“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy
Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1:14 (NIV)
What is the “good deposit”? The Holy Spirit living in us, upon our salvation, is certainly
the deposit of deposits…Christ in us, the hope of glory. But there is another deposit that is
entrusted to us.
That deposit, we are to steward, to nurture, and protect, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
That deposit? It is the call to a holy life for the sake of God’s purposes. In 2 Timothy 1:9,
the Apostle Paul encourages his apprentice Timothy, writing, “(God) has saved us and
called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own
purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of
time.”
So, how do we live a holy life?
1 Thes 4:7 says, “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” If the opposite of the holy life, in this verse, is impurity, it would stand to reason that our call to a holy life, is a call to purity. Purity in us is so important to God that He encourages us to guard it with the help of His Holy Spirit.
To live pure, there are things we should put away, things we should put on, and things we
should let God do. In Colossians 3, there is a list of things to put off: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying (verses 5-9).
There is a list of things for us to put on: tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness,
long-suffering, bearing with one another, forgiveness, and love, which is the bond of
perfection (holiness) (verses 12-14).
Then, there are things we should let God do in us: Let the peace of God rule in your
hearts. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, and whatever you do in word or in
deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him
(verses 15-17).
To put off, put on, and let God do these things is an act of obedience and worship. It is
bending our hearts toward God, guarding the good deposit, and ultimately allows Him to
accomplish His purpose in us.
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