To abide in Christ, to live in His presence, is what we were created for. To do that we must be holy, for He is holy. Sin cannot exist in the presence of God. As Adam was driven from the presence of God because of his disobedience, even our sin today drives from His presence.

We are commanded to be holy. What does that mean? It doesn’t mean perfect; it doesn’t mean sinless. Only God is perfect and sinless. The best way to live holy, is not to try to be holy, not to try not to sin. The answer is very simple.
What does holiness mean? Understanding this is key because it determines our actions. Holiness does not mean perfect, it means sanctified, being set apart. You are set apart from the world and unto God. This means you don’t do the things of the world, you don’t look like the world, you don’t talk like the world, you don’t act like the world. We are in this world but not of this world.

Living in holiness boils down to a very simple action: your decisions. Every decision you make, every choice you make, will determine holiness. Every time I am faced with a decision, which of two choices I will make, my holiness is affected. Will I satisfy myself and my desires, or will I choose what is right before God? Every time I make the right choice, I am honoring God. I am showing Him that I choose to live for Him. I am setting myself apart from worldly choices, to choose His will over mine. When I make those conscious choices to honor God, there is less probability of falling into sin or temptation. The more I do this, the easier it gets, and consequently, the holier I will become.

Holiness, or being sanctified simply means being set apart for a specific use or purpose. For example, when God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle in the wilderness, He gave him very clear instructions on what to do. One of the things God told Moses to make were utensils that the priests would use for the sacrifices, which Moses consecrated when he finished setting up the tabernacle (Numbers 7:1). These utensils, were consecrated, sanctified, and set apart for ‘tabernacle use only.’ In other words, priests could not take them home to carve their roasted lamb when they had a barbecue. God would have struck them dead because they had defiled the utensils, that were ‘set apart’ for tabernacle use only. To live holy, or a sanctified life, means that we are set apart for God’s use. That is why we can’t in the world, and in the Lord simultaneously.

Believe it or not, holiness is a magnet. Just as the north pole is attracted to the south pole in magnetism, so God is attracted to holiness. Draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto to you. (James 4:8). We draw near to God in our holiness by the decisions we make. In the Garden of Eden, God walked in the cool of the day and He was going to meet with Adam. Because Adam was created without sin and perfect – therefore he was holy – God sought him out. It says in the book of Job, who is man that would visit them every morning? (Job 7:18). We don’t necessarily have to go after God, He will come after us. When we are living a holy lifestyle, He will come because holiness attracts God.