For He came through the immaculate conception, pure and without any blamish. "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" (Ephesians 1:4).
From the above Scripture, we can clearly see that if we want to walk with God, living a holy life is indispensable to our our progress. Growing in the holiness of God, helps us understand what the love of God is. God's love is seen in His holy nature. The holy nature of Christ helps us walk in accordance of His good works.
"But ye have not so learned Christ;
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;"(Ephesians 4:20-22).
If you come into the fullness of the above scripture, you will realise that Apostle Paul was making it clearer to us that we can not learn about Christ in sin. For instance, if you go out for evangelism, the first thing you tell a non believer is about knowing Jesus and accepting Him and that the way to do that is by being born again.
It is essential to let the unbeliever know the importance of taking out the old man and putting on the new. After that, you proceed to teaching the unbeliever about growing in the pure love of Christ.
A person whose mind is filthy can never understand Christ until the person take out the sin nature. I have been asked while evangelising what sin is. You can not tell a person to take out a nature, if the person doesn't see it as wrong or a sin. Alot of sinners don't know what they are doing because they don't know what sin is. 1 Corinthians chapter six and Galatians chapter five are clear examples of such Christians and even unbelievers. Apostle Paul had to start explaining to them what sin and the natures of sin are.
We can't tell a person about the pure love of God if the old nature is still with that person. In like manner, Jesus addressed this issue while responding to Nicodemus. When Nicodemus said to Jesus no man can do this things you do except God be with the person(John 3:2).
Jesus did not start by telling him about the love of God. Jesus emphatically explained to him how important it is to take out the old man"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"(John 3:3).
Jesus stressed further and told him why sin and God can never walk side by side(flesh and spirit) by making him understand that what is of the flesh is flesh and what is of the spirit is spirit. It was after Nicodemus understood what it means to be born of water and spirit(born again) that Jesus started telling him about the love of God(John 3:16).
The phrase born again, means take out the old man and accept to be renew or reborn by the love of Christ. You can't teach a person about the love that is so big, if you don't really understand how the love was born. You can not love God by mere saying it. You love God by walking in the holiness of God.
In other words, for the pure love of God to form perfectly in us, we must grow in the holiness of God. If we look at holiness from the perspective of God's pure love, we will reflect it better.
God want us to be committed to being like Him. The only way you can be committed to God is by being holy. "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1Peter 1:14-16).
The love of God was born out of holiness. Therefore, no man can teach Christ or explain the love of Christ if he is not holy. Hence the scripture, "holiness without, no man shall see the Lord"(Hebrews 12:14). Repentance is not an option. Repentance is a command.
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