I was talking about living a holy life for the Lord to a stranger this week, and they asked me, “How do you know if you are being too strict? Where do you draw the line?” It got me thinking about what God says in this regard.

Here are some reasons why it is good and right to be strict about obedience and holiness, after one very necessary point of clarity.

CLARITY | Those elect are not saved by their obedience, but they are saved for obedience.
Ephesians 2:8–10For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

1. Be strict in biblical obedience, because God is working in you.
Philippians 2:12–13 ¹²So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

2. Be serious in your pursuit of holiness, because if the Lord loves you, He will punishes you.
Revelation 3:19 ¹⁹‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Therefore be zealous and repent.

3. Seriously glorify God in obedient living, because God purchased you, and made you His possession, and the purchase price was His son.
1 Corinthians 6:20 ²⁰For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Peter 1:17–19 ¹⁷And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your sojourn, ¹⁸knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your futile conduct inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

4. Pursue holy living with effort, because you are a slave of God, and a slave of righteousness.
1 Peter 2:16 ¹⁶Act as free people, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as slaves of God.
Romans 6:18 ¹⁸and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

5. Strive for holiness in all of your behavior, because God is Holy and will judge your work.
1 Peter 1:15–17 ¹⁵but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your conduct; ¹⁶because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ¹⁷And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your sojourn,

6. Be strict in both the “greater” and “lesser” matters of God’s Word, and teach others to as well, because the Lord will declare you great if you do, or declare you least if you do not.
Matthew 5:19–20 ¹⁹“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 23:23 ²³“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

8. Be strict in keeping yourself unstained from the World, because that is what God considers pure and undefiled religion.
James 1:27 ²⁷Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

9. Do not relent from obedience to God’s commandments, because such pursuit is the outpouring of your love for Him.
John 14:15 ¹⁵“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

NOTE: Many false teachers are in the church today and they champion lawlessness. Such teachers will call strict obedience to God, “legalism.” This is an error. Real legalism is doing good works to earn your salvation. Earning forgiveness and salvation is an error that will lead you to hell, but so will the error of turning the zeal for good works and obedience to God into an error itself (Isaiah 5:20). Don’t listen to them, they will lead you to a “freedom” that is simply disobedience masked and rationalized under a false Jesus. Don’t listen to them, they lead you astray from God, because without the pursuit of holiness, you will never see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14 ¹⁴Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (aka holiness) without which no one will see the Lord…