“Become* holy,”
“because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:16
We are urged by the Spirit of God to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling” because it is God “working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.”
“…work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling.”
Philippians 2:12
The lack of the fear of the Lord will be evident in our interactions with one another and our complacency with the things of the world. If we do not keep near to Him, we will not concern ourselves with the need to “work out” the priceless salvation offered to us in the person of Christ.
The absence of exhortation and warning amongst God’s people is apparent. Too many today would rather hear the soothing words of men than feel the “sharp sword of the Spirit” that cuts the foolishness from our hearts and brings that glorious division between the soulish (self-seeking and perverse) and spiritual dimensions of our lives. We prefer to hear words about God instead of receiving or ministering His Word that convicts, corrects, and purifies our walk before Him.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)
Those who faithfully minister the Word of God must hold themselves to the cutting and piercing of this “two-edged sword.” Ministers who suppress these expressions to populate their church or to be esteemed will come under the judgment of God on that fateful day.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”
Romans 1:18 (ESV) (DNLT version)
Only those to whom truth has been given can suppress, dilute, or pervert it for their own gain. Only those who minister the Word can fail to speak living truth to their brothers and sisters, nullifying and making His Word ineffective.
May we consider afresh the decisive and incriminating words of Jesus to the religious leaders of His day:
“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition,
(teaching) which ye have delivered.”
Mark 7:13 (parenthesis mine)
Let us hear His call to holiness, obedience, and forsaking of self. A casual look into Paul’s life is all that is necessary to touch the intensity of his heart to “apprehend” God’s purposes for him. He was not resting in his current walk with God; he was not stagnant or complacent in his salvation experience.
“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow (press) after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:12
It is the healthy heart that feels the call and the impulse of God.
“I press toward the MARK…”
Philippians 3:14
Becoming Holy
*Become – (see definition below) The literal Greek word (translated “be” in most versions) used here actually means to “become.” Holiness is a walk. Our growth into its wonder requires choices, a pursuit, and dying to self. The gospel of today often presents us as holy with a “positional holiness” that lessens our need for Him! This is why we see pretense and carnal tendencies all around us.
Sanctified Unto Holiness
There is a truth to this: in Christ, we are sanctified, i.e., set apart for His purposes. We are set apart that His Spirit will make us Holy, pure, and undefiled. In our journey and growth in Him, we experience victories over our flesh, sins, and the wicked tendencies into which we are born. Holiness is the victory of Christ over “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” (1 John 2:16)
The travesty of much of today’s teaching is a gospel without the cross. It leaves us unscathed and untouched by the Call to authentic discipleship. This deception has plagued the people of God for centuries (James 1:22). Humility is the fruit of those who pursue true holiness. Unlike the carnal pursuit of holiness, which is accompanied by pride and contention, holiness borne of God is filled with His peace and seeks peace with “everyone.”
Holiness is the spring from which pure love flows.
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness
without which no one will see the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:14 (ESV)
The Book of Hebrews admonishes us to “strive for… the holiness without which no man will see the Lord.” Peter writes to the people of God, “Become holy.” Paul finds himself “beseeching” the people of God to present their bodies as “living sacrifices,” “holy” unto Him. True holiness is a life growing in the power of His grace, moved upon by “the mercies of God” (Romans 12:1).
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Romans 12:1
*Become – Greek Definition: γίνομαι – ginomai
Thayer Definition:
1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
2) to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen
Strongs Definition:
γίνομαι – ginomai (ghin’-om-ahee)
A prolonged and middle form of a primary verb; to cause to be (“gen” -erate), that is, (reflexively) to become (come into being)
Please read the related Post: The Beauty of Holiness
“Whom God legally saves, He experimentally saves; whom He justifies, them He also sanctifies. Where the righteousness of Christ is imputed to an individual, a principle of holiness is imparted to him; the former can only be ascertained by the latter. It is impossible to obtain a Scriptural knowledge that the merits of Christ’s finished work are reckoned to my account, except by proving that the efficacy of the Holy Spirit’s work is evident in my soul.”
– A.W. Pink
Brian Troxel
Amen, brother.
Freedom salvation is easy and has no resistance to seek to overome.
Bondage salvation costs more, and those willing to pay the price have a greater gratitude for it.
