The second question about holiness is:
"We know that being holy does not require or demand that we be or become perfect on this earth. But how do you resolve God's command to be holy and the fact that we won't become perfect? Does that cause spiritual/emotional tension within you or not? If so, why and what do you do with that? If not, why?"
These are the responses given to this second question. I did not comment on or change any comments and each writer is responsible for their own opinions. I'm sorry that I can't take the time to pass along any comments you'd like to make to individuals about their postings. And there is not an opportunity in this setting for responding to any of these comments.
But I hope you'll enjoy and benefit from hearing about other people's comments on this question.
For me
each slip up at being holy is God's reminder to try harder, try again. I
think Satan hates holiness and does his best to make me feel sappy and unnatural
when I strive for holy behavior. That is what makes me dispirited. “Get thee
behind me, Satan.” I tell him when I am trying and he is derisive. He is the
dark side.
Sylvia
This
sacred process of becoming holy is the ongoing process of becoming more
spiritually intelligent as your mind, emotions, and heart conform to the image
of Christ. I am attaching the introduction to the book I am working on (and
struggling with). See if it touches upon this holiness
process.
June
I think
that the only way we can be holy is because of the shed blood of Jesus and His
robe of righteousness. I know that God knows that and that He's not asking us to
perform or act or pretend holiness. He wants us to shed our own robe of
righteousness and choose His, by seeking after Him and knowing Him intimately.
As we choose Him and His ways minute by minute, He will work holiness in us. Our
love for Him is what will ultimately bring holiness in us because we will want
to please Him and honor Him.
I certainly do struggle with my choices
and unrighteousness in my own life, but know that I am a work in progress
and trust that God is sufficient to continue the work until He is done.
Ker
God knows
he created imperfect beings. I trust Him because he loves us.
Bea
Alchemists
dreamed of changing lead into gold. They wanted to transform the common into the
uncommon. So do we. We long to change the unholy into that which is holy. Like
the alchemists, we can't. But God does.
In theory, lead can be transmuted into gold, by removing one element.
That is exactly what God did; he removed our sin. He transferred it to his son
on the cross. The holy became common so that the common might
become holy.
I don't understand how, much less why, a holy God would become what we
are so that we might become what he is. But I'm grateful. And the divine tension
between who I am and who he wants me to become connects us.
Jeff
I cannot
be perfect except in God's eyes. Perfect in the Biblical sense means being
"Complete". And I surely am that, in Him--only in Him! It sure takes
the pressure off of me to strive, work, constantly be thinking of me, me, me and
what I'm doing in this world. That legalistic attitude of self gets so
impossible and tiring. My heart, mind and soul, as well as His word, The Bible,
tells me what to do to serve Him daily, so I walk in that and the rest of my
world falls in place. Oh sure, life gets mucked up now 'n then, circumstances
crop up that try my holiness on a regular basis, but I know the Source to turn
to. Practice DOES make Perfect!
Patti
If holiness is obedience to the highest that is known then God is perfectly
holy. I can be holy as He is holy by being obedient to the highest I know. The
tension is then in my willingness or unwillingness to be obedient to what He
reveals to me in His Word and by revelation of His Spirit. A spiritual thirst
for Him means new revelation. Therefore, being holy is the constant focus upon
Him, and the obedient response to His leading.
Yes, I better "do" something "with that." Without
holiness I will not see God.
Russ
I feel
just enough spiritual/emotional tension to strive for holiness without being
crushed by my inability to attain it. Steps toward holiness come one decision at
a time and are measured in tiny increments. What keeps me trying is knowing God
is cheering my efforts rather than watching with a disapproving stare. He wants
me to succeed in the process of becoming more like him. If I fail today,
tomorrow is a fresh chance to begin again.
"It
is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed,
because His [tender] compassions fail not. They
are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and
faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23 (Amp)
Candy
Of course,
it causes tension within and occasionally without. Internal questions vary
between why be holy and if holy is what I should be, let’s get on with it.
It’s worse than doing housework. At least I can look at the shining kitchen
floor for a few minutes after mopping and take satisfaction in a job well done.
Just when I thought I understood the call and was beginning to think I’d made
a small step or two, I got shingles – on my face and in my right eye (I
iterate to illicit sympathy)! Home at last, then along comes your “Princess to
Princess” and the quote from Psalm 119:71. It was GOOD? for me to be
afflicted? Get real! Shingles made me very cranky, sick and hospitalized and
cranky, in that order. So where’s the holiness? In others. There were the
caring nurses who spoke softly and soothingly while putting drops in my eye
every two hours and the Terry, the tech who commented, after exposing my
saggy-skinned upper arm to wrap it in a blood pressure cuff, “Wow, look at
those muscles!” It was the turning point in my recovery - I laughed so
hard. So, on with the quest! (And take time for laughs.)
