More Fun and Less Scars
It is our responsibility to move toward God’s holiness. God paid the price, but we must respond to the purchase. As the apostle Paul writes, “God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” There is no doubt that Jesus Christ’s saving work on the cross was sufficient for our salvation, for we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. But that does not mean we are absolved of responsibility for the remainder of our lives.
Taking hold of this responsibility can sometimes be viewed as promoting a life of self-sufficiency and salvation by works. But to misunderstand our responsibility for holiness is to blur the lines of scripture. As Jerry Bridges writes in The Pursuit of Holiness, “the Scriptures teach us that in following holiness the true Christian needs personal exertion and work as well as faith. We must face the fact that we have a personal responsibility for our walk of holiness.” Effort is required to become more holy. Just as it takes discipline to break a bad habit like overeating or smoking, it takes obedience to cultivate holy habits – reading God’s word, practicing kindness, or prayer. To walk in holiness we must work at it.
This is not about perfection or meeting a standard, because we all fall short. This is about practicing God's way of doing things, that we might become more like him. As Bridges continues, “Holiness is not a series of do’s and don’ts, but conformity to the character of God and obedience to the will of God.” Through learning life God’s way, we learn what is best for us – what we need to remove, work on, and do as a result of our faith. We learn how to embrace the responsibility of a holy life.
When we walk faithfully, we have more fun and less scars, as I heard it said once. For when we begin living the way God intended, we are more free, less sinful, and grow closer to him. It is a blessing to accept the responsibility of becoming more like Christ. Choosing to walk in holiness will produce hardship at times, but it will be the most fruitful and meaningful life.
*Reference from 2 Corinthians 5:21
