Paul on Holiness
I recently read N.T. Wright's Paul: A Biography and enjoyed it immensely. There is much in it that expands my understanding of Paul and his times. A biography is different than a history. It teaches one about the person on the inside as well as the person on the outside. Including, in this instance, Paul's battles with self-doubt and depression, and his total dependence upon his faith. It is faith that fueled Paul's pursuit of holiness, and it is our faith that makes the seemingly impossible goal of holiness realistic in our lives, in this world, and in this time.
Holiness Results from Active Pursuit
Two of the great problems of man are the emphasis on knowledge and the exercise of will. We prioritize intellect, then strive with the force of our will to overcome every obstacle within ourselves and the world to achieve what it mandates. Compare that to a pursuit that begins in the heart with a deep longing, unshakable desire, and firm intent, and which captures the forces of intellect to face each obstacle with confidence and an unquenchable thirst. That kind of pursuit results in love found, dreams made real, a changed world ... and a changed us. Holiness begins with a yearning in the heart that will not be denied.
We must guard holiness in the Body of Christ
"Guard" is an active verb. Holiness doesn't just happen because we are believers. It is to be walked out with discipline and diligence applied to our relationship with Christ, the Messiah1 and our relationship with the world that surrounds us.
"Unity and holiness will come, and will only come, as the mind of the community and of the individuals within it are transformed to reflect the mind of the Messiah himself." (Wright, 272)
The truly transformed mind
A transformed mind is as important to us individually as it is to the Body, for if one part is unholy then the whole cannot be truly holy.
It is a humbling thought to consider how far my thoughts are from His. I can hardly fathom the degree of change required, yet Paul informs us explicitly that this is exactly what is expected.2 Scripture's repeated instruction on the subject is proof that a life of holiness is possible even today. But how?
“Learning how to think as the Messiah had thought, Paul insisted, was the only way to radical unity in the church, and it was also the secret of how to live as pure and spotless children of God in the middle of a twisted and depraved generation." (Wright, 274)
Learn to think like Christ
Think about that for a moment and realize just how far you are from it. "Take every thought captive"3 takes on new weight when we consider that it is the secret to thinking like the Messiah, the Risen One, the Redeemer, the Perfect One; and in that secret lives the way to holiness and righteousness.
But look around at the world outside and the person inside. It is a mess. We are a mess. Where does one start this journey? Once again, we find ancient wisdom that is still the standard for today, as it was when it came from Paul’s heart.
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 (ESV)
Are you searching for a way forward in the chaos of today’s world? Take heart, you are in good company. Do as Paul taught. Search your heart and feed its desire for holiness until it becomes a fire within that cannot be smothered. Let that fire become your beacon and the master of everything else.
Shalom
Lev 11:44-45, 19:2; Matt 5:48; 1 Pet 1:13-16
Rom 8:14, 12:2; 1 Cor 3:16-17; 2 Cor 7:1; Gal 2:20
2 Cor 10:5