Enabled to Be Holy

“I am using an example from everyday life because of yourhuman limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurityand to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves torighteousness leading to holiness” (Romans 6:19).

Notice that righteousness leads to holiness.

“To rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable usto serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all ourdays” (Luke 1:74-75).

Jesus is our “enabler.” He does not enable us to continue insin, but the opposite, holiness and righteousness. He does this all our days.Righteousness is purity that comes from God when we receive Jesus Christ. Weare cleansed from our sin.

Holiness is also pure. However, it does not cleanse us. Itdoes not take place until after we are clean. Holiness is not gettingdirty. Holiness starts out being clean by the righteousness that comes fromGod.

Most of my life has been spent getting people righteous withthe gospel and getting Christians to stay righteous by confession of sin. Itseems that Christians think that it is normal to stay unrighteous and that itis impossible to be holy.

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in allyou do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

There was a time in my life when I would ask Christians ifthey wanted to be holy. I have given up the practice because the ranges ofanswers I was given were different ways of saying, “No, I don’t.”

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