What It Means To Be Holy
Many Christians have a misconception of what it means to be holy. The very word conjures up images of tall, imposing figures with gleaming white robes and rays of light emanating in all directions. Their "glory" indicates perfection, a standard too high and lofty for mere mortals like us to live up to. Impossible and unattainable; therefore impractical and not worth the time and effort it would take to achieve it. Why bother? Let's concentrate on the more "practical" (meaning, "man-centered") aspects of the Christian walk.
Such thinking indicates that one has missed the point entirely. The reason for the pursuit of holiness within the believer's life is clear and simple - because God commands it! No other reason is necessary, none more important. And since it is the Lord Who has commanded us to be holy, it is He Who will empower us to be so.
So what is holiness, exactly? And what does it mean for the child of God? In her book, Secure In The Everlasting Arms, author Elisabeth Elliot explains it this way:
"Holiness is not an impossibility for any of us. It means first of all to be set apart, as the vessels in the tabernacle were set apart (consecrated) from ordinary vessels. For us to be holy means the will to do God's will. It means sacrifice - the offering up of my own will (which sometimes seems to me an impossibility) and the acceptance of His. He asks of us nothing which He Himself was unwilling to do...
There is an active practice of holiness as we carry out, for the glory of God, the ordinary duties of each day, faithfully fulfilling the responsibilities given us. The passive practice consists in loving acceptance of the unexpected, be it welcome or unwelcome, remembering that we have a wise and sovereign Lord who works in mysterious ways and is never taken by surprise...
Which of these two requirements of holiness (active or passive) is beyond our strength? Remember the words of the apostle Paul: 'I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation... I can do everything through him who gives me strength' (Philippians 4:12-13). This is all that God demands of us in His work of sanctification. He demands it from the high and the low, from the strong and the weak; in a word, from all, always and everywhere...
Perfection does not consist in understanding God's designs but in submitting to them, for 'we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose' (Romans 8:28). Sometimes the explanation of his purpose (Romans 8:29) is overlooked: 'For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.' God works in the soul to make it holy - to make it, finally, like Himself. The whole essence of the spiritual life consists in recognizing the designs of God for us at the present moment." (141-143)
To be holy is to put to death "self," to humbly seek to submit all areas of one's life to the Lord - mind, body, and spirit. It is to willingly (and joyously) relinquish control of one's hopes and desires and freedom, laying them down at the feet of a Sovereign God in exchange for only those things that originate from Him (i.e., only those things which it pleases Him to give us). To pursue holiness is to seek to be made like Christ in every way, knowing that in every way He sought to be made like the Father. It is to allow ourselves to be soft and moldable in the hands of the Master Potter, acknowledging that He alone knows what is best for us and our lives.
Holiness is to be the greatest pursuit of our lives.
posted by Clarissa Ramos at 11:33 AM
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