Pursue Holiness
- Bible Reflections
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
'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
It is Finished!
Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished [...] said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:28-30
As Jesus hung on the cross, His final word - Tetelestai ('It is finished') - was a declaration that His work on Earth was complete. His sinless life served as the perfect sacrifice that 'paid in full' the debt of sin and satisfied the wrath of God. No further offering was needed - through Jesus, God reconciled humanity to Himself.
Jesus was punished so that we might be forgiven.
Jesus was wounded so that we might be healed.
Jesus tasted death so that we might share His life.
Jesus was made sin so that we might be made righteous.
Since His death and resurrection, Christ's absolute holiness has been credited to all who trust Him for salvation, 'For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.' Hebrews 10:14
Because of Him, we are free - free from the law of sin, free from the debt of sin, and free from the guilt of sin.
Our holiness before God depends entirely on the finished work of Jesus.
Pursue Holiness
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14
Yet Scripture speaks of both the holiness we have in Christ and the holiness we are to pursue in our daily lives.
'Make every effort to be holy...' Hebrews 12:14
Practical holiness is not an option; it is God's call for every believer.
Not because our salvation depends on it, but because we are saved for it.
We are saved from the dominion of sin, clothed with the power to resist sin, so that we may defeat sin.
'Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure.' 1 John 3:2-3
God does not require a perfect, sinless life to have fellowship with Him, but He does require that we are serious about holiness, that we grieve over sin in our daily lives instead of justifying it, and that we earnestly pursue holiness as a way of life. The pursuit of holiness is a joint venture between God and the Christian. No one can attain any degree of holiness without God working in his life, but just as surely, no one will attain it without effort on his own part. God has made it possible for us to walk in holiness. But He has given to us the responsibility of doing the walking [...]. Holiness is a process, something we never completely attain in this life. Rather, as we begin to conform to the will of God in one area of life, He reveals to us our need in another area. That is why we will always be pursuing, as opposed to attaining, holiness in this life. - 'The Pursuit of Holiness', Jerry Bridges
What is Holiness?
The concept of holiness is often misunderstood.
For some, holiness means a list of dos and don'ts, while others view it as unattainable perfection.
The Hebrew word for holy means 'to be set apart for a specific purpose.' (Ancient Hebrew Lexicon)
Biblically, holiness means being separated from sin and consecrated to God.
The holiness of Jesus was more than simply the absence of actual sin. It was also a perfect conformity to the will of His Father. Jesus stated that He came down from heaven, 'not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.' John 6:38
Likewise, we are saved for holiness and set apart for a purpose - to do the will of Him who saved us.
'But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.' 1 Peter 2:9
There are two sides to our salvation: we are saved from sin to enjoy all the blessings of salvation, and to experience God's mercy, love, and restoring power. And we are saved for holiness - to reflect God's character and reveal to the world, 'the radiant excellencies and glories of God's character, of which our earthly qualities are but as shadows. The expression here does not merely mean that the audible praise of God should be upon the lips of Christians, but that their whole lives should, in a far deeper sense than that, be the manifestation of the 'excellencies of God. The world takes its notions of God, most of all, from the people who say that they belong to God's family. They read us a great deal more than they read the Bible. The witness of the life which is Godlike is the duty of Christian men and women in the world, and it is mainly what we are here for...' - MacLaren
God has called every Christian to live a holy life, and the Holy Spirit creates within us the desire for holiness. Therefore, we have a personal responsibility to walk in holiness.
In all of our thoughts, all of our actions, in every part of our character, the ruling principle that motivates and guides us should be the desire to follow Christ in doing the will of the Father. This is the high road we must follow in the pursuit of holiness. - J. Bridges
Why, then, do we so often fall and feel defeated in our daily battle against sin?
Does the Bible have any answers for real life? With all my heart I desired to live an obedient, holy life; yet there I was utterly defeated ... - J. Bridges
The Battle Within
'For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!' Romans 7:22-24
Understanding the battle within is crucial to gaining victory over sin.
Unbelievers do not experience this conflict; they simply follow their fleshly desires.
However, when someone places their trust in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, their soul is reborn, while the flesh remains unchanged. Therefore, the soul longs to please God, yet the flesh still seeks to please itself.
Every believer faces an ongoing, lifelong war between the longing of the Spirit and the desires of the flesh.
Paul himself struggled with his sinful nature, longing to be set free, just as we do: 'We who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.' Romans 8:23
The Holy Spirit makes us more aware of our lack of holiness to stimulate us to a deeper yearning and striving for holiness. But Satan will attempt to use the Holy Spirit's work to discourage us. One of Satan's attacks is to try to convince you that you are not a genuine Christian after all, 'A true Christian wouldn't think the evil thoughts you've been thinking today.' Now, it may be that six months ago, Satan wouldn't have come to you with such a suggestion because you were not troubled about your thoughts. But now that the Holy Spirit has begun to reveal how sinful your thoughts [...] are, you may begin to have doubts about your salvation. If you diligently pursue holiness, you must often flee to the Rock of your salvation. You flee there, not to be saved again, but to confirm in your heart that you are saved through His righteousness alone. - J. Bridges
Victory in Christ
The Bible assures us that victory over sin is attainable: 'For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:14
So, where do we go wrong?
Have we unknowingly given sin a foothold by feeding the desires of the flesh instead of starving them?
'Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.' Romans 8:5
Are we striving for holiness in our strength rather than relying on the power of the Holy Spirit?
'... if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.' Romans 8:13b
'... the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.' Romans 8:6b
Have we forgotten that we are not fighting this battle alone?
'... the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.' Romans 8:26-27
And Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God, intercedes for us also. Romans 8:34
'For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet He did not sin.' Hebrews 4:15
Are we discouraged and defeated in the battle, forgetting that the war has already been won?
'For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son ...
And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.' Romans 8:29-30
'Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
It is God who justifies.
Who then is the one who condemns?
No one.'
No Condemnation, No Separation, No Defeat
'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.' Romans 8:1
As we face our daily battle against sin, let us draw strength from the knowledge that:
We are not alone.
We are not defeated.
We are not under condemnation.
We are hidden in Christ and empowered to overcome sin.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Though the battle within will continue for as long as we live, praise be to God!
Through Christ, the victory has already been won.
Therefore, for all who are in Christ Jesus, there is now no condemnation, no separation, and no defeat.
'No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'
An invaluable resource for understanding the battle within.
'This classic still makes one think, pray, get real with God, repent, and find joy in wise obedience more effectively than any other book I know. I cannot recommend it too highly.' - J. I. Packer
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