HOLY PEOPLE

After Paul described himself as a slave of Christ Jesus, He then described the people to whom he was writing. He said, "This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God's holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons. (Philippians 1:1)." Paul is writing the book of Philippians to the holy people who live in Philippi. The holy people refer to those who belong to Christ Jesus. It means that these are the people whose sins were forgiven because they put their trust in the Lord Jesus for their salvation. The word "holy" in this verse means to be set apart or dedicated to God. The only way that they can be set apart or dedicated to God is when their sins are forgiven, and they receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ in them. Romans 3:22 says, "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile." The believers in Philippi did not become holy because of their good works. They became holy because they believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

All those who genuinely believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior are holy in the sight of God because God has forgiven their sins and given them the righteousness of Christ Jesus. When we stand before God, He sees the righteousness of our Lord Jesus in us, and not our own righteousness that is based on our good works. We need to understand that we are accepted by God because of what Jesus has done in our lives. God considers us a holy people. He has declared us righteous people despite the sins that we committed. When we sin, we do not lose the righteousness of our Lord Jesus in us, but our sins affect our relationship with God. As a result, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins so that we can ask for forgiveness and repent from our sins. When we confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, and repent from our sins, we are restored to the right relationship with God and aligned with who we are as holy people. We need to praise God for making us holy people by giving us the righteousness of our Lord Jesus. 

We are holy not because of the good works that we have done, but because we receive the righteousness of our Lord Jesus when we believe in Him as our Lord and Savior. Our Lord Jesus had done it all for us to make us His holy people. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What does it mean to be holy? How do I become holy? What does our Heavenly Father see in me when I stand before Him? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for making me holy by forgiving my sins and giving me the righteousness of Christ in me. I don't have to prove myself to be accepted. I am accepted and saved because of Christ's righteousness in me. Thank you, Jesus, for everything that you have done to make me holy. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.