A casual survey on the block asking Christians if their desire is to be holy would likely result in a resounding “YES”. Even in my overtly rebellious days I can’t imagine saying “no” to wanting to be holy. That’s what a good Christian wants to be, that’s what we sing about in our praise songs, that’s the word that comes up in our prayer requests. We want to be holy. Or do we?
But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1: 15-16
If we believe that the blood of Christ has saved us from our sins, and made us righteous and accepted by God, then we are called children of God. We have become new creations; we are not dragging around our ‘old man’ or continuing on in those ways. We have been told to put off the old and put on the new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4: 24). As children, we are commanded to obey our parents..is this any different for us as children of God? Jesus Himself tells us that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14: 15).
We are commanded to be holy. Some of us may view this as a challenge: “No problem. I’ll just pull up my bootstraps and do my very finest.” Others may begin the journey and fizzle out because of the difficulty. And, then there are those who look at this and say “No way can I do that.” All of these responses, though, eventually result in living the old way (according to the flesh) because of defeat in our own strength.
This boils down to the grace of Jesus Christ. Will we view the work that Jesus accomplished on the Cross in a cheap manner? One where our behavior tramples all over the shed blood of Christ? He saved us, whew!, so I’m covered and can keep living in whatever manner I please? Or will we grasp the cost of this sacrifice on our behalf? Because Jesus gave His everything for our sakes, endured the wrath of God in our place, lived a pure and blameless life because we couldn’t, will we gratefully sacrifice our flesh and old ways?
It is certainly not easy…and I’m thankful that it is not. I don’t want to take the grace of Jesus, nor my sanctification (this pursuit of holiness), for granted one bit. Knowing that I’m working with the Holy Spirit as He purifies me gives me perseverance to press on. Knowing that He who began the good work in me will finish it gives me confidence. Knowing that I can do all things through Jesus Christ gives me all the strength that I need.
But, knowing that I am called holy (or righteous or perfect) because of Christ’s sacrifice…because of HIS righteousness…….is the perspective that I need most as I’m called to pursue holiness. Weird, I know, that we are holy yet we are also becoming holy, but that’s the way it is. God views us as accepted and holy because of Christ’s work on our behalf; yet, while on this earth we are carrying around our flesh and this process of controlling the flesh (also known as mortifying or subduing it) is our work as we pursue holiness. To call myself a child of God, but to live in a way that is actually a child of the devil, is a lie. I must control my flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit. I can no longer go around living like someone who hasn’t been saved from their sin, who hasn’t been made accepted in the presence of God. I must walk as a child of light, since I’m now light in the Lord. I’m no longer darkness, so I need to stop taking part in the acts of darkness or flesh.
Challenge: do you call yourself a child of God? If yes, examine your life. Are you living in disobedience to God’s commands? If so, you are telling God that you are wiser than Him and that you know better than He does what is good for your life. Maybe your sins are obvious…maybe they’re more hidden…ask God to reveal where you are not longing for holiness. Better to chop off the branch of a dead tree than to allow it to keep hanging on without bearing fruit. Pursue holiness, bear fruit, follow the Lord, imitate Him, be holy for He is holy…and He is your Father.
