It is faith in Christ Jesus that transforms us into a life of holiness. We are saved and declared righteous by the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. And we are sanctified, not by our own efforts, but through faith in his sanctifying grace. Jesus can keep us from sinning; when we do sin, it is Jesus who will cleanse and pardon. We cannot make ourselves righteous – if we could, there would have been no need for Christ to die!

We must fix our eyes upon Jesus, as we seek to be holy. It is as we behold His glory, that we are transformed into His image. (II Cor. 3:18) That transformation is not something we can produce on our own, apart from the power of the Holy Spirit.The pathway to a personal holiness requires three things:

1. Come to Him; abide with Him, spend time at His feet, learning of Him and from Him.
2. Meditate on Him, on His magnificence, on His love, on His grace and mercy.
3. Follow in His footsteps; let His example guide you in every way:
          * Love God first and foremost, and be fully obedient to His will.
          * Love others, even when they are less than perfect, even when they mess up. Love even the ones
             that others reject and look down upon. Even those you don't like.
          * Pray – get up early, and go someplace alone. Seek God’s will, not your own.
          * Read and learn Scripture; be able to explain it to others, and to relate it to your own life.
          * Be bold in preaching and teaching God’s word. Do not be afraid to speak the truth.
          * Teach others, both by word and deed. Live a life of example.
          * Be fully committed, even in the face of criticism, opposition and persecution.

We need to get it ingrained in our minds that God means what He says. His laws aren't an option that we can choose to either obey or ignore, or twist around to our own convenience. A law partially obeyed is a law fully broken. Galatians 6:17 tells us quite plainly: God will not be mocked!

Remember, God is not asking us to be reformed into a better version of ourselves; He's wanting to conform us to the image of perfection in His son Jesus Christ. (Romans 12:2) This is not something we can do for ourselves, but take courage: I Thessalonians 5:24 assures us: “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”

It is sad but true that in so many of our churches today were trying so hard to be “relevant” and “seeker- friendly” that we have by and large abandoned preaching about sin and Holiness. Too often, we aren't willing to confront sin, we are willing to compromise and tolerate it. The church has long been waiting for the world to get right with God. When will we realize that the world is waiting for the church to get right with God? Repentance needs to begin within the church!

Try to imagine, if you can, a beautiful wedding, where everything is lavish and perfect. The enormous church is beautifully decorated, the banquet is extravagant, the music is flawless, the flowers are profuse, and their fragrance softly fills the room. The groom is beautifully elegant, and eagerly awaiting