Holy Holy Holy

So I’ve been reading The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, which has been kicking my butt every time I pick it up. It’s so chock full of amazing insight into the Holy character of God, and following in His footsteps. One thing that Bridges establishes right from the get-go is that God’s perfect holiness is something we can never attain, but that we should nonetheless be headed in that direction. To quote, “God does not accept the excuse ‘Well, that’s just the way I am,’ or even the more hopeful statement, ‘Well, I’m still growing in that area of my life.’ No, God’s holiness does not make allowance for minor flaws or shortcomings in our personal character.”

Wow. Taken out of context, this quote could pretty much destroy someone’s attempts at personal growth. “Why bother? I’ll never be as holy as God. In fact, I’ll never be holy enough to merit anything but death.” True, but that is the wonder of God’s grace. His Son covered our sin, our shortcomings, our minor flaws, our everything. Because of Him, we can stand in front of God and be recognized as holy.

Obviously Paul was clear that this isn’t an excuse to abuse that grace. Yet in a way, I think that is exactly what happens when we accept the compromises in our lives that echo the quote above. There are areas in all of our lives that we write off or excuse through similar statements. Whether these are made publicly, or voiced quietly inside our minds at night in our rooms, these are statements that do 2 things. First, it acknowledges that we accept compromise. Second, it turns us away from the offer of grace that God has extended through Christ.

This is the great dichotomy of the Christian life, that we know we will never be anything other than sinners deserving of death, yet we will never see that death because of Christ’s great sacrifice for us. He died for our sins, whether or not we accept Him, or choose to follow Him.

As I’ve spent time processing the weight of this book with God, I’ve realized that I have a tendency to see evidence of this in others’ lives. There is a point of (almost) righteous indignation that allows me to point a finger at someone else who I see as accepting compromise in their lives. Someone who says, “that’s just the way I am” in effect questions God’s ability to change them. In its own way, it is a terrible compromise. But, it’s also not a damned bit of my business. Here is the point where the Holy Spirit gently reminds me of the log in my own eye, and I’m forced to look at my own life, my own choices, and yes, my own compromises. For all the huffing, puffing, and posturing, I am chief among sinners. I have so many areas of compromise in my life that it twists me into a dark, festering, wounded ball of self-loathing and guilt. Yet when I examine these areas, I end up wanting to hold on to the compromises like Gollum to the One Ring. And, like sad Gollum, these compromises continue to corrupt and distort the longer I hold to them.

Yet I think that true freedom comes from the revelation that God never intended for us to strive for holiness in our own strength. First, He sent His Son to die for us, opening the door to Love, vibrant, shaking, terrible, awesome Love that covers all. Second, He sent the Holy Spirit as a comforter, encourager, lifter of our heads. There is SO much wrapped up in the gift of God’s grace. But he does require holiness. He does require growth. His Character is such that He can only demand it. So, despite He completing 99.999% of the work, there is still a conscious action that we must take.

We must commit. We must pursue living with no compromise. We must try to live holy lives, focusing each day not on our flaws and shortcomings, but focusing on the gift given to us. We must pray and seek God’s grace, His Mercy, and His Love, but we must seek His Face in the light of His Holiness. As Bridges says in the book, “The holiness of God is an exceedingly high standard, a perfect standard. But it is nevertheless one He holds us to. He cannot do less.”

And so we press on. Through Christ, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we truly can “be holy, for I am Holy.”