Holiness: For the Will of God Is Your Sanctification – 1 Thessalonians 4:3 [Annotated, Updated]

by J.C. Ryle

You might say that it is impossible to be so holy and to handle our responsibilities in this life at the same time – that it cannot be done. I answer, “You are mistaken. It can be done. With Christ on your side, nothing is impossible. It has been done by many. David, Obadiah, Daniel, and the servants of Caesar’s household are all examples that go to prove it.” All the saints greet you, chiefly those that are of the Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22). You might say that if you were so holy, you would be unlike other people. I answer, “You are right. You ought to be different from other people. Christ’s true servants always were unlike the world around them – a separate nation, a peculiar people – and you must be, too, if you would be saved!”