Holiness through faith in Christ

Tozer declares “we” come into the presence of God with tainted souls and do nothing about it. His words for today also seem to accuse Christians of living careless lives even though we go to church and go through all the motions, there is a neglect of holiness. That is, our salvation is not evident because of a lack of genuine spirituality.

I’m not sure what was going on in Tozer’s era or circumstances, nor do I understand his concept of holiness. What I do know is Jesus Christ is my holiness, my righteousness. Without the Savior there is no salvation. Without the holy Son of God, there is no holiness. Whatever in me that is godly comes from Him.

Yes, many of us live with our own concept of morality yet in the process of being sanctified by God, we learn that we always fall short. If the righteousness of Christ were not imputed on us and if God judged us by our performance, no one could be saved or allowed into the gates of heaven.

Even great men of God admitted their failure to be like Him. Isaiah said, “I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Paul said, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

We come dirty into the presence of God but the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Like the Israelites of old, we often are determined to do better, yet repeatedly struggle with sin. We know that our salvation is in Christ yet we are told to work it out with fear and trembling as He works in us. What is our part and what is God’s part? That question can be confusing.

We also know that holiness is the standard and most of us realize that we fall short. Tozer uses this verse:

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14)

I note it says, “the holiness” and realize that there is more than one kind. We can have a self-righteous sanctification that claims to never sin and gets called ‘holier than thou.’ The holiness at the other end of the spectrum is what Paul was talking about by saying, “I am the chief of sinners” and still be a righteous man. He knew where his righteousness came from. Even though he disciplined himself and aimed high, he also knew that his efforts were a waste without the grace of God that makes holiness possible.

One verse is a great encouragement to me and helps me when my resolve to be holy falls in the mud:

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6–7)

I received Jesus by faith, confessing that I cannot save myself. I’m also striving to walk by faith, continually realizing that I cannot conquer sin or be holy without Jesus. He works in me to take away sin. I am in awe of His power to save.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10)

Falling down is not the issue. All Christians struggle with living to God’s high standards. Paul knew he was not there yet. Even as a mature believer, he said this about being like Jesus:

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.” (Philippians 3:13–15)

And to me, he says: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

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Jesus, Your salvation declares me holy then makes me what You say I already am! I’m thinking that You are more pleased in those days when I’m on my face realizing over again and more deeply that I cannot save myself than You are in those days when I am trying to be holy without any humility or even awareness of how far short I fall. I need You every moment!

More about Sanctification

A famous artist finished a sculpture of a mighty stallion. When asked how he did it, he said he just chipped away at everything that didn’t look like a horse. At times, onlookers may have wondered what that hunk of stone would become, but in the mind of the artist, it was already a horse and only needed his chisel to make it appear.

WWII fits this idea of being over before it was over. The end of the war was declared over before the fighting actually ceased. It was ‘already but not yet’ over, something like the horse was already there, only not yet exposed.

This sense of already but not yet applies to some biblical truths. The kingdom of God is here but not yet in that Jesus rules, but everyone is not yet able to see or experience it. This also applies to sanctification in that God declares me godly and perfect in His sight (because of Christ) but have not yet learned to act like what I already am.

C.H. Spurgeon said, “I do not admire the term ‘progressive sanctification’ for it is unwarranted by Scripture; but it is certain that the Christian does grow in grace . . . .” He went on to say that the conflict with sin never lets up, but Christians do grow. Even all that conflict and our imperfections cannot deny this progress because it is guaranteed.

The Scriptures says this about sanctification after a list of sins that keep people out of God’s kingdom:

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11, italics mine)

When a person becomes a Christian, the initial change is often obvious; they stop doing those sinful things that were part of their lives. Not all sin vanishes immediately, yet the changes happen and continue. As I abide in Christ, He is changing the way I live and this should be expected. Who can have the holy, sinless Son of God living in them and stay the way they are! As the above verse says, “And such were some of you . . . .” John the Baptist also said, “He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease.”

Change, transformation, new life, is all part of what it means to be a Christian. Without it, Scripture puts a question mark on the genuineness of anyone who professes faith but has not changed.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:1–10, italics mine)

This growth and change does not affect who I am in the sight of God because Christians are already holy, already perfected in Christ. He “perfected forever them that were sanctified” meaning we are set apart by God for Himself and seen in Christ as new creations. To be born again means having His divine nature implanted in us.

That is, I am perfect and complete in Christ, yet not yet fully living up to what I am. I am growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ, in faith and in love and in hope, and in learning to live according to how God sees me.

However, in God’s estimation, I do not grow in holiness because Christ is my holiness. As long as I live in this world, my old nature is sinful and never going to stop pestering me, but the new life I have in Christ continues to rely on Jesus and become more like Him. Growing up in Him is not my holiness: He is my holiness!

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Jesus, I shake my head in wonder at this amazing truth. God has declared me His child and imputed to me Your righteousness and holiness, even Your very nature and self. I am so blessed. Nothing that happens can change this truth, yet as the Holy Spirit chips away at everything that does not look like You, You are changing me. Praise Your Name!

Déjà vu

Fortner’s devotional for today seemed as if I read ahead yesterday, or that he read my thoughts and said ‘Amen’ as a punctuation. I’m smiling.

Yesterday’s post is not an original thought. It is shared by Christians because God reveals it as we read His Word and give diligent attention. Perhaps some of us have become frustrated by our own efforts to become ‘more holy’ before realizing that this is impossible. As Fortner says, we need to become totally aware of how sinful we are before it sinks in that our holiness is in Christ and not in ourselves.

Fortner gives examples of this awareness: Isaiah saw the Lord and said, ‘Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips.’ Job saw the glory of God and cried, ‘Behold, I am vile!’ David was a mature believer yet said, ‘I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.’ Paul was also a mature believer when he said, ‘I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing’ and near the end of his life, he called himself the chief of all sinners.

Sanctification is a gift from God, a declaration of what I am because of Jesus Christ. “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption . . .” (1 Corinthians 1:30)

Christ is my holiness — from the beginning of my salvation and all through my walk with God. God is not interested or impressed by anything I try to do to make myself holy . . .  

“When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.’ He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:8–10)

Sanctification is the work of God’s sovereign grace. He has separated me from my old life to be holy in Christ, declared me holy in Christ by redemption, and gave me the only source of being by giving me the life of Christ and with that whole new life.

How is this practical? As He reminds me who I am in Christ and what I have in Christ, it becomes possible to live accordingly. That is the secret of godliness!

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Jesus, You are my sanctification, my righteousness, my redemption, all my holiness before God. Sanctification is not by any works that I do, but by what You do and have done in me. Oh my, what a wonderful Lord and Savior I have in You!