Imagine a conversation with Saul of Tarsus in A.D. 34. Ask, “Are you a holy person?” Saul would answer, “Yes, I am holy! I was circumcised according to the law. I am a Pharisee. I observe every detail of the law. I am righteous.” Saul considered himself holy because of his careful obedience to the law. He tried to earn God’s favor through good works (Philippians 3:4-6).
But on the road to Damascus, Saul came face to face with the risen Lord. He learned that his righteousness was as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). He had opposed not a false teacher, but the true Messiah. He had failed to obey the perfect law of love for God and love for his neighbor. On the road to Damascus, Saul found a new path to holiness: “…not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).
Imagine a conversation with Paul in A.D. 60. “Paul, you now know that the only way to true righteousness is by faith in Christ. Does this mean that you cannot be holy? Does this mean that Christ will count you holy even though you are full of sin?”
Paul would react with shock. “This is wrong! Righteousness comes only by faith in Christ – but God does not leave us in the sinful condition in which he found us. Read my testimony. My goal is ‘that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.’ My goal is to become like Christ. Salvation by faith does not give us permission to live a sinful life; salvation by faith gives us power to be Christlike. A loving God empowers his children to live holy lives through the indwelling Spirit!” (Philippians 3:10).
► Review what you have learned about holiness. Do you have a picture of the beauty of holiness? Do you believe that this holy life is promised to God’s people?
Is a Holy Life Possible?
In this course, we have seen that God commands his people to be holy. But many people read God’s command and respond, “That is impossible. I cannot be holy.” Must Christians settle for lives of daily defeat and frustrated hopes? Must we fail to enjoy God’s provision for a holy life? Or can we enjoy God’s great purpose for his people?
God’s Word Testifies That a Holy Life Is Possible
From Enoch to the Gentile converts in Thessalonica, the Bible teaches that a holy life is possible.
In Leviticus and again in 1 Peter, God commanded, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:15-16). God nowhere gives a command without making provisions for obedience. God is a loving Father who does not frustrate his children with impossible commands. While we cannot obey his commands in our own power, God’s grace gives us power to obey God’s commands.
Professor Bill Ury says, “A commandment is a picture of who God is and a promise of what we can become.”[1] The command, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” shows who God is; he is a holy God. This command also shows what we can become; we can be holy.
Christians throughout History Have Demonstrated That a Holy Life Is Possible
Christians in every generation have found that a holy life is the privilege of God’s children. People from every walk of life have found the joy of resting in the power of the Holy Spirit. They have found the peace that comes from loving God with an undivided heart and loving their neighbor as themselves.
Our God-Given Hunger for Holiness Testifies That a Holy Life Is Possible
Every believer hungers for a closer relationship with God. True Christians want to be like Christ. God has planted in the heart of his children a hunger for a deepening relationship with himself. We can be sure that a loving heavenly Father will not give this hunger without providing a way to satisfy our hunger. Holiness is the joyous privilege of every believer.
Many years ago, there was a poor man who dreamed of crossing the ocean by ship. He saved his money for years until he could buy a ticket. After paying for the ticket, he had little money left. He had heard about the delicious meals served on ocean liners, but he knew those meals would be expensive. To save money, this man brought bread and cheese in his suitcase.
Each day when the passengers went to the dining room, this man went to his room and ate bread and cheese. He was happy to be on the ship, but he often wished he could enjoy the delicious meals in the dining room. On the last day of the voyage, the man decided to eat one meal in the dining room. He took every penny he had with him, hoping it would be enough to buy one meal. To his astonishment, the steward asked, “Where have you been? We have kept your table ready all week! The price of the meals is included in the price of your ticket. The price is already paid”.[1]
Many Christians are like this poor man. The joy of a holy life, the peace of living in full surrender to God, and the victory of living in the power of the Holy Spirit – all has been provided by Christ’s death on the cross. Christ paid the full price, but we live below our privileges.
If a holy heart is available to every believer, why should any Christian fail to enjoy this privilege? We often allow Satan to deceive us into misunderstanding the Bible’s teaching. Satan’s lies keep us from enjoying the privilege God intends for his children.