Freedom salvation looks like a freedom to come and go as you wish, as in American churches.
Bondage salvation is represented in the persecuted church, where they know how to suffer and to “cling” to the Father.
Becoming holy comes with a price. Who is more willing to pay that price?
Blessings brother.
Yes – amen.
2 Corinthians 3:12-18 AMP
12 Since we have such a [glorious] hope and confident expectation, we speak with great courage, 13 and we are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not gaze at the end of the glory which was fading away. 14 But [in fact] their minds were hardened [for they had lost the ability to understand]; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed [only] in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
The persecuted bride of Christ endures suffering by His intimate, enabling Spirit of mercy and inimitable, indispensable grace rather than before her persecutors renounce or deny Him as Deity. Apart from the noble goodness that is Christ, heaven’s Honor, each and everyone of us is at heart a Judas Iscariot. You are right that very often persecution primes a person’s sense of neediness of dependence on their Savior King, and is therefore used of our Abba Almighty to conform the person to the character of His Christ, our Lover Lord.
Burning blessings of Jesus’ beauty in your being, brother, and intimate blessings of loving affection from His holy heart as Lord of history and King of heaven.
Thank you, I do believe that our resilience must come by the impression of the Holy Spirit. It’s just that I wonder what it would be like if we were all persecuted, how much of the church will hold on for dear life, or will they hold on to life and limb first?
Just a thought.
Blessings to you, my friend.
You write True holiness is a life growing in the power of His grace, moved upon by “the mercies of God” (Romans 12:1).
Yes!
To the God of all grace, and therefore of all glory, be all the glory, Who is the Holy One and the Just.
Philippians 2:12-13 AMP
12 So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].
13 For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.
Independent of ill of imbalance, the blessed Holy Spirit’s enabling emphasis is verse 13, on which verse 12 distinctly, diametrically depends for all its actualization.
The spiritual dynamic, the life force, the resurrection power before, above, beyond, all else, is to live in cooperation with the operation of the Holy Spirit, as the sheerly graced ever acute awareness that not even an inkling of our longing for cooperation with the operation of the Holy Spirit is of ourselves. Apart from the great grace and the glorious gift of the Spirit of Christ Himself, every one of us is impotent to initiate, much less continue, lives expressing, manifesting, or demonstrating true holiness.
Our resistance against the One with Whom we have to do is total, as apart from our Creator’s undeserved mercy, unmerited grace, and unearned favor, no degree of delight in the holiness of Himself exists; there is no glad submission at all to the sovereign splendor of the Savior and Sanctifier. Until carte blanche the God of all grace gives into a fallow or fallen heart, holiness does not happen in the heart.
Paul tells us in Romans 7 that his attempting a personal life of holiness was utterly failing. He writes that TO WILL is present with him, BUT HOW TO PERFORM that which he wills he cannot find. Thirty-five times referring to himself as I, me, my, mine, exhausted by his blinding self-focus and futile self-effort, alas, he declares himself a wretched man and thanks God through Jesus Christ our Lord for breaking in upon his consciousness and rescuing his conscience from his zealous but Christ-less, vainglorious, religiously legalistic striving.
Who among us cannot relate intimately to Paul’s struggling self-defeating self-effort? All glory be to our grand and gracious God that we in no wise ought to be wont to attain and maintain happy heights of holiness in the supposed strength of our silly, sin-sodden selves.
Our Abba Almighty, until that perfect Day, increase in us holy heart hunger to make glad Your holy heart. Thank You for the indwelling, infilling, and overflowing Spirit of Christ, Who so very gladly, yea, gleefully grows us in Your grace for Your infinitely worship-worthy glory. Thank You that You continually delight ceaselessly giving us Christ all-sufficient as our everlasting wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30 AMP (emphasis mine)
But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who BECAME to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [MAKING us acceptable to God], and sanctification [MAKING us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [PROVIDING our ransom from the penalty for sin],
Beloveds, make no mistake about it, unless the God Who is love, the Father of mercies, our uncreated Creator, saves us from ourselves, our Kinsman Redeemer, both having done and doing for us that which we could never have done nor can ever do for ourselves, we would not only be unholy, both positionally and experientially, we would be everlastingly damned.
2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP
And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
ALLELUIA!!!