Pat
I'm not sure about the question...I simply live daily walking in prayer and
love.
Emily Sue
An
insightful comment on holiness from Charles Spurgeon:
\Topical
Sermons (NT Texts)\Holiness Demanded -- Heb. 12:14: “Holiness excludes
immorality, but morality does not amount to holiness; for morality may be but
the cleaning of the outside of the cup and the platter, while the heart may be
full of wickedness. Holiness deals with the thoughts and intents, the purposes,
the aims, the objects, the motives of men. Morality does but skim the surface,
holiness goes into the very caverns of the great deep; holiness requires that
the heart shall be set on God, and that it shall beat with love to him.” (from
Spurgeon's Sermons, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
Ultimately God's demand for holiness is
met by relationship: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all
your soul and all your mind.." (Matt.22:37) Jesus says in verse 40 that on
this and loving our neighbor, "hangs all the Law and the Prophets."
Christ's sacrificial offering satisfied the demands of the law: in Him we are
sanctified and justified. Repentance indicates a turning around, living in
another direction under the Lordship of Christ. This is motivated by our love
for Him and nourished by our relationship with Him. The morality we aspire
to is the result of the Holy Spirit working in us.
Should we
sin because of our human nature, we have Christ as our high priest interceding
for us with the Father:
"For
we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was
tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne
of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
(Hebrews 4:15.16)
If we are invited to come
"boldly" to the throne of grace because Jesus is our advocate, we can
be bold because of Christ's atonement, not because of our performance. Any
tension we experience in coming to Him smacks of condemnation, and Satan is the
accuser, the one who condemns us. Condemnation breeds shame and shame causes us
to hide, turn away from a holy God. The story of Adam and Eve once again. We
live in the dispensation of grace! And God took the initiative, all He asks of
us is to respond.
Joan
Holiness
and perfection are terms that immediately send my mind's eye to a throne with
angels -- cherubim and seraphim, smoke rising from behind the place where God
sits, a voice like multiple waterfalls, and I am acutely aware of my
shortcomings and sins.
However just because I can never be
perfect this side of heaven, I can "put on" Christ (through his Holy
Spirit) and strive toward holiness in my day to day walk. Some days are better
than others in this regard. As Philippians elegantly states, we desire the mind
of Christ and this is a daily quest.
Sheila
I don’t
think I have to be perfect in God’s eyes, I put enough pressure on myself for
that! And I try to be holy by following His word and Jesus' example, knowing
that God is all knowing and he knows my mind and actions so there’s no way I
can be perfect. It doesn’t cause stress because I'm saved by grace not by what
I do. Thank God that God is forgiving!
Chuck
Holiness
is like humility--as soon as you think you have it, you've lost it due to the
spiritual pride that sets in. Fretting about being holy enough is spiritual
suicide; it leads us to compare ourselves to others which yields either
spiritual pride and phariseeism or else to hopeless despair. Both are negative
paths to follow and the exact opposite of true holiness. Instead, we must seek
His face and His voice and walk as close to Him as we can this very moment. It
is the daily walk, the baby steps that draw us closer to Jesus. It is listening
to that quiet still voice. He is so eager to lead us and to share our lives.
I have had great spiritual misery and angst over the subject of holiness.
We attended an independent church for ten years that had a "holiness
preacher" who preached his version of holiness every Sunday morning, Sunday
night and Wednesday night. At one point he stood in the
pulpit and "thanked God for not having sinned this week." It
was a jolting statement because minutes before he had been publicly insensitive
and rude to someone who sang a solo. My spiritual hackles stood up as Jesus
reminded
me of I John 1:10, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us." I told God that I would be happy to point out
at least one sin in his life that he missed! I can't even begin to point out the
legalism, lack of joy and freedom, and misery that almost destroyed
my spiritual life in my effort to be "holy." I thank God for leading
us out of that wrong doctrine and into a place of freedom.
Candace
If Jesus
Himself "grew in wisdom and favor with God and man" how much more do I
need to both strive and trust God for spiritual growth. I am encouraged by
the honesty of the Apostle Paul, who admitted that he struggled with the gap
between what he knew and what he did. I don't use this as an excuse but as an
encouragement to trust the Lord for my growth process.
