“Holy, Holy, Holy…”

This is one of the clearest descriptions of the character of God. He is HOLY. That means he is perfect. No flaws or question about his motive and integrity. The God who has saved us through his son is Holy.

This quality of God throughout the scriptures is consistently applied to us his followers. Like we find in 1 Peter 1:15-16, “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” The primary way we live out our sanctification is in how we conduct our lives.

The call to holy living can be not only challenging but discouraging. We feel defeated even before we begin! How can we be like God when we feel so “unlike” God?

One way to understand our sanctification or growth in Christ is to see it as a pursuit and not primarily as an accomplishment. It’s also pretty clear in scripture that this is a lifelong process that is never truly finished until we pass from this world to the next. Perhaps one of the greatest Christians in all of history, the Apostle Paul, said it most clearly regarding his own Christian life in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”

I want to strive to be like Jesus. Not to merit his favor but to honor him who died for me. I want to press on so that his honor and reputation is more evident in my own life and conduct.

“Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”

As you live out this day, ask the Lord how you can be more like him. HOLY – in thought, word and deed.

Tenth Highlight

The struggle with sin and holiness takes many forms. The struggle with sexual sin is all too prominent in our culture and the church today. Please be in prayer for and even plan to attend the upcoming forum on same sex attraction on Friday evening February 27th here at Tenth. The gospel can and does give hope, and here is an opportunity to show how.

© 2024 Tenth Presbyterian Church.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in its entirety or in unaltered excerpts, as long as you do not charge a fee. For Internet posting, please use only unaltered excerpts (not the content in its entirety) and provide a hyperlink to this page, or embed the entire material hosted on Tenth channels. You may not re-upload the material in its entirety. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Tenth Presbyterian Church.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By Jerry McFarland. © 2024 Tenth Presbyterian Church. Website: tenth.org