Made Holy, yet being made holy

We are brought to God by Christ's death

Rom 5:19 Christ's active obedience is his sinless life here on earth, which is credited to those who trust in Him for salvation.

"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."

1 Peter 3:18 Christ's passive obedience is His death on cross, which fully paid the penalty for our sins.

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the BODYbut made alive by the Spirit,..."

We are made Holy

Heb 10:5-10 By God's will we have been made holy once for all. This holiness depends entirely on Christ's work, by God's will.

"Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: 'Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a BODYyou prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, "Here I am — it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God." ' First he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them' (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, 'Here I am, I have come to do your will.' He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the BODYof Jesus Christ once for all."

1 Cor 6:9-11 believers have been washed, justified, sanctified.

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

We were removed from the kingdom of sin, and placed in the kingdom of God

Eph 2:1-3 We were dead in our sins, walking according to the ways of the world.

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sin, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."

Rom 6:1-4 Through our union with Christ, we died to sin. This is fact, whether or not we experience it.

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we then live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

Rom 6:5-11 We are freed from sin.

"If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the BODYof sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Col 1:13

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves..."

Rom 6:12

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal BODYso that you obey its evil desires."

We are called to be Holy

"Sanctification is an ongoing transformation within a maintained consecration, and it engenders real righteousness within the frame of relational holiness." J. I. Packer, Concise Theology , p169

Relational holiness flows from the cross

1 Thess 4:7

"For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."

Personal holiness (or, moral renovation) flows from the Holy Spirit

Rom 8:12-14

"Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God."

2 Cor 3:17-18

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

 

 

 

 

 

Becoming Holy

2 Cor 7:1

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates BODYand spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."

Phil 2:12-13

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

Phil 1:6

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

1 Thess 4:7

"For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."

Rom 12:1-2

"Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God —this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Being/becoming holy is accomplished both of our efforts and by God's

Side notes:

What is the role of the Holy Spirit in holiness?

Moral renovation flows from the Holy Spirit (see above)

Gal 5:16 not carry out desire of flesh by Spirit (body)

Gal 5:22-23 fruit of Spirit (mind)

1 Cor 12 gifts of the Spirit with which to serve the church

John 15:26-16:15 promise of Spirit as Helper, bringer of truth, convictor, glorifier

Given those things, let me suggest that all aspects of our growth in holiness comes by the internal prompting, filling, strengthening of the Holy Spirit, and through the external discipline of God.

This seems reasonable