Tag Archives: Earn

Choosing Holiness

Attempting to gain acceptance with God by our own goodness merely results in dependence on law as the basis for our righteousness. But it goes without saying that earning our own way with God is at best an exercise in futility. For this reason, God, knowing the limitations of our flesh, resolved this issue once and for all by laying in us a foundation of holiness—His holiness. And only on such a foundation can a life pleasing to Him be built. It’s God’s exclusive platform for growth and transformation.

So we’ve got to get over the idea that being a Christian means having the power in and of ourselves to increase our holiness. Rather, this new life in Christ is all about God’s Spirit interacting with our own so that we are now capable of making godly choices. And godly choices is what cultivates the transformation of our character.

Given the fact that we can never gain God’s acceptance through our own efforts to become more holy, just what is our responsibility toward seeing that holiness (sanctification) comes to full fruition in our life? Well, obviously the duty to live our life in a manner pleasing to God is the first step. But what’s our next step—how do we to go about pursuing it?

Our mindset is the answer to this question. Paul exhorts believers to “set your minds on the things above,” and assures them that “the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”(Colossians 1:1-3, Romans 8:6)  After all, that’s what godliness is: devotion which is characterized by an attitude toward doing that which pleases God. And make no mistake about it: both devotion and attitude are choices made by an act of our will.

God’s Guidepost to Life

We are inherently self-interested creature in this sin-riddled world, and our sin is blatantly exposed by the presence of law. This fact is undeniable: “the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)

What’s really sad about God’s law is not that it had to be imposed, but that it was so quickly interpreted as a means by which a person might earn his own righteousness—becoming the framework for man’s attempt to work his way to heaven. From the very beginning God had something far different in mind; law was to be a guidepost to His gift of life.(Romans 7:10)

Law was never intended to be the vehicle to bring us into right standing with Him, because ultimately God wanted to freely impart His own righteousness—and thus His life—to man.(Galatians 3:21) Consequently, man’s attempt to earn his own righteousness through works (what is commonly called works righteousness) can result in little else but pitting us head-on against God’s plan.

Paul talks about God’s people being held in custody under law—like children under a tutor—until the fullness of time came when Christ was to justify those who believe.(Galatians 3:22-24) Law had its purpose then, and still does now. But since freedom from law is the very essence of our freedom from the power of sin, we need to better understand the manner in which law relates to our righteousness in Christ now that He has come.