Holiness is indispensable – Part 2

God has an only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, with whom He is well pleased. And the Lord wants everyone that enters His kingdom to be “conformed to the image of His Son”. Possession of this Christ-like holiness will also make God to be pleased with us. He desires that we have Christ-like heart, spirit and righteousness. In pursuit of conformity to Christ, every believer must keep the door of sin shut and set the finishing line and eternal rewards as his goal. When trampled on, ridiculed, despised or denied legitimate rights for being holy, we, like Christ, must not be discouraged or weary, as we set our hearts on the eternal joys that await us in heaven. With this hope of glory, we do not allow sin to re-enter our lives, but resist it.

For the heaven-bound believer, there is non-conformity to the world on one hand and conformity to the Lord on the other. Looking unto Him, leaning upon Him, learning of Him, praying to Him, yielding unto His moulding hands, He conforms us to His own image and confirms in our spirit, soul and mind that we can be the pattern of His holiness. Desiring heaven above all possessions and pleasures on earth, we pursue holiness relentlessly with conviction, daily praying to the Lord to preserve us in the experience till He comes.

The singular thing that is worth having, pursuing and possessing is not the mundane that brings temporal joys, but “clean hands, and a pure heart…” that outlast all earthly possessions. Believers, who are passionate about possessing and living holy lives, are the only people that will be in heaven. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Conformity and pursuit of Christ-like holiness will make the church “glorious”, spotless, unblemished and rapturable.

Holiness is possible, profitable and practicable through cleansing by the power of the blood of Jesus. The lifestyle of some saints in Scripture defines ‘HOLINESS’. Hezekiah, Obadiah, Luke, Isaiah, Nehemiah, Enoch, Samuel and Stephen lived holy lives to attest, as well as confirm the possibility of possessing this divine nature. If they, against all odds, were holy, we too can.

To find the expression of holiness in our lives the way these saints did, we must first possess it by asking God for: a purified Heart, a replacement of the stony heart with a new heart of flesh; perpetual Obedience that is not haphazard, occasional, temporary, external, but constant during abundance or adversity, in private and public; perfect Love, which is not based on outward stimuli or change of fortunes, but an expression of the indwelling Christ; (iv) penetrating Innocence that influences and convicts evil doers; purged Nature that is devoid of corruption and depravity. We must ask for grace to follow the permanent Example of Christ “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth…” (1 Peter 2:21,22) and offer our entire body and life to God as presentable Sacrifice. We must pray to God to fulfil His promised Sanctification, which is also called circumcision of heart that will empower us to love God without restraint or reservation.

God, who calls us to be sanctified, is faithful to fulfill His promise, but requires wholehearted and earnest prayer of faith from us. After obtaining the experience, we must continue to live for Him all the days of our lives in holiness till the end. Holiness is indispensable and pre-eminent; and it must be our highest lifetime priority.

Further Reading (King James Version): Hebrews 12:10; 2 Peter 1:3,4; 3:10-14; Luke 1:72-75; Leviticus 19:2; 11:44,45; 20:7,8,26; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Romans 6:17,18,22,6; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 4:23,24; 1 Thessalonians 4:3,7; Hebrews 12:14-17; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 12:1-4; Isaiah 6:1-7; Psalm 27:4; 24:3,4; 73:23-26; Matthew 5:6,8; Ephesians 5:25-27; Acts 15:9; Ezekiel 36:25,26; Romans 6:17,18; Philippians 2:12; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 4:17; Daniel 6:4,5,22; 2 Peter 1:4,9; 1 Peter 2:21-24; Romans 12:1,2; Deuteronomy 30:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:22-24.