Tag: Christ in me is holiness

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Already, but Not Yet

Paul called them “saints.” Whether writing to congregations in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, or Colossae, he greeted the people as they were: saints. It means “holy ones,” and if Christ is born in you through faith in Him, the Bible says you are holy, set apart from the ways of the world and set apart to God. We are not holy because of ourselves; we are holy in spite of ourselves. In grace, Jesus, who is holy by nature, lives in all who believe in Him1; He has made us one with Him,2 and His nature becomes our own. The writer of Hebrews states it clearly, “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”3 As we said in a recent post, “You Are Holy; Get Used to It.”

What follows Paul’s lofty greetings, then, raises the eyebrow, for consider his admonitions to those he called saints. To the Colossian saints: “Put to death . . . whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed.”4 To the Ephesians saints: “Put off falsehood and speak truthfully . . . Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer . . . Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander.”5 Wait a minute! Paul is compelled to say these things to “saints”? They sound more like hypocrites than “holy ones”! But let’s look more closely.

In this world, believers live in what some call an “already, but not yet” reality. (I prefer “already, yet still,” but either will work.) We are already holy, for we live in Christ who “has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”6 Yet we also remain a work in progress: throughout this life, God continues to hone us into the image of Christ, as Paul so clearly states, “[God] who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”7 So “we have been made holy”8 through Jesus, yet He continues to perfect us as people who “are being made holy.”9

Then how do we live in this “already, but not yet” paradox? Choose wisely. Consider these coaching tips from Paul to Colossian saints: “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. . . Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”10 If this is what real holiness looks like, I’m all in. What about you?

Father, in Your mercy, lead us from our ways into Your ways. Continue what You’ve started in us. In Christ we pray. Amen.

1 2 Corinthians 13:5
2 John 17:20-23
3 Hebrews 10:10 NIV
4 Colossians 3:5 NIV
5 Ephesians 4:25-32
6 Colossians 1:22 NASB
7 Philippians 1:6 ESV
8 Hebrews 10:10 NIV
9 Hebrews 10:14 NIV
10 Colossians 3:11-14 NIV

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Holy Ground

Christmas changes us. We join family and friends in festive celebration, of course, and we take time to ponder the reason for the season, but Christmas marks the advent of “God with us,” and both we and our place in the world are forever changed because of Christ.

The Bible teaches that wherever the Lord is, is holy. This is why in the Old Testament Moses and, later, Joshua were told to remove their sandals, for they found themselves standing on “holy ground”—in the presence of God. But now that Jesus has come and redeemed us as His own, He is both with us and in us. We are, says Paul, “a temple of the Holy Spirit.”1 Wherever we are, He is; wherever we go, He goes; wherever we stand is holy ground, for God is present.

So, we live and move and breathe with newfound purpose. Ours is to embrace the grace we have received and to share the love and truth of God wherever we are. For the Lord is present and where He is, is holy.

Ask yourself:

  1. Does sharing Christ feel like an obligation I have to do for God, or a privilege I get to do with God?
  2. Can I just for today offer myself to the Spirit and trust Him to work through an imperfect and awkward me?

Father, thank you for making me a dwelling place for your Spirit. I am humbled by such great love. Where I am, you are, so use me as you will for your purposes and your glory. Amen.

Christ in me is holiness.

1 1 Corinthians 6:19

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Singleness of Heart

One of the marvels of this incredible, shrinking world of ours is that we see up-close the incredible, expanding church of Christ. At two weekly Bible studies I attend, believers have come from or gone to places all over the world—Malaysia, Indonesia, Burkina-Faso, Slovenia, Peru, China, Nigeria, Thailand, India, Taiwan and Japan, to name a few. All these faces representing all these nations reflect this beautiful prophecy fulfilled: “I will give them singleness of heart and action” (Jeremiah 32:39). From continents and cultures around the globe, we share in new life in Christ Jesus and the call to reach others in His name.

What’s fascinating, then—and fun to watch—is how God creates a new diversity among a united us, for His Spirit uniquely gifts each believer for the common good. Take Iris*, for instance. Here from a foreign country to study economics, she found new life in Christ. Now from this leader flows a healing compassion for those who hurt, and the gift of intercession as she earnestly prays for them. Then there’s Rhonda—a friendly “force of nature” whose unquenchable zeal for the salvation of souls is sourced in the Spirit of God working through her in power. Eric is a proclaimer, boldly and joyfully sharing the gospel of Christ and letting its truth produce fruit for itself.

I could go on, and so could you, with example after example of how God calls and gifts His redeemed people for His glory and our good. For the one Spirit He has placed in all of us will accomplish His purposes through each of us. It is evidence of yet another prophecy fulfilled in Christ—In that day you will say: “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world” (Isaiah 12:4, 5).

And so we have, and still we are.

Father, seeing you at work around me increases my desire for you to work through me. Yet more important still is that you be glorified through the body of Christ, your own people loving and serving with singularity of heart and action. May this be so today. Amen.

Christ in me is holiness.

Read today’s Scripture in Isaiah 12:1-6.

* Names have been changed.