Holiness and the Heart
July 13, 2010
The importance of holiness cannot be overstated. Hebrews 12:14 reminds us that without holiness no one will see the Lord. The stakes can’t get much higher than that. The reality is that, as Christians, we struggle to be holy. We struggle to put off sin and to put on the character of Christ for many reasons, but perhaps the leading reason for our struggle is that we forget where holiness begins. Holiness begins the same place that regeneration begins — in the heart. Consider these thoughts from Tim Chester:
“You will cleanse no sin from your life that you have not first recognized as being pardoned through the cross. This is because holiness starts in the heart. The essence of holiness is not new behavior, activity, or disciplines. Holiness is new affections, new desires, and new motives that then lead to new behavior. If you don’t see your sin as completely pardoned, then your affections, desires, and motives will be wrong. You will aim to prove yourself. Your focus will be the consequences of your sin rather than hating the sin and desiring God in its place.” [Tim Chester, You Can Change (Wheaton, Ill.; Crossway, 2010), 28.]
Reading Chester’s thoughts was a wonderful and fresh reminder for me. I hope the truth that you’ve been completely pardoned by God is comforting and motivating. Let’s endeavor to remember that holiness begins in the heart captured by the cross.
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