Holier Than Thou. Attitude or Commitment?

I think that we've all heard that a "holier than thou" attitude is not a good attitude to have. It might even tend to lose friends and win enemies.

But what exactly is a "holier than thou" attitude? Is is "I'm a more godly person than you so I'm better than you." That certainly wouldn't be a mark of humility, so according to my understanding of the Bible it wouldn't mean you were being holy, which is be like God.

Some "holier than thou" attitudes seem to involve keeping man made rules, like not watching any movies or TV shows unless they are specifically made by Christians. Or not eating certain foods banned in the Old Testament even if we're told in the New Testament that we're allowed to eat them now.

But if we are going to reject having a holier than thou attitude, does that that free us from seeking to be live a holy life?

Well, multiple times in Leviticus we are told to be holy. But what about in the New Testament.

"Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
(1 Pter 1:13-16) NKJV. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers., 1982,

OK, here we have the command to be holy for God is holy. We're told to be sober. But we're not to depend on our own strength to become holy.

Our hope is to rest fully upon the grace that is brought to us when Jesus Christ is fully revealed to us. That started when we came to believe in Him, and will be completed when we see Him again.

From the time He became our Lord and Savior we are to be obedient children. When we were ignorant and didn't know Jesus, we lived out our lusts on a daily basis. No more. Now we are to be holy in all our conduct.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
(Romans 12:1-2 NKJV Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers., (C)1982)

I agree we should do away with a "holier than thou" attitude. But we should seek by the grace of God that our conduct be as holy as God's holiness. We will, of course, need we'll need His help for that. It is help He is more than willing to give.

The Faith That Pleases God

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" Hebrews 11:6
(c) The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers., 1982, S.

If you care at all about pleasing God, this verse is a good one to consider. From it we learn that if we don't have faith we can't please God. But what kind of faith is being written about in this passage?

This faith definitely has to do with coming to God. No one is going to come to a God if he doesn't believe a God exists. So the very start of the faith that can please God is one that believes there really is a God.

Believing God exists is a necessary beginning, but if that is where people stop they will one day day discover they fell far short of what pleases God. Satan believes there is a God but wants to replace Him as Lord of all creation. We can believe God is real but then only seek to have our own selves as lord of what we think, say, and do.

After we come to believe that God is real, we must then continue on to believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

What do you suppose is the reward that people get for earnestly seeking God? Well, if I was one to seek after gold, the reward I would hope to get would be gold. If I'm going to fervently seek God then the reward I hope to get will be God Himself.

When I was pursuing a certain lady who used to live in California, getting to know her better, and learning what pleased her, my reward came when she became my wife. I still have that glorious reward of being married to her, and it keeps getting better.

How do we diligently seek God? Well, there's a book that helps us to know Him better. The Bible. There are also Bible study materials, and Bible teachers who can help us know God better.

If we can't be bothered with reading and studying the Bible, and if we fail to take advantage of what godly Bible teachers have to offer, then we are not diligently seeking God. So whatever faith we think we have may not be the faith that pleases God.

I want to please God. Therefore I want to seek Him not in a half-hearted way, but with all my heart. I pray you will do the same. When you think of it, please pray that I will follow through with my diligently seeking God every day.