Quotes About Holiness

Peter prescribes four actions, each expressed in main clauses containing an aorist imperative form and each qualified by subordinate clauses: (1) set your mind on the grace ahead, (2) be holy in your whole way of life, (3) love one another earnestly, and (4) crave pure spiritual milk.

Particularly in the East, in the fourth and fifth centuries, dirtiness became a uniquely Christian badge of holiness. This particular mortification of the flesh was known as alousia, "the state of being unwashed," and was largely chosen by hermits, monks and saints.

In sanctification, there is never, under any circumstances, any room for self-pride or self-praise.

The true nature of good works cannot be understood apart from Christ who is our 'sanctification' (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Sanctification is not the humanly operated successor to the divinely worked justification.

Genuine sanctification has a 'continued orientation toward justification.

The Spirit alone could perform the miracle of making man walk on the road of sanctity without a sense of his own worth.

The restoration of the image of God ... the new nature, created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness ... the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator ... the renewal of the image will throw light upon the meaning and content of the original creation of man in the image of God.

The Church needs a firm hierarchy and is forced to distrust such of her underlings as show a tendency to become too holy.

God's glory is not always immediate, but it is certain. He will be glorified for His holiness, for His defeat of Satan, for His righteous judgment, and for His grace to redeemed sinners (Revelation 5). This glory must have a backdrop of sin to be fully realized.

Finding fulfillment in God is the most powerful antidote to any sin.

Though pursuing holiness seems to be—and, in fact, is—a noble aim, and wanting to experience greater depth in holiness appears to be—and, in fact, is—a godly pursuit, it's possible that our desire for increased growth may be fueled by pride, ambition, and self-interest—and our attitude as we wait is often the best indicator of what our true motivation is.

John Wesley once boldly proclaimed that it is not possible for a man to be happy who is not also holy, and the way he explains it makes much sense. Who can be truly "happy" while filled with anger, rage, and malice? Who can be happy while nursing resentment or envy? Who can be honestly happy while caught in the sticky compulsion of an insatiable lust or incessant materialism

Christian marriage is marked by discipline and self-denial . . . Christianity does not therefore depreciate marriage; it sanctifies it."5

Just as viewing my marriage through the lens of a pathway toward holiness more than happiness gave me renewed motivation to grow in union with my wife and ongoing motivation to keep pursuing deeper intimacy with her, so understanding my body as an instrument of service to God is giving me renewed motivation to take better care of it in the face of my cravings and laziness.

Any situation that calls me to confront my selfishness has enormous spiritual value, and I slowly began to understand that the real purpose of marriage may not be happiness as much as it is holiness.

As just one example of spiritualizing objects, you romanticize the South American rainforest by thinking it's one of the holiest spots on earth. If you could observe in accelerated motion what goes on underneath the ground there, you would see that the roots of the trees actually compete with each other for the water, just as all the creatures of the rainforest fight for survival.

Leaders of Israel, bring forth your clan heads from all the twelve tribes!" The twelve clan leaders stepped forward with trepidation. They knew this could not be good. "Hear O Israel, Yahweh our God is a holy God! And these leaders of the clans have not exercised their authority in honor of Yahweh's holiness! They have allowed Ba'al worship to thrive amidst their tribes!" The twelve clan leaders looked at one another in fear.

Judges of Israel, each of you kill those of your men who have yoked themselves to Ba'al of Peor." Women screamed and guilty men took off, trying to escape the swords that came after them. Men were hacked and hewn by the edge of sword and axe for their abominable practices in Israel's midst. Yahweh's zeal for holiness did not end with the Canaanite heathen. It applied as much to Israel as to anyone else. Yahweh would not compromise his glory.

Who is like you, O Yahweh, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. The peoples have heard; they tremble; Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.

as he read through the Levitical laws, he received a vision of Yahweh's holiness so pure and intense, it was like a blinding light that pierced his soul. Israel was a royal priesthood of Yahweh's perfection. And he understood again that Yahweh's laws were not restrictive, but freeing. They were the boundaries for experiencing the best that the creator offered to humanity.

When Yahweh told Moses he revealed himself to the forefathers as El Shaddai, but not as Yahweh, he was saying that they only knew him in a limited sense that was not as full as he was about to reveal. The Mosaic revelation of Yahweh on Sinai would be a dramatic world changing self-disclosure of God's unique character through his Law, a new revelation of God. This is what would separate them from the nations as a holy people of God's own choosing.

11Jesus, the Holy One, makes us holy. And as sons and daughters, we now belong to his same Father,n so he is not ashamed or embarrassed to introduce us as his brothers and sisters!

11Since we are those who stand in holy awe of the Lord,h we make it our passion to persuade others to turn to him. We know that our lives are transparent before the God who knows us fully, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences.