Called To Be Holy

“Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” —Ephesians 4:24 ESV

God has called you to be holy. Not pious and elitist. Not exclusive and judgmental. Not condescending or entitled.

Holy.

Sometimes I get so caught up in trying to live like a good Christian… or even a good husband or dad… that I forget the simple and transformational truth that it isn’t about me. It’s all about God.

Our calling is not to perfect religious practices and ideals but to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. There is plenty of value to discipline and immense worth in preserving sound doctrine and robust theology, but we must not forget that God has called us to a holiness no human can achieve.

Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest person ever to be born, yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than he was (Matthew 11:11). He saw the righteous piety of the Pharisees and proclaimed that unless our righteousness was greater than what could be achieved by full-time religious leaders, we couldn’t even enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:20).

Yet we don’t have to despair. Even the most lowly, struggling, weak Christian has something John the Baptist never had: the gift of new creation. The most devout teacher of Jewish law lacked the one thing we build our faith upon: the blood of Jesus Christ.

As I read Ephesians four, I am undone by the absurdity and the beauty of the fact that our inheritance is to become like God in true righteousness and holiness. We get it so backward when we believe we need to earn our way to holiness—like it is something that we study for and obtain a diploma of certification. With this mindset, our only option is to grind through life depressed, feeling worthless, and stuck in perpetual shame.

Christ sets the standard higher than possible, but he gives us the grace to run beyond what we can imagine alone. We can become truly holy and righteous through the power of the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ. Not stained by the sin of the world. Not broken by the oppression of sin. Not defeated by the curse of death.

This is what Christ calls us to, and we should desire nothing less.

We get to live like heaven. Glory to glory. Even in our suffering, we see the light of Christ; and the Spirit works it for our benefit, shaping us to be more and more like Jesus.

I want to be holy because Christ has called me to be holy. I want to be closer to God and get his heart for those around me. I want to live in a way that reflects the glory of God to everyone around me in the gentle authority of God’s truth.

God, show us how to be holy.