Phases Of Holiness: Part 2

After being saved, is there anyone who has not committed a sin by word, thought or action?

THERE IS NOBODY!

We might have taken the decision to lead a new life away from the old sinful things but those thoughts still make their way into our minds. We ask God for a sinless and clean heart. Today we will look at the solution to this problem!

God’s sanctification process in our lives has 3 phases:

1. Positional Holiness - This is the position Christ has in front of God. Since we are all children of God, we also have this position as siblings of Christ. We got the holiness from the oldest sibling which is Christ. There was a recreation in our spirit not in our body or mind. 

1 Corinthians 6:11 says “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”.

2. Progressive Holiness / Practical Holiness - we saw the commencement earlier and now we are in the continuation. We receive a positional process when we are saved, but we step into progressive holiness. Our soul and body which is not saved has to be renewed and transformed (Romans 12.1).
This is a gradual process, so we need to have patience and cooperate with God.
This begins at rebirth and continues all through our life till our death. We are delivered from the power of sin.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says “and we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Being transformed in the same image of Christ from glory to glory. The context is based on Moses’ radiant face after he came down after spending 40 days with God. No one could look at his face. Moses covered his face with a veil since the people could not look at him. This was a physical glory which faded each day.

In the New Testament, the glory of God came internally, and it keeps increasing day by day. We face the opposite of what Moses faced. The glory on him faded but for us in the New Testament it keeps increasing - glory to glory. This is the result of progressive holiness.
This holiness only happens in partnership deal, joint venture, cooperation etc. We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 12:11 says “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death”.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 says “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Spirit, soul, body - will be sanctified which is a lifelong process. God has a part, and we have a part. We must cooperate when He purifies us through and through.
How do we know that we have been made holy? It will clearly reflect on our faces like a mirror.
 
Revelation 22:10-11 says (10) Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. (11) Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

This is a gradual process. Even more unwanted thoughts will come out, but we must overcome them by the meditation of the Word and the Spirit.

3. Perfect Holiness - this is impossible on this earth. It is an utopian dream. It is the completion / culmination of holiness. This happens at the return of Christ. This is done by God alone.

Philippians 1:6 says 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 John 3.2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
This verse talks about both perfect and progressive holiness.

When Jesus comes again, we shall be like Him because we shall see him just as he is. There will be a transformation and transfiguration at the end by God himself! In the first and last phase, we have no part.

Revelation 19:7-8 says (7) Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. (8) Fine linen, bright and clean, was given to her to wear.”
Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people. This is what we do for Him. This is how the bride of Christ should be.