“A Holy Heart is Impossible”
Many Christians think that a holy heart is impossible. They read the commands and promises of scripture, but they think, “That is okay for Abraham, but I could never be a ‘friend of God.’”
Some of those who say, “A holy heart is impossible” are speaking from painful experience. They have tried to live a holy life – and have failed. Perhaps they followed external rules that they associated with holiness; perhaps they tried to control sinful attitudes and actions by rigid self-discipline; perhaps they even testified to a pure heart. Today, they have decided that it is impossible to be holy as the Lord our God is holy.
Imagine a man who learns to do bird calls. He practices until he can whistle the same notes as a robin. He is so good that a neighbor will think a robin is singing. But this man is not a bird! He can imitate the sounds, but he does not know what the sounds mean. He can imitate a bird, but he does not know what a bird feels when it is singing. He has the external actions; he does not have the internal reality.
Many Christians have learned the language and even the actions of a holy person. They say the words, but they do not have the experience in their heart. They have substituted external actions for inner reality. This soon leads to disappointment and frustration.
What is the answer to Satan’s lie, “A holy heart is impossible”? We must have faith in God’s promises. We must believe that our loving Father will empower us to obey his command.
Yes, you and I are fallible creatures who will never achieve the divine perfection of God. But God commanded us, “Be holy.” Despite our fallen nature, we can trust a good God to provide the grace and power that enables us to obey his command.
“I’m Not Hungry for a Holy Heart”
Sadly, some professed Christians are not hungry for holiness. They profess to be Christians, but they have little or no desire to grow in the image of Christ.
Jesse professes to be a Christian, but he shows little interest in a holy life. He continues to practice willful sins; he lives just as he lived before he professed Christ. As we visited, Jesse mentioned some people who were much more careful about how they lived. Their attitudes were loving; their actions showed their desire to please God. They had holy hearts and holy hands.
Jesse commented about their hunger for holiness and then said, “I do not care about being holy. My pastor told me that if I have repented for my sins and believed on Jesus as my Savior, I will go to heaven. Going to heaven is all I care about. I do not need more than that!”
What is Jesse’s problem? He does not have a hunger for holiness. It appears Jesse has little understanding of what it means to be a Christian. A person who is born again should want to be like Christ. A true Christian should be hungry for a holy heart.
What is the answer if you are not hungry for a holy heart? Perhaps you are truly born again, but you have been disappointed by past experiences, disillusioned by hypocrites who claimed to be holy, or have never seen the message of a holy heart in scripture. If so, ask God to give you a hunger for a holy heart.
“I’m Holy Enough”
Perhaps the most dangerous lie we can tell ourselves is, “I am holy enough.” Some people believe they are holy because of the way they dress, their membership in a church, or a spiritual gift that they possess. Once we convince ourselves that “We are holy enough,” there will be no further growth in holiness.
An unmistakable sign of a holy person is a desire to grow in holiness. There are no examples in scripture or church history of a holy person who said, “I am holy enough.” The deeper a person grows in Christlikeness, the more he hungers for greater growth.
People who walk close to God say, “I am happy in my walk with God, but I want to walk even more closely with him!” Holy people rejoice in fellowship with God, but they seek more intimacy in their relationship with God. They rejoice as they grow in Christlikeness, but they also pray that God will make them even more like Christ.
What is the answer to a shallow profession of holiness? If you have deceived yourself into a false satisfaction, the answer is humility in the face of God’s perfect holiness. If you see his perfect holiness, you will never be satisfied with a shallow profession of holiness. When Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up he recognized his own need for holiness:
"Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:1, 5).
When Isaiah saw the perfect holiness of God, he realized his own need for purity. The cure for a shallow profession of holiness is a deeper understanding of God. When we see God, we gain a greater hunger for a holy heart. The more we see God, the more we will desire to be like him.
[1] This story is adapted from John N. Oswalt, Called to be Holy: A Biblical Perspective (Nappanee: Evangel Publishing House, 1999), 149-150.
The Path to Holiness
How can we be made like Christ? How can you, a believer who desires to be filled with all the fullness of God, receive this wonderful gift? What is the path to a holy heart?
We do not have need to struggle to find the path to holiness. God’s Word shows the path to a holy life.
