Destination Holiness

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”-Hebrews 12:14

I think that the reason that so many people struggle to live for God is that they have determined the ultimate destination of our faith to be heaven. When we approach salvation as simply the transaction that secures our place in heaven, there is a tendency to sit back and wait for God to take us home. 

Don’t get me wrong. Heaven is going to be an amazing place, however it is a future expectation; which is fine as long as it doesn’t cripple our living for God now. However, what if heaven is not our ultimate destination. What if God’s desire for us is not necessarily heaven, but it is holiness:

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”-Ephesians 1:4

God gave us some specific instructions in regards to holiness in 1 Peter 1:15-16: 

“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

God calls us to be holy, for He is holy. The key word (next to holy) is the word “be”. Being indicates that this is something that we are to do in the present. Holiness is not just a future expectation, but a present reality. 

The word holy in its least complex definition is to be set apart. When we think about God as being holy we think about Him as being set apart from all other gods, set apart from all wickedness and sin. He is pure and righteous. Holiness is God’s nature (Exodus 15:11, 1 Samuel 2:2). He is solely set apart and above any other. 

When we don’t see holiness as a destination, it is easy to conclude that being holy is simply positional:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”-1 Peter 2:9

Although it is true that we are made holy in God’s eyes through Christ; if we see holiness as completely achieved through salvation we can convince ourselves that there is nothing more to pursue. Why pursue something we’ve already completely attained? Yet, scripture is clear that once we place our faith in Christ the pursuit of holiness continues:

“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”-2 Corinthians 7:1 

God saved us and called us to live a holy life (2 Timothy 1:9). Truth is, when we pursue holiness, we are really pursuing God. When we pursue holiness we are going to engage God in the present and in heaven. However, if we purse only heaven, we are going to miss the present reality of God in our lives. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church