I have been a follower of Jesus Christ all my adult life. Because of this, I assumed I had at least a modest understanding of holiness. I was wrong. As I took a closer look into biblical holiness, I discovered that, at best, my knowledge of holiness was incomplete, and, at worst, completely wrong. Four basic questions provide clarity. These are questions that every believer should be able to answer with confidence. 

First question – Why did Jesus die on the cross? 

Well, that’s easy. He died to save us from our sins and give us eternal life. The Bible is clear on that. “Christ died to set (us) free from the penalty of the sins (we) had committed” (Hebrews 9:15) and God gave “his Son as a sacrifice for our sins” (Romans 8:3), “so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life” (John 3:15-16). We affirm this bedrock truth of Christian orthodoxy. 

But the Bible gives an additional justification for Christ’s sacrifice. He died to make us holy. “God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time” (Hebrews 10:10). Again from Hebrews: “Jesus suffered and died…to make his people holy by means of his own blood” (Hebrews 13:12).   

And the words of Christ Himself as He was praying for His disciples (and us) just hours before His crucifixion: “I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth” (John 17:19). Jesus died on the cross not only to save us from sin but also to make us holy. My understanding was incomplete. 

Second question – What does it mean to be holy?

My previous understanding was a vague notion of sinlessness, perfection, and sainthood, among other qualities. After all, asking “What is holiness?” is akin to asking “What is the very nature of God?” We cannot fully comprehend God. Yet the impossibility does not relieve us of the responsibility of trying, which would be disingenuous. Fortunately, the Bible gives at least two starting points for defining personal holiness, neither of which is sinlessness or earthly perfection. The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine (HOD) instructs, “Holiness is not sinlessness” and “We must not claim sinless perfection in this life.” 

God’s first instruction for holiness is to be set apart. “You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own” (Leviticus 20:26). We cannot make ourselves holy, the Holy Spirit helps us to leave behind the values and desires of this world so we can become different. In a similar but contrasting passage God instructs, “So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God…I am the Lord who makes you holy” (Leviticus 20:7–8). God initiates the process, and we participate. How do we set ourselves apart? Paul gives practical instruction: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2). The NIV reads, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” 

We place ourselves where the Holy Spirit can make us Christlike. Through scripture, prayer, corporate worship, and the practice of other spiritual disciplines such as fasting, silence, and solitude, the Holy Spirit transforms us. “And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are “growing in every way more and more like Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). The HOD simply states, “Holiness is Christlikeness.” 

My understanding of personal holiness was wrong. It is not sinless perfection here on earth. Rather, the Bible teaches that we engage in the process of becoming holy when we allow God to set us apart from the world, and then allow the Holy Spirit to shape us in Christlikeness through His power. Again, these are only entry points for us to understand holiness, while acknowledging so much more. 

Third question – When do I become holy? 

My previous understanding was that at some point after I was saved, I would be ready for a “second work of grace,” and at the prompting of the Holy Spirit I would be sanctified, and experience more crisis than process. Only then would I be holy. While this may be the experience of some, the HOD warns, “We should be cautious about requiring a ‘second work of grace’…The sanctifying grace of God is not limited to human timetables.” While I do not doubt that all of us can experience a second work of grace (and a third and a fourth, for that matter), our doctrine teaches that holiness begins when we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. 

The Salvation Army’s 7th doctrine affirms that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is necessary for salvation. Regeneration is being born again, a principle from Jesus’ evening conversation with Nicodemus in John 3:7: “You must be born again.” And from Paul’s teaching: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Handbook teaches, “Regeneration is God’s work in us, the gift of the indwelling Spirit, and the beginning of a life of holiness. Regeneration is the first step in a life of holiness in Christ.” 

Holiness is both crisis and process. One crisis happens when we repent for our sins, accept the grace of God, are justified by that grace, put our faith in Christ, and experience regeneration through the Holy Spirit. Having been made holy through regeneration, we enter the very presence of God. “He has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault” (Colossians 1:22). God makes us holy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and we surrender before Him. 

The process of holiness continues for the remainder of our earthly lives, as the Holy Spirit causes us to become more and more like Christ. From Philippians 1:6: “God, who began the good work within you [justification and regeneration], will continue his work [sanctification, the process of growing in Christlikeness], until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns [glorification].” This is all of God and not of ourselves. My previous understanding of becoming holy was imperfect.  

Fourth question – Why did God create me? What is His plan for me? 

My previous understanding was He wants me to get saved so I can go to heaven when I die. Until then, He wants me to tell others about Him, and find avenues of Christian service. In other words, believe in Christ and then get busy doing things for Him. To a certain degree, this is true. Our obedience to Christ is paramount, but this stems from the love we have for Him in our relationship. Christ instructs, “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15). 

Notice that love precedes service. God first wants us in a loving relationship with Him. This is crucial. The anonymous author of “The Cloud of Unknowing” wrote these words in the late 1300’s: “God’s not asking for your help. He’s asking for you.” In God’s own words He pleads, “If you had responded to (me), I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you” (Proverbs 1:23 NIV 1984). This is a relationship. 

Through the sacrifice of Jesus, “we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ” (Romans 5:9). That is justification. Paul goes on: “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God” (Romans 5:11). Holiness is a requirement for friendship with God. Remember, God instructs, “You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy.” We must be holy to be in His presence. In reality, we are holy because He lives in us. “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you” (Romans 8:11). At our regeneration, He makes us holy; “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5 NIV). He brings us directly into the relationship in His presence. 

We are friends of God. Our love relationship with the triune God is our ‘raison d’être’, the most important reason for our existence. Jesus tells us, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you…For apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). God wants us to spend time with Him in worship with others, in prayer, and immersion in scripture, which is where God communicates with us. “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming’” (Psalm 27:8).  

He wants us to walk with Him in the cool of the evening, just as He did with our first parents before the Fall. Jesus invites us, “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life … Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace … Keep company with me” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message). Christ promises, “I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:3). 

God created us for a relationship with Him. Being aware of God’s presence, rehearsing his promises and instruction from scripture, and listening for His voice should be our highest priority daily. “He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths” (Isaiah 2:3). As we learn his ways, the Holy Spirit will shape our identity in the likeness and nature of Christ. 

Live a life in pursuit of God. He is pursuing you. “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6). Don’t miss out on anything He has for you. God the Father offers a life of holiness where you will experience a loving relationship with Him in His presence, and the Holy Spirit will continue making you more and more like Jesus Christ. 

This article was originally titled “An Imperfect Holiness” in the October 2024 issue of The War Cry.