Initial Sanctification
From the moment of your new birth, the Holy Spirit has been living in you (Romans 8:1-2, 9-11). In an instant, you moved from darkness to light. From that point on, the New Testament describes you as a saint or a “holy one.”
Though you may still struggle with temptation, the Holy Spirit gives you victory over willful sin. People around you have seen the transformation as you live your new life in Christ. Rejoice in what God has done!
Growth in Sanctification
As you follow Christ, the Holy Spirit is transforming your inner spirit. As you walk by the Spirit, you no longer gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Old temptations lose their hold on you. Obedience to God brings you lasting joy.
However, you see areas of struggle. You obey God, but there is sometimes a struggle between God’s commands and your inner desires. There is a struggle between what God commands and your selfish will. You find it difficult to love God completely and to love your neighbor. You begin to realize that you have a divided heart.
Heart Purity
As God reveals areas in which you need a deeper cleansing, you will begin to hunger for the promise of 1 Thessalonians 5:23. You will seek to know the reality of Paul’s prayer, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.” You will begin to ask God, “Is there more that you want to do in my life? Can I be made pure? Can my inner desires be transformed to the place where I no longer struggle to obey you completely?”
Christians throughout history have prayed that God would give them a pure heart. Based on 1 Thessalonians 5:23, some have used the name “entire sanctification” for this experience.[1] Others have called it a “deeper life.” Some have identified this as the fullness of the Spirit. John Wesley used the term “perfect love.” Regardless of the terminology, this is the natural hunger of a child of God who wants to grow in the likeness of Christ.
As you pray for this deeper relationship, you may find three areas in which God will lead you. This is not the condemnation you felt as an unbeliever; you are now God’s child! Instead, these are areas in which God is calling you to a holy heart.
God Will Call You to Complete Obedience
Some believers struggle to find a holy heart because they are still struggling with some area of disobedience. We cannot walk in a close relationship with God unless we walk in obedience.
No true Christian lives in willful rebellion against God’s commands. However, many Christians have found a way to excuse or deny (even to themselves) some area of carelessness. They would never say, “God, I will not obey you,” but they say, “God, I don’t think this is important enough to consider.” They simply ignore some areas of disobedience. If we want to be the holy people that God calls his people to be, we must obey God in every area.
As fallen people, we deceive even ourselves about the depth of our sin. Because of this, the Psalmist prayed:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24).
The Psalmist prayed that God would search and reveal his heart. He knew that we are incapable of knowing fully our own hearts. But as we seek to be filled with all the fullness of God, we will pray that God will reveal every aspect of our sinful nature.
David prayed, “Declare me innocent from hidden faults” (Psalm 19:12). He knew that we may hide the reality of our sin even from ourselves. Only God can shine a light into the secret corners of our heart.
As you seek a pure heart, you will find that God will reveal areas where your attitudes and actions do not reflect his image. Because you want to be Christlike, you will willingly confess these areas and obey God’s call to full obedience.
God Will Call You to a Surrendered Heart
As you seek a pure heart, God will call you to surrender every aspect of your life. This is more than saying “No” to outward temptation. It is a full consecration of yourself to God. It is a full surrender of your will to God’s will.
Paul called the Christians in Rome to yield themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1). These were Christians living in obedience to God, but Paul called them to a deeper surrender to God. Paul called them to say an eternal yes to God. He called them to full surrender.[5]
Oswald Chambers showed the importance of surrendering fully to God’s purpose.
"To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else….
"Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
"…Determine to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to him. And God will then equip you to do all that he requires of you."[2]
George Matheson was a Scottish Presbyterian pastor who found in his heart a resistance to God’s will. He was hungry for an undivided heart that submitted willingly to God. He prayed this prayer of surrender:
"Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free. Force me to give up my sword, and I shall conqueror be. I sink in life’s alarms when by myself I stand; Imprison me within thine arms, and strong shall be my hand."[3]
Matheson understood that in full surrender, we find true victory. When we give ourselves as a captive to God, he frees us from bondage to sin. When we are weak, he makes us strong. We find our greatest victory when we reach the point of full surrender to God.
God Will Call You to Trust Him in Faith
If you have surrendered fully to God, you can trust him to make you holy by grace through faith (Acts 15:9).
