Becoming Holy

May the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

HOW DOES A Christian become a holy, godly person?

Probably most of us were not angels before our conversions—or even after. In 1 Corinthians, Paul acknowledges that many of the people in the Corinthian church committed all kinds of sins, from drunkenness, cheating, swindling, and theft to sexual sins, impurity, coveting, and lying.

Clearly, that society was not much different from ours, and some of those Christians were still living lifestyles that match some of our own.

Somehow, though, God takes us just as we are at salvation and moves us in the direction of goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. The Spirit works in us to perfect us. No matter what we’ve done, no matter how young or old we are, he starts where we are and begins the process of transforming us into Christ’s image.

God never intended to save us and then leave us in our old sinful condition. No, he plans to make us fit for his new heaven. And that will take a lot of honing and changing. This happens day by day as we walk in the power of the Spirit. His promise is to get you there. So trust him as he works in you. He’s perfecting you for eternal life in a heaven of righteousness, peace, and joy.