Pursuing Holiness

 

In our Christian lives, God does not call us to mediocrity, complacency, passivity, or spiritual lethargy. To the contrary, Scripture aptly depicts the Christian as one who is actively engaged in the continual pursuit of holiness, by God's grace, while overcoming the hurdles that would hinder his progress. The true Christian understands that striving for holiness is not an option, but a command. “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16). “Pursue… holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Moreover, we are saved for a purpose - not only to be spared from eternal wrath, as wonderful as that is, but also to glorify God through our lives. However, if our lives are not holy, but instead worldly or carnal, we will not bring honor to God, but reproach on His name. The more we bear the image of Christ by walking in true holiness, the more we will magnify Him. However, this does not come without a price. Christ told His disciples (and by extension, all believers), that if they followed Him, they would encounter opposition. “All who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). Darkness hates light, whether it is in the world or in our own hearts (Jn 3:19-20). Thus, quite appropriately, God illustrates the Christian life using metaphors, such as a soldier fighting a battle or an athlete running a race. The implication is that, though salvation is all by grace, living the Christian life is not easy, but, in fact, quite challenging. Unlike the popular perception of Christianity, it is definitely no Disneyland. Fighting Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh is a daily struggle. It's not like coasting downhill, but like climbing up a steep mountain (thankfully, with some breaks). Of course, if someone always yields to temptation and does not resist it, then there will be no challenge or battle. But then one has to call into question the genuineness of his conversion, since all true believers are set free from bondage to sin and seek to have victory over the flesh, which entails spiritual warfare. Thus, anyone who thinks the Christian life can be lived by just sitting back and doing nothing, using God's sovereignty and grace as an excuse (aka hyper-Calvinism or hyper-grace), is sadly misinformed. (Note: Hyper-Calvinism, which is based on antinomianism and abuses God’s sovereign grace by using it to justify carnal living, is distinct from true Calvinism, which recognizes God’s total sovereignty in election, while also acknowledging human responsibility in moral decisions.) Though God is sovereign and certainly works in us to sanctify us, without which we could not grow, we also have a responsibility on our part to participate and cooperate with Him. Though regeneration is monergistic, sanctification is clearly synergistic. True believers will agree that though God mercifully sustains and strengthens us in our daily walk, the Christian life is nonetheless hard work, requiring diligence, tenacity, and perseverance. But ultimately, it is worth the sacrifice and pain we experience in this life, because God promises us a great reward in the next life and to more than compensate us for any losses in this life – far beyond our finite minds can comprehend. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us” Rom. 8:18. So, by God’s power and grace, we must keep fighting to win the war and striving to run the race until we finally have victory and reach the finish line – Heaven! Soli Deo Gloria.

 

With love in Christ,

 

Elizabeth Daniels