MULTIPLYING DISCIPLES AROUND THE WORLD

Day 4 – Holiness – How to Become Like Jesus

Imagine you’re looking in a mirror and instead of seeing your reflection, you see someone else entirely – someone perfect, pure, loving beyond measure. You realize this isn’t just any mirror; it’s showing you who you’re supposed to become. The person staring back at you is Jesus Christ.

That’s exactly what God intends for every believer. Romans 8:29 declares God’s ultimate purpose: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” This isn’t just wishful thinking – it’s God’s predetermined plan for your life.

Here’s the life-changing truth I want you to grasp today: Holiness isn’t an impossible standard – it’s God’s achievable plan to transform you into the image of Jesus through His grace, not your effort. The gap between who you are and who God wants you to be can be closed, but not the way most people think.

There’s a gap – a chasm that exists in all our lives between where we are and where we ought to be as followers of Christ. Paul addressed this directly in Galatians 4:19 when he said he was “in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” He wasn’t talking about geography when Jesus said “Follow me” – He was saying “Imitate me, become like me.”

How do most Christians deal with this gap? Some deny it exists, developing a theology that says “Positionally I’m holy, although my life is unholy.” Others resign themselves to it, saying “Romans 7 is as good as it gets – I’ll always struggle with sin.” Still others live in frustration, thinking “try harder” is the answer – more devotions, more giving, more Bible memory.

But none of these approaches actually close the gap. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 3:10 – one of the healthiest churches in the New Testament – and said “I pray earnestly that I may see you face-to-face and supply what is lacking in your faith.” Even this amazing, steadfast, missionary-minded church had something missing.

What was it? First Thessalonians 4:3 gives us the answer: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” – your holiness. The missing ingredient wasn’t more programs or better leadership. It was holiness.

First Peter 1:15-16 commands us: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'” But what does “holy” actually mean?

The word “holy” has two basic meanings. First, it means set apart – like the vessels in the temple that were called “holy pots.” What made them holy? Not that they were better made or more expensive, but that they were set apart for God’s purposes alone. Holiness isn’t perfection of performance – it’s perfection of surrender and consecration.

Second, holiness means clean and pure. When our grandparents said “cleanliness is next to godliness,” they spoke biblical truth. There’s an unmistakable purity in those who are holy.

Paul defines holiness in three practical categories in 1 Thessalonians:

First, holiness is characterized by love. First Thessalonians 3:12 says “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love.” If self-giving love isn’t the most defining characteristic of your life, something’s wrong with your understanding of following Jesus.

Second, holiness is a daily walk. First Thessalonians 4:1 says “walk and please God.” Holiness isn’t just an emotional experience at an altar. It’s walking like Jesus walked, day by day. Matthew 7:16 reminds us, “You will know them by their fruit.”

Third, holiness includes sexual purity. First Thessalonians 4:3-4 says “This is God’s will – your sanctification – that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor.”

Here’s the revolutionary truth: there’s a dangerous heresy in the church that says we’re justified by faith but sanctified by works. The biblical truth is we’re both justified AND sanctified by grace through faith alone.

First Thessalonians 5:23-24 gives us the solution: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely… He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” Holiness is a work of God’s grace, not our effort.

Ephesians 2:8-10 confirms this: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith… For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Dr. Robert Coleman illustrates this beautifully: his five-year-old son brought him a dirty glass of warm water on a hot day. The boy’s dirty fingers were on the rim, but his heart was full of love. Dr. Coleman drank every drop and hugged his son, saying “Thank you for loving your daddy with all your five-year-old heart.”

Holiness isn’t about perfect performance – it’s about perfect love expressing itself through surrendered hearts.

Here’s the question that will determine your spiritual future: Are you trying to become holy through human effort, or are you surrendering to God’s grace to make you holy?

Stop trying to close the gap through your own strength. Psalm 139:23-24 gives us the prayer: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Pray that prayer right now. Confess what He shows you, repent, and allow Him to cleanse you. Remember, holiness is God’s work of grace in completely surrendered hearts.

The mirror of God’s Word shows you who you’re becoming – someone conformed to the image of Jesus. Don’t settle for the gap. Let God’s grace close it and transform you into the holy person He’s called you to be. That’s not just possible – it’s promised.