My Final Thoughts on Holiness, Pt. 30

Throughout Scripture, we are admonished to be holy. The moment we receive Christ, righteousness is imputed to us. He became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). This right-standing with God cannot be earned or bought; it is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9). The moment we bow our knee to the cross of Christ and recognize our need to be free from sin, everything that we need to have our characters transformed is bestowed upon us. The chains of sin are broken, the Holy Spirit is given, and we can walk forward in newness of life, confident of our newfound position in Christ. Holiness, though, requires work.

Holiness is separation from the world to God. It is not a work accomplished in us the moment we accept Jesus Christ. It is a work of the Holy Spirit in us as we walk with the Lord. It is a state of being that we must choose and pursue. As we do, holiness manifests by the working of His power – not our own (Eph. 3:7). Like any relationship in which we choose to separate time and space for another, holiness grows as we separate time for the Lord.

I delineated the benefits of holiness in part 16, entitled Holiness and the New Covenant. Directly following the verses I used in 2 Corinthians 6:12-18, is 2 Corinthians 7:1, in which Paul, referring to these benefits, states, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." This Scripture tells us that we are to accomplish and complete holiness in our lives. By rightly dividing everything, we allow ourselves by the Holy Spirit to be brought to an end, so that with Paul we can confidently declare that "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

More than anything, I want to see God. My life verse is Psalm 17:15, "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness." I want to wake up to the reality that I serve a Holy God who loves me and desires for me to be holy because He is holy. I want to awaken to such an extent that I will whole-heartedly pursue His character and, in doing so, see my own transformed. I desire to be a vessel of honor (2 Tim. 2:20-21). Admittedly, I haven't arrived yet. The Holy Spirit has much to complete in Renée, but I am awakened and committed to submitting to the process, no matter how painful it may be.

I won't ask if you've enjoyed this journey. Truth isn't always easy to hear or read. My prayer is that in some small way, you have become more cognizant of what God commands us when He says to "Be holy." Perhaps if we all endeavor to bear fruit to holiness, the world will stand up and take notice. Maybe revival, renewal, restoration, and all the other "re" words we throw around will become a reality. The world desperately needs a holy church, and Jesus is returning for one. Let's not wait another day to pursue holiness.

Let's Pray:

Lord, I am astounded that You have commanded me to be holy. I don't have any confidence in my ability to become holy, so I am thankful that the Holy Spirit in me can achieve everything that You desire as I submit to His work. Father, I want to see You! More than anything else, this is my desire. Holy Spirit, I release control of my life, my nature, and my character so that I will triumphantly reflect My Father. When I dig in my heels, keep prodding and convicting until I completely surrender to Your will. Holy Spirit, please make me a vessel of honor that my Father can use. When I get discouraged or fall, comfort me and help me stand back up, confident in You. I thank You for this process because I know that I will awaken in Your likeness when it is complete. In Jesus' Name, amen.