REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

So far in our devotions on holiness, we’ve seen that holiness is not about being a good or moral person. To be holy means to be devoted to God – to be set apart from sin and belong to God, for the praise of his glory and goodness. And because we begin our journey as rebels, cut off from God, we need to be delivered from sin in order to become devoted to God. That’s not something we can achieve for ourselves; we receive it by God’s grace alone, through Jesus’ death and by the gift of his Spirit who washes us clean and reconciles us to himself.

Holiness means being delivered and devoted to God by grace.

Theologians often distinguish between two kinds of holiness: positional holiness and practical holiness (though they might call “progressive holiness”). Being holy starts with a holy position or special status before God – being cleansed from sin so that you belong to him. But the Bible is also very interested in practical holiness – that is, living in obedience to God, so that our behaviour and attitudes reflect that we are devoted to him now.

There is a lot of truth in that distinction (yes, there’s a “but” coming). For example, the writer of Hebrews assures us of our holy position through Jesus’ death:

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)

Then two chapters later, he urges us to pursue practical holiness in our lives and relationships:

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

Hmm … do you find that verse mildly terrifying? Not only are we called to live in a holy manner, it seems that practical holiness is a non-negotiable for salvation!

That call to holy living is all through the Bible, for example:

14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

In this week’s devotions, we’re going to shift our focus from positional holiness to practical holiness.

And yet (see? here’s the “but” you were waiting for) … it’s important to start by saying what that distinction does notmean. It’s not that our holy position before God is by his grace, whereas our growth in practical holiness comes by our effort and work. It’s not as if we get in the door by God’s grace, but when it comes to our obedience, his grace goes out the window, and we’re left relying on our own striving.

We will think about the place of our effort later on. But we need to start here: The entire process of sanctification – including our striving to live a holy life – is the gift of God, flowing from the Father, through faith in Christ, by his Spirit. Christ Jesus is our holiness (1 Corinthians 1:30). God’s grace fills and empowers the whole journey.

The late English theologian John Webster put it profoundly. He described our holiness as “always and only an alien sanctity.” He wasn’t talking about the movie Aliens. He meant that our holiness always comes to us from outside – from God as a gift. Even as a believer, my holiness of life doesn’t spring from within me, from my own nature. We never possess holiness as our “own”; it continually comes to us from God, by his grace. To be holy is to say with the Apostle Paul:

I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

John Webster goes on to say:

The Church’s holiness is thus always an alien sanctity: gift, not possession; grace, not achievement. … Holiness is not self-achieved perfection but a pointing to the perfect reality of the holy God. (John Webster, Holiness)

Holiness is not something God transfers to me, so that it’s mine and not his anymore. It’s not like when you buy a car and the registration is transferred to you. Christian holiness is more like … God inviting you to sit with him in the front seat of his Rolls-Royce every day, to be driven wherever he wants to take you.

Finish today by filling your mind and soul with Paul’s beautiful expression of that truth, in Ephesians 2:

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.