differently than someone else. 

But it is important to remember that the Spirit will never lead us in a way that contradicts Scripture.

If we want to be holy, we need to move through our lives in step with God’s Spirit and in tune to the marching orders we find in Scripture.

Did you live a holy life today? It depends on who led your dance or whose commands you marched to. We know this: We are called and equipped by God’s Spirit to be holy. Tomorrow the music will play and the army will march. Whom will you follow? 

He called us to be holy, and now it's up to us to follow his lead. The joy is that a holy life is a great dance. It's a march that ends with the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that God is holy and we are too—when we choose to follow his lead.