14Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; Hebrews 12.
The Eighth Indictment is that the church is Ignorant about Holiness. We score high on “holier than thou” and apparently don’t understand that’s not the same thing. Let’s hit some basics about holiness.
Holy means to be separated for a divine purpose. When most of us think of “holy” we think, “super good.” It’s actually being separated for a purpose. Since that purpose is divine; a certain amount of purity is certainly involved. That’s where the “goodness” comes in.
Holiness is achieved through Sanctification. Sanctification is a divine process. It’s something that God does and nothing for us to get big-headed about. After He saves us, He sanctifies us.
What do I do? We do play a role in sanctification. We have to keep our eye on Christ. We have to abide in Him. We have to look to Him for direction, guidance and power and execute the “plays” we are given. Anyone who spends quality time with a powerful personality is changed by the experience. So much more so are we changed by abiding in Jesus.
Not a competition. Notice how the writer of Hebrews surrounds his thought about sanctification with a command to purpose peace and to avoid bitterness. We are so prone to take credit for any good thing, that it’s easy to fall into competition, conflict and bitterness.
Fruitful evidence. We need to remember that only the regenerated are sanctified and only the process of sanctification bears fruit. There is reason to rejoice when we see fruit and to be concerned when there is none.
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