Albert
I myself
can’t resolve my human inability to be perfect; Jesus has resolved it through
His death and resurrection. Although I’m wearing His garment of salvation, I
still need to heed 2 Corinthians 7:1 –“Since we have these promises, dear
friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates the body and
spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
When I struggle with trying to be
performance driven, I get out my prayer journal and spend some serious time in
the Word seeking His answers. The Holy Spirit always answers my questions
through the scriptures He gives me. As I draw close to Him, He assures me that
there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Daily study of the Word keeps me on
track and lights my path (Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a
light for my path).
Jan Marie
I believe
we are called to live between the tension of the life we must live here on this
earth, as sinners, and the life or kingdom we were created for. It is this
tension that causes us to not become too comfortable in this world, to long and
hope for a place that is being prepared for us. This place where there will be
no more striving, no more unfulfilled desires, no more heartache.
The more we surrender of ourselves and
submit our wills to His, God fills us with a little more of His holiness, yet we
know we have not arrived because we easily identify with Paul and his inability
to do what he knows he needs and wants to do. We also know, however, that we are
not what we used to be and are better able to withstand the tempting and urgings
of the flesh. We are growing in holiness, but still must live on this earth in
this body until the day when we are set free.
Cheri
As long as
I remember my holiness is totally God's responsibility and keep trusting in Him,
I don't get uptight.
So if I start to get focused on 'how I am or am not doing' I remind
myself He has promised to be in charge of that, and He not only doesn't need my
help, He needs me to not give my kind of 'help'. I let go and take His peace
back.
More and more as I choose to keep His peace and feel peaceful, I wonder
if something is wrong. It seems strange to be at peace, but I'm getting used to
it and if I sense I'm losing it I want to quickly find out why and get back on
track. Most recently He showed me I was too worried about 'my rights', which
prevents Him from working in me and through me.
As I understand it, if I'm a Christian, He is living in me and producing
holiness one step at a time.
Lana
I'm so
glad that my holiness does not depend on ME, but on God. Each day I yield myself
to Him- my mind, my emotions, my will, body, soul and spirit- then I'm His
responsibility. Through His Word I
know He expects me to be "in the world but not of the world," cf. John
17;14. 16. His instruction in II Cor. 6:17 is to "come out from among them
and be separate...and touch not the unclean thing." Also Roman 12:1,2 -
"present your bodies a living
sacrifice," etc.
I'm sure you know all the above scriptures and many more regarding living
a life pleasing to God. When we obey His Word, then we have the peace that
passes all understanding and there's no spiritual/emotion tension. However,
because we are not perfect, there will be times when we sin but then we go to I
John 1:9, "If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness."
My life verse is Phil. 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing,
that He which began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ.'
Millie
Staying
focused on the fact that holiness has to do with position and not with
performance is what keeps me on track. Positionally I am already holy because
God Himself has set me aside for His purposes. Performance-wise I have a long
way to go, but all God requires of me is to “do justice, to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with” Him. And, of course, I can only do that through His power
within me. That means I must daily make it a practice to seek first His kingdom
and His righteousness, and allow Him to add all else to me according to His
purposes. Remember, we are only called to be faithful today: “Every
commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you
may live and multiply and go in and possess the land” (Deut. 8:1).
Kathi
Holiness
to me: Thinking of the meaning of holiness impressed me as a lofty staircase to
climb. I prayed and meditated as to what I need to do to be holy. If I can
practice spiritual and moral purity and be free of sin, it is possible that
I can attain holiness. I read something in a pamphlet "The Source of Our
Strength, Thoughts of Sister Ida". Sister Ida Peterfy SDSH writes:
"Holiness is simple, but it does not come free." I think that said it
for me. I must work at spiritual and moral purity and then I can live in holiness.
Irene
The
command to "be holy" must be understood within God's grace. Paul wrote
"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus"
(Romans
Paul understood this because he wrote,
"For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to
do--this is what I keep on doing. . . What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue
me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our
Lord!" (Romans 7:19, 24-25). Paul knew he needed God's grace
constantly to live a holy life, or he would fail under the guilt of not being
holy enough.
If you, like me, were not shown God's
grace by your own father--unconditional love apart from behavior--then you may
not know how to accept Abba Father's grace. I've had to "reparent"
myself through the Scripture to realize yes, God expects me to "be
holy", and because of the knowledge of His incredible love that put His Son
on the cross for me, I desire to be holy. But like Paul I sin. So when I do, I
ask God's forgiveness as soon as I realize it and ask to be again filled with
the Holy Spirit who came to indwell me when I first believed in Jesus as my
Savior.