As a sinner, you came to Christ with nothing. You threw yourself on his mercy. By faith, you accepted his free offer of salvation, and he made you a new creature.
In the same way, as you hunger for a holy heart, you must come to Christ in faith. God who called you to holiness will make you holy. You can believe that his promise is for you. Paul’s prayer, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,” can be a reality in your life. You can believe God’s promises. “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
Isaiah 6 - A Story of Cleansing
“Holy, holy, holy” the angels cried, while Isaiah trembled (Isaiah 6:3-4). Isaiah needed to see himself as unclean before a holy God could trust him with the soul of the nation.
When Isaiah saw his own heart, he cried out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5). He saw the depth of his own sinful nature. But God did not leave him in this terrifying position.
"Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for'" (Isaiah 6:6-7).
Cleansing is often painful. Do you hear the burning flesh as the angel touches Isaiah’s lips with the burning coal? This was not cheap grace; cleansing is not pain-free.
However, this story teaches a wonderful and encouraging truth. If we let him, God will make us holy. God’s purpose was not to torment Isaiah; God’s purpose was to make Isaiah clean. God’s purpose for his people can be accomplished. We can be made clean.
Continued Growth in Holiness
Paul prayed, “Now may the God of peace sanctify you completely.” He continued, “And may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Your growth in Christlikeness will continue until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you walk with God, you will continue to be transformed into the image of God (2 Corinthians 3:18). You will mature in holiness. You will continue to surrender joyfully to God’s will. You will walk in continual and deliberate surrender to God.
Think of your wedding day. At your marriage, you made a lifelong commitment. You do not ask each morning, “Am I married today? Is the marriage covenant still in effect?” You made a once-and-for-all commitment. The only way you will break the covenant is by turning your back on the vows you made at your wedding.
Each day of your marriage, you live according to the commitment you made at your wedding. When faced with a decision, you choose to act in love towards your spouse. The once-and-for-all commitment is lived out in daily life.
In the same way, your surrender to God is a once-and-for-all commitment. You do not need to ask each day, “Am I still surrendered to God?” Instead, each day you live according to the commitment you made when you surrendered fully to God.
A great Scottish preacher, Horatius Bonar, wrote about the continuing growth of a holy person.
"A holy life is made up of a multitude of small things. Little words, not eloquent speeches or sermons; little deeds, not miracles, nor battles, nor one great heroic act or mighty martyrdom, make up the true Christian life. It is of small things that a great life is made up."[4]
This is the daily life of holiness. You live a holy life not in your own power, but in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. A holy life is about a relationship of undivided love for God. It is about a passion for him. It is desiring him above everything else. This passion will lead you into an ever-deepening relationship with God.
Throughout human history, man has tried to live independently of God. Satan tempted Eve with the promise, “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). At Babel, the people decided to build themselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:4). In his self-centeredness, man wants to live independently of God. By contrast, a holy life is lived in complete dependence on God.
Holiness belongs to God; you and I are holy only as we live in continuing relationship with him. You will never reach the point at which you say, “I am holy in my own strength.” Instead, you must say, “Today, the Holy Spirit is empowering me to live a holy life. Today, I am being transformed into his image. Today, I am obeying God with a heart that loves him completely. Today, I am loving my neighbor through God’s grace. Today, the Holy Spirit is making me what God has called me to be.” This is the life of holiness.
[1] “Entire” is another term for “complete,” the word used in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. It does not mean “complete maturity;” it means complete purity and cleansing.
[2] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (March 8 entry). Accessed from https://utmost.org/the-surrendered-life/ on March 28, 2020.
[4] Horatius Bonar, God’s Way of Holiness (Chicago: Moody Press, 1970), 125-126
[5]“The greatest crisis in the Christian’s life is the full surrender of our will.”
- Oswald Chambers
Ten Practical Ways to Cultivate a Daily Life of Holiness
A consistent, fruitful life of holiness requires a lifetime of cultivation and nurture.[1] The cleansing of the heart is not the end of our pursuit of holiness. We are like pilots who have aligned our plane with the runway, but who will need to make many corrections before the plane has landed.
