Genuine Holiness

It amazes me how much time and energy is spent in the pulpit trying to make people behave properly when Jesus says so clearly that it is our heart that really matters (Mt. 15:19). Now, this does not mean that our behavior is unimportant. God is holy and He calls us to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). But it does mean that true holiness must extend beyond behavior and into the condition of our hearts.

If we behave absolutely in accordance with the Biblical teaching, but have the wrong motivation in our hearts, then our holiness amounts to nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). The holiness God is looking for is right behavior motivated by love. That is true holiness.

So, how do we get there? Certainly, we can’t do it on our own. Our hearts are deceitful and we cannot even understand them fully (Jeremiah 17:9). The only way is have our hearts transformed by God – cleansed of all its ugliness and filled instead with His love. It is only then that we are able to truly love others and to walk in true holiness. It is only then that we are really Christlike.

Of course, allowing God to transform our hearts can mean that we engage in prayer, Bible study and other Christian activities. However, each of these only works to the extent that the Holy Spirit is active in the moment transforming us. That said, it is so much easier just to seek the presence of God directly than it is to engage in these other activities. It is in His presence that hearts are changed and nowhere else.