Pursuing Holiness
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Sometimes we can view the Christian life as only doing good outwardly, but God wants to change us from the inside out. Good deeds should reflect a character and life that are being transformed by the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to do good in the world; it’s another to have good deeds spring from the core of who we are and not just surface motives. Both are important.
Throughout the Bible, God’s people are called to pursue holiness. Leviticus 11:44 states,
Leviticus 11:44 (ESV)
For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.
The writer of Hebrews continues this declaration:
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
In 1 Peter, Peter also states,
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
When we hear words like holiness or sanctification, we might think of saintly people who never fail or do anything wrong. But “to sanctify means to make holy or be made holy. … Holiness refers to separation or apartness. In the Old Testament, Israel was called a holy people because of their separation to God from all other nations”
The word sanctifcation in the greek is hagiasmos
to dedicate to the service of and to loyalty to deity—‘to consecrate, consecration, to dedicate to God, dedication.’
Though in certain contexts ἁγιάζωa and ἁγιασμός suggest resulting moral behavior, the emphasis is not upon a manner of life but upon religious activity and observances which reflect one’s dedication or consecration to God. Accordingly, in 1 Cor 1:2 one may translate ἁγιάζω as ‘who have given themselves to God’ or ‘who serve God with a whole heart.’
The concept of holiness continues to describe God’s people in the New Testament (Christians) and it sdhould also define us. God has done that with our lives. The Christian life is a life set aside for God’s purpose. Not just certain times and rituals but our life and the very core of who we are he wants to change to reflect Jesus and use for his purpose. This is the sanctification of the Christian life. God is concerned not only with the believer’s status but also with your status, not just who you are in an eternal sense, but who you are today and who your choices and decisions make you.
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
In explaining Hebrews’s call to holiness, David Peterson says, “The related challenge is to be holy (lit. ‘pursue holiness’). It is clear from v 10 that God must work in our lives to make it possible for us to ‘share in his holiness’ (cf. 13:20– 21), but v 14 insists that we have a part to play. We must seek that practical holiness of life (Gk. hagiasmos, ‘consecration, sanctification’) which flows from a genuine dedication to his service and obedience to his will. Apart from such holiness no-one will see the Lord (i.e. experience eternal life). The implications of v 14 are drawn out in the following verses”
One way we can view the Christian life is as a state of being under construction. In the world of construction, rarely does an entire project happen with no problems, whether rain delays, cost problems, or unforeseen issues that need to be reengineered. If you ever build something, it would be foolish to assume it will all go smoothly. Things will go wrong, and there is no playbook for everything in life. The thing we must remember is who to turn to in all things. “Sanctification has a double aspect. Its positive side is vivification, the growing and maturing of the new man; its negative side is mortification, the weakening and killing of the old man” (J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life [Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1990], 198).
In the animated film Frozen II, sisters Anna and Elsa are learning about Elsa’s powers and destiny. Realizing that she must journey to a dangerous place alone, Elsa leaves Anna in order to protect her on their journey. Anna struggles to understand why Elsa abandoned her, and she must find her way to her sister or home by herself. Alone in a dark cave, Anna wonders where to go and what to do. She decides the best step is to “do the next right thing.” Life can get complicated, and we can wonder about the right paths or pursuits. By following God, we will choose his will, step by step—the next right thing.
But how do we pursue holiness? Isn’t that something God just does “magically”? The call to pursue holiness reveals that there is a cooperative nature to sanctification. To pursue holiness shows the need for us to yield to the work of God in our lives through the Holy Spirit. We must continually be doing the hard work of confession, repentance, and turning to God to renew us in our lives. We must seek God to know what he desires in our lives and pursue those things. This takes reading his Word, praying, spiritual disciplines, and being part of a Christian community that provides support and accountability