The Christian’s spiritual death to self is a living death—a constant dying. Our sacrifice is a livingsacrifice—a constant sacrifice. Word pictures like “death to self” are only meant to teach us spiritual realities but we must be careful not to stray from God’s Word. A pure heart is not the end of our quest for holiness. A pure heart and a surrendered will better equip us for the journey, but we have a lifetime of climbing to do!
The Spirit-filled life is a life of growth and progressive sanctification. By the Spirit of God we are being changed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Here is practical advice for those who desire a deepening life of holiness (1 Corinthians 6:11).
(1) Remain spiritually broken.
A truly holy life will be one of constant repentance (Matthew 6:12) as God continues to heal our deformities and conform us to the perfect image of Christ. The way to keep God’s smile on our lives is to quickly acknowledge our faults and walk in the light God shines on our pathway (1 John 1:7).
(2) Receive God’s chastening.
The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that receiving, rather than despising, the chastening of our heavenly Father will allow us to share in his holiness (Hebrews 12:10). No one enjoys divine rebuke, especially because it often comes through ordinary people who have their own faults to deal with. Every one of us has the tendency to dismiss painful correction, especially when it comes from a faulty spouse or faulty spiritual leaders God places in authority over us. But discipline is one of God’s most powerful tools to knock off our rough places and shape us into the image of Christ.
If we ever get to the place where we can’t receive correction, even from people who are less spiritually mature, we have left the upward path of holiness.
(3) Present yourself as a daily sacrifice to God.
Paul reminds us that we must present our bodies, including all its appetites and desires, to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Our bodies that had once been instruments for unrighteousness are transformed through God’s grace into instruments for righteousness (Romans 6:13).
Paul showed this ongoing process of continual yielding to God in a graphic picture of the Christian life. He said, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” He continued by commanding, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (Colossians 3:3, 5). Do this and you will experience greater and greater measures of grace.
(4) Meditate on the scriptures daily.
Sanctified, Christlike character is not the result of a moment but a lifetime of meditation on and obedience to the Word of God. Jesus told his disciples that they were made clean through the Word. “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). Jesus then prayed that they would continue to be made holy through the Word. “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). God accomplishes his purifying and cleansing work through his Word consistently obeyed.
(5) Clothe yourself daily with Jesus.
A holy life is received by consciously clothing ourselves in the attitudes and virtues of Christ. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ...” (Romans 13:14). The phrase “put on” means to think like Jesus, to copy his spirit, and to behave like him. Believers must daily choose to become like Jesus in his holy love, joy, peace, forgiveness, gentleness, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control.
(6) Make no provision for the flesh.
After putting on Jesus we must be careful to make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (Romans 13:14). Is it possible for self-interest to rise back up in a Spirit-filled heart? If it were not possible, Paul would not have given this admonition. As long as we are alive we must choose humility. Every Spirit-controlled man and woman has learned that godliness is maintained only through careful cultivation, constant attentiveness, and watchful prayer. If the flesh doesn’t remain crucified, it will rise up and cause spiritual defeat, like the African man who couldn’t keep the dogs from biting his legs because he walked around with meat in his pocket!
(7) Renew your mind daily.
Your mind is the command center of your life and the secret of its transformation. Your mind has such authority over your life that you will be shaped by what you choose to set your mind upon. Paul taught, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
(8) Put on the whole armor of God.
God’s perfect plan for every believer is that we stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). We do this by daily putting on the armor of God—truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, assurance of salvation, and the Word of God. Keep your armor on because we are no match for the enemy alone!
(9) Cultivate a continual awareness of the Holy Spirit.
If you want to be holy, you must invite the Holy Spirit to fill and clean up every room of your life: your living room (the room of your social life and entertainment), your bedroom (the room of your moral life and sexuality), your kitchen (the room of your appetites and desires), and your office (the room of your financial and business decisions). Too often, we struggle to become holy because we fail to cultivate a moment by moment awareness of the Holy Spirit and to sincerely ask for the promise of the Father, whom Jesus delights to give. Perhaps fear is part of our reluctance to ask. We need not be afraid. Jesus gave this wonderful promise: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).
(10) Live in grace.
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We are made holy because we belong to the vine. It is the vine that produces the fruit. We become more and more fruitful not by trying to be good but by clinging to Jesus.
Many Christians suffer tremendous anxiety regarding their walk with God. Some, who have been taught to do deep soul-searching, become too introspective. Regardless of their level of spiritual growth, they fear they are still failing to measure up to God’s demands.
Other Christians have been taught to expect a special emotional experience after God has cleansed their heart and made them holy. They focus on themselves and their own emotions rather than on God. However, the Bible teaches that holiness is the fruit of abiding in Christ. As we walk in the Spirit, pray, feed on the Word, participate in Christian worship and community, confess our faults, and walk in the light, God forms us into the image of Christ. We may not see as much progress as we’d like to see in a week or a month, but if we look back to where we were a year ago or five years ago, we’ll definitely see progress!
Paul encouraged every believer to know that the same God who beginsthe work of making us holy will complete the work: “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).
Holiness of heart and life is a journey. These 10 biblical principles will preserve our soul through turbulent winds of adversity and temptation and keep us aligned to our heavenly home.
[1] This section is adapted from a lesson by Rev. Timothy Keep.
Have You Found the Secret?
In each lesson, we have read about someone from church history who models a holy heart. Some have been famous Christians. Some have been little-known people who quietly lived a holy life.
Now it is your turn. Do you hunger for a holy heart? Do you desire intimacy with God? Do you want to look like your heavenly Father? You can be holy.
Do you hunger for the fullness of the Spirit? Do you want to serve God with an undivided heart? You can be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. You can love God and your neighbor through the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.
The choice is yours. Will you surrender yourself fully to God? If so, you will find rich fulfillment as you draw near to him. You will find joy as God forms you in his image. You will find the peace of a heart that belongs entirely to God. You will walk in daily victory through the fullness of the Holy Spirit. By God’s grace, you can live a holy life.
Lesson 12 in Review
(1) A holy life is possible for every true child of God.
God’s Word shows us that a holy life is possible.
Christians throughout history have demonstrated that a holy life is possible.
Our God-given hunger for holiness testifies that a holy life is possible.
(2) God’s Word shows the path to a holy life.
At the moment of our new birth, God begins to make us holy. This is initial sanctification.
As we follow Christ, we grow in sanctification.
God wants to give us a pure heart. The call to heart purity includes:
A call to complete obedience
A call to a surrendered heart
A call to complete trust
After our heart is pure, we continue to grow in Christlikeness.
(3) Some ways that we can continue to cultivate a daily life of holiness are:
Remain spiritually broken.
Receive God’s chastening.
Present yourself as a daily sacrifice to God.
Meditate on the scriptures daily.
Clothe yourself daily with Jesus.
Make no provision for the flesh.
Renew your mind daily.
Put on the whole armor of God.
Cultivate a continual awareness of the Holy Spirit.
Live in grace.
Lesson Assignments
(1) Recite 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.
(2) In each lesson, we have prayed a prayer for holiness. At the end of this lesson, write your own prayer for holiness. Write your prayer asking God to guide you to continuing growth in his image. Surrender yourself completely to his control and his will in your life. Pray in faith that the God who saved you will complete his purpose to transform you into his image.
(3) Your final project is due.
Final Project
You will preach three sermons or teach three Bible studies on the doctrine and practice of holiness. You should record these sermons to submit to the class leader for your final project. You will prepare one sermon or Bible study on each of the following topics:
(1) A sermon or Bible study on one theological aspect of holiness. Choose one:
Holiness as Relationship
Holiness as the Image of God in His People
Holiness as a Separated Life
Holiness as an Undivided Heart
Holiness as a Righteous Life
Holiness as Perfect Love
Holiness as the Fullness of the Spirit
Holiness as Christlikeness
(2) A sermon or Bible study on a practical aspect of holiness. You may choose a topic discussed in this course, or you may select your own topic. Possible topics include:
Spending Time with God
Holiness and Personality
What Does It Mean to be Separate from the World?
Holiness and Business
Holiness and Family Life
Maintaining Victory Over Willful Sin
Holiness and the Life of the Church
(3) A sermon or Bible study on a biblical character who demonstrates holiness.
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All materials remain the copyrighted property of Shepherds Global Classroom. We simply ask that you honor the integrity of the content and mission.