By remembering God's grace there is no
spiritual/emotional struggle for me. I can live in victory even though I'm not
always holy like I'd like to be--like Jesus. It is when I am burdened by the
guilt of the law whispered in my ear by the enemy or my past that I lose my
victory.
Jo
I married
a "Perfectionist." How many times have I heard, "If it's worth
doing, it's worth doing right." Yet, after many years, I soon learned it
wasn't going to be done at all because it couldn't be done perfectly. So I did
it myself and while it wasn't a perfect job, it got the job done. Jobs like
measuring to the tenth degree on nailing a nail in the wall to hang a picture.
Forget all those times measuring just so! I eyeballed it and hammered the nail
and if it wasn't right I filled the hole with toothpaste and tried again. So
what does it matter? The picture covered the hole anyway. I think we get so
wrapped up in being "perfect" that we don't enjoy life. To me it is
the same way with God. Only he is perfection. I find I can push myself to the
limit, accelerating myself to the point of stressed out, trying to be holy. Of
course, I want to be holy and I don't want to sin, but I'm thankful God is
merciful. I don't willfully sin and I'm quick to repent, but I also think he
wants me to be "resting" in him, that I'm to be at peace because my
mind is "stayed" on him. He came to "give us life and to give it
more abundantly." I knew a woman who repented every hour of the day. Indeed
she wasn't at peace. We can easily slip into fanaticism. I'm "straining
forward to reach the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus" and I want
to grow up in him. I read a quote, "Mature Christians see the hand of God
in all events." I am not there yet, but I want to be.
Joan C.
Holiness
and the expectation of it does not cause me stress because I know God made me
human. He knows human nature and though we are to strive toward holiness,
perfection and all He has for us, we also REST in Him. We get nothing without
Him. He gives us the faith to have faith in Him. He knows our hearts and the
attitude of the heart is what really counts. I have messed up big time, many
times since I accepted Christ into my life. He died for my screw ups and sins.
He loved me when I was sick and dirty and on my way to Hell. I cannot believe if
He loved me and took special care of me then, why he would quit just because I
became His follower. I am Holy because He who is in me is Holy. NOT because of
ANYTHING I may have done or not done. AMEN & PTL!!!
Linda
Due to my perfectionist nature, in the past whenever I stumbled and fell
short of God's standards, I wallowed in guilt and remorse. I found it
very difficult to forgive myself, even though I realized God had graciously
forgiven me.
God patiently dealt with me in this
area, and finally broke through my barrier of self-condemnation about nine
months ago through a study of the Epistle to the Hebrews. At last I truly
comprehended the wonderful results of Jesus' death and resurrection. Through
Christ's shed blood for the remission of sins, I have the assurance that: I am
acceptable to God, I have been made clean, and that I may approach God's throne.
God does not want me to become bogged down with regrets over my failures and
shortcomings. He wants me to let the sin issue go, for my heart has been
sprinkled with Christ's blood to cleanse me from a guilty conscience (Hebrews
Hebrews
These two truths, (my justification and
sanctification) resolve any spiritual tension I may experience when
I attempt to reconcile God's call to holiness and my imperfect nature. And
I eagerly look forward to the day when in my perfected state, I will
spend eternity with my Lord and Savior!
Sue
I believe
that as long as we are yielding to the Lord and following his commands to be
holy to the best of our human abilities that He counts it unto us as
righteousness just as he did Abraham. By applying the Word of God to our lives
and listening to that still small voice, there will be no tension or
striving to be perfect. There will be the quiet leading of the Lord that
says, "this is the way walk ye in it." Yes, I strive for holiness
and a perfect walk with the Lord however when the tension tries to build within,
I go to the Word, pray and hold on to the Lord until the peace overtakes me.
Brenda
In God's
vocabulary, "perfect" means "complete, mature." I can rest
in the fact, that as I walk with Him, He will mature me. My job is to stay
connected to Him and He will do the rest. At age five, I was not a mature woman.
But I didn't get to maturity by straining or striving for it. It just came as
days passed into weeks and years. He's the author and perfecter of my faith. I
can't do that for myself. I can cooperate with Him, but I can't mature myself.
It's so very freeing to know it's up to Him, not me.
Sally
I see God's
command to be holy as an ongoing call—a process that comes about as a
result of allowing Jesus (the Holy One) to live out His life within me. This
happens only as I seek God in His Word and in prayer. In this way, the Lord works
out His holy image within me. He speaks with me about things to let go of
(attitudes) and points me toward change.
These changes occur slowly.
It is a restful process because it isn't dependent on me—my doing or trying.
"Doing and trying" only lead to frustration. Yes, staying connected to
God through His Word and prayer will no doubt show itself in action.
But our relationship with Christ comes first. The end result: God gets the
glory.
Laraine
This
sacred process of becoming holy is the ongoing process of becoming more
spiritually intelligent as your mind, emotions, and heart conform to the image
of Christ. June
I have peace in Christ, realizing I will never be perfect on this earth. Most of
all, I know Christ knows my heart and my eagerness to live in His holiness and
to reflect Him. I like John Wesley's term: "Perfection of
intention"--- a believer's sincere desire to do God's will in the love of
God.
Not
being able to be perfect in obedience to God causes me frustration to say the
least. Paul expressed it so well. What I want to do, I don’t do and what I
don’t want to do, that’s what I do.
However, I keep looking to the sacrifice
of Jesus and all that He went through for me (and each one of us), reminding
myself that His sacrifice is perfect, and that His grace is the filter
through which He sees me. When He looks at me He doesn’t see my imperfections
(my sins). He sees deep into my heart and knows how much I love Him, and how
thankful I am for His incredible grace. I also remember that since He created
me, He knows I am totally human and completely imperfect.
This doesn’t make being imperfect or
unholy any less frustrating, but it helps me better understand and cope with my
imperfection here on earth. My body is not perfect, my mind is not perfect, my
heart and soul are not perfect. But I think being imperfect helps me really look
forward to the time when I will be perfect.
Jan R.
I know
that I am not "Holy" as Christ is Holy. I can strive to be because He
lives in me and will keep me close to Him as much as I will allow Him. I know
too that He is a Gentleman and will not force Himself on me. I do strive to
allow Him to be first in my life each day. It does scare me
when someone says “They see Christ in me.” I pray that Christ will always be
seen when they look at me and that He will be heard when I speak or sing. But I
do not believe I could call myself "Holy". I do not become upset when
I fail to respond as Christ would respond. I do ask forgiveness and try to do
better the next time. I do not believe we will receive perfection on this earth,
but when we get to heaven we will be like Him and He is perfectly Holy.
Mae
In response to your
question, I offer an understanding of holiness that does not depend upon works.
"Be ye holy," God says. Following the Hebrew and Greek understanding
of the word holiness, I am to set myself apart for God’s use. This means I
must ask myself some questions to clarify my intentions. Is 'setting myself
apart' what I'm attempting to do when I say I'm seeking holiness? Am I looking
for ways to dedicate myself; sanctify myself; consecrate myself? If so, it takes
me down one path. If I intend something else, it takes me elsewhere.
For the Greek and Hebrew understanding, the beginning of the journey is
humility. Of my own volition I am incapable of understanding God so I must be
willing to submit my will, my actions, my thoughts and my very next breath to
his direction. This is following the example of Christ as it is presented to us.
"But isn't that much like faith?" you might ask.
"Yes, it is," I must reply. Because humility involves the
ultimate faith in the Father to keep, direct, guide, preserve and nurture me for
as long as He chooses. I am the servant, He is the Master. This leads to the
logical assumption that building my faith is a first, vital step in the process.
Without faith, all my efforts will be MY efforts. This may net me worldly
success and status amongst my peers but it will not net me holiness. This was
the mistake of the Pharisees. They were extremely dedicated, pious, dutiful,
obedient men of great knowledge who had faith in their efforts and their
understanding of the law. My efforts must reflect God’s will if I am truly
seeking holiness. "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father,"
Christ was recorded as saying by John. Christ walked exactly as the Father
instructed. For us to walk as Christ walked is for us to embrace and live with
humility and the heart of a servant as touchstones of our faith.
For the 'faith that works', then, we need humility and willingness to
pursue the course of servant hood set before us. I see holiness is pursuing this
course.
"Ah, servant hood! We are the over comers, the chosen, the saved; we
kneel before no one." That is often my gut reaction to the word servant.
Its connotation and implication is so “wimpy.” This reaction often means I
am the brazenly unholy one who chooses to use Christ instead of being used by
Him. It's not intentional. I just fail to be as humble and servant-like as
Christ. This is where I fail in holiness. This is the source of spiritual
tension. This is where my effort must lie; not in works, but in listening and
willingness.
Steve