For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 NIV
Called to Holiness
An employee who works in the banking sector recently wrote on LinkedIn about losing his job for speaking up and accusing his company for not acting according to the Bank Act. He said, “Canada’s banking regulations, including the Bank Act, are designed to protect the public and maintain the integrity of the financial system. They require institutions to report breaches, maintain security, and act in good faith toward clients and employees. In practice, enforcement is weak. Organizations can violate these laws, fail to inform clients, and face no real consequences.”
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A disciple is someone who, over time, looks more and more like their leader. In Jesus’ day, it was someone who, over time, took on the look, the traits, the heart of their rabbi. Jesus’ first disciples understood this – they even called Jesus rabbi. In our culture, we can miss this when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. We are His disciples, and over time we ought to be looking and acting more and more like Him. This is the heart of what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:7: “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” Paul’s words remind us that holiness is not an afterthought in the Christian life—it is the very reason God called us. Too often, we reduce holiness to a list of rules or behaviours to avoid. But Scripture paints a far richer picture. Holiness is about belonging. God calls us out of the broken patterns of this world and into a life shaped by His presence, His grace, and His love.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley