Ephesians 4:24-30 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption.

This passage speaks of righteousness, holiness, and redemption and reflects the same thought as 1 Corinthians 1:30:  "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."  Only through Christ that we can receive righteousness, holiness and free redemption.  Romans 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity to iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness to holiness.

Some detail is given to the works that proceed from righteousness and holiness.  Be angry and sin not.  Anger here is mentioned, but strong negative emotion of any kind follows the same pattern.  There is a type of sin that, if translated literally, is "slipping across."  If you think of the law as a line, this is slipping across the line.  There is another type of sin that can be translated as: "stepping across."  There is a difference between slipping across and stepping across.  You may slip across into sin involuntarily.  This is what happens when you get angry.  This is what happens with a man looks on a woman to lust after her.  This is what happens when a sarcastic word comes out of your mouth.  It happens so fast that you have no time to react.  Then, there are sins that are on purpose.  They are willful.  You slip across and get angry, then you defend your "right to be angry" so that you can hold a grudge.  Or a man looks at a woman and slips across into sin, but then continues to gaze in willful sin.  When you willfully sin, you know that you are wrong, then you contend with God to ease your conscience, and you continue in sin.

When you slip across, this is the temptation.  It is the sin that is already in your heart springing up.  When you refuse to listen to your flesh and you listen to the Holy Spirit, you do not step across into sin.  Instead, you open the door to grace and grace does the work of God through you.  This plants good seed in your heart.  If, on the other hand, you listen to your own flesh, your own desires, and you ignore the Holy Spirit, then you sin and plant evil seed in the garden of your heart.  These seeds will grow and spring up and trouble you.  Either way, you reap what you sow.

Topic: Holiness, Sanctification, and Stability

\"It is because of him [the Father] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.\"   1 Corinthians 1:30 NIV   Holiness is progressive.  It is a change in what we are. It is a basic change in our very nature. You were designed for righteousness, holiness, and total redemption.  There is an upward spiral of righteousness, holiness, and redemption...

1 Peter 1:6 & 7  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found to praise and honour and glory at the appearing [Apokalupsis: removal of a covering or veil] of Jesus Christ FREE on-line BOOK (a...

Isaiah 48:10-11 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory to another. Many are called, but few are chosen.  Look at the place where the chosen are chosen: the furnace of affliction.  God does...

 \"But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind have taken us away.\"  Isaiah 64:6 \"For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness\" (I Thessalonians 4:7).  Some theologians assume that Scriptures that seem so completely opposed as these two are an indication that one of the Scriptures must be...

The Way Is Very Narrow And The Gate Is Very Strait  Key Scripture:   whatever is not of supernatural belief and trust is sin. Romans 14:23b   Whoever does miss the mark (sin) also does lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. * 1 John 3:4   Owe no one anything, but to love one another: for whoever loves another has fulfilled the law.  For this: You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal,...

If God requires total holiness, how can a Christian live total holiness? Is it even possible? Yes, It is possible to live in total holiness, but watch out for this. Do not modify holiness to be something that you can do. Do not think that holiness is something that you can do. Holiness is something that God causes you to become. You just receive it or reject it. There is a...

The Scripture Testifies to Holiness as the Heritage of the Church 1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 2:8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now...

Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ; Ephesians 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conversation refers to the whole manner of life) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your...

Question: I\'m 28 years old and I\'m from the United Kingdom. I said the sinners\' prayer in 2005 with some other Christians and I\'ve been going to church ever since. I got baptized in 2006. I was drinking very excessively before I started coming to church and I continued to live in this sin of drunkenness even when I was hearing the gospel at church and after I got baptized. When...

Many years ago while preaching about the harlot who washed the feet of Jesus, the late evangelist JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE (1847-1907) of Zion City, Illinois, related the following: "This poor woman, a harlot, who came in from the streets is called 'Hamartolos'; in the original word, that is to say, a prostitute, a poor, wretched, outcast woman, a harlot. Oh, is there any being upon earth so much to be pitied,...

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: You see that they have purified their souls (soul, mind, heart, life are all the same Greek word.)  This purification is holiness.  There is a measure of holiness in those who follow Jesus.  It is accomplished by obeying...