{"id":2741,"date":"2025-12-17T14:04:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/?p=2741"},"modified":"2025-12-17T14:06:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:06:17","slug":"learning-to-live-a-holy-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/17\/learning-to-live-a-holy-life\/","title":{"rendered":"LEARNING TO LIVE A HOLY LIFE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are certain phrases in Christian theology that can sound heavy, even foreign, depending on the tradition we come from. One of those phrases is the<\/strong><\/em> mortification of sin<\/em>.<\/strong> For some, it brings to mind old books, stern warnings, or an overly rigid spirituality. For others, it is familiar language, deeply rooted in how they understand sanctification and spiritual growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our theological perspectives do shape how we describe these things. Someone from a Reformed tradition may speak of mortification in one way. Someone from a Wesleyan or Arminian stream may frame it differently, using language like surrender, obedience, or victory over sin. Yet beneath the vocabulary, there is far more agreement than we sometimes realize. Scripture calls all believers to deal seriously with sin, not casually or recreationally, but with intentional, Spirit-empowered resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its core, mortifying sin is not about becoming legalistic, joyless, or prudish. It is about pursuing Jesus with an undivided heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Testament is remarkably direct when it comes to the believer\u2019s relationship with sin. Paul writes about this in Colossians 3<\/strong>, when he says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPut to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.\u201d <\/em>\u2014 <\/em>Colossians 3:5 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another letter, one to the believers in Galatia, he writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 <\/em>Galatians 5:16 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice the balance. This is not self-powered moral reform, nor is it passive spirituality. We are called to act, yet always by the Spirit<\/em>. We die to sin, but we do so because Christ lives in us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus Himself framed discipleship for us another way. In Luke 9<\/strong>, He says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Luke 9:23 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want you to see that dying to self, crucifying the flesh, walking in the Spirit, and living a holy life are not separate ideas. Rather, they are different angles of the same call. The call to, \u201cFollow Me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experiencing Victory Over Sin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the quiet lies the enemy whispers, and one believers sometimes accept, is that ongoing defeat is normal and that real victory over sin, or victory in life at all, is unrealistic. Those assumptions do not come from Scripture. They contradict the heart of the gospel and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible never presents sanctification as effortless, but it consistently presents it as possible. Sanctification is not merely a position we claim or a platform we stand on. It is a process we walk through and a pursuit we commit ourselves to. Because of that, a Christ-centered life marked by real change is not wishful thinking. It is a lived reality made possible by grace. The journey is demanding, but it is never hopeless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Paul declares in Galatians 5<\/strong>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.\u201d <\/em>\u2014 <\/em>Galatians 5:24 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This does not mean that somehow our temptations disappear overnight or that the struggle with sin vanishes from our lives in a moment. It does mean that sin no longer holds authority over us. It no longer defines who we are or has the power to direct our lives. By the power and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, patterns can change. Habits can be broken. Desires can be reordered. And genuine freedom can deepen and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea of us experiencing victory over sin is not about perfection. It is about our growth and refining. It is about progress shaped by grace, sustained by the Spirit, and anchored in our ongoing (and deliberate) pursuit of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living Intentionally<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means moving from casual belief to intentional obedience. It means laying aside the notion that abstract theology alone is sufficient. Faith must be lived, not merely affirmed. We go beyond holding the right beliefs and intentionally embrace a life shaped by those beliefs. Orthodoxy matters, but it must give rise to a godly orthopraxy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where the rubber meets the road in everyday life. It shows up in the ordinary, often unnoticed decisions we make day after day, where what we believe quietly but powerfully shapes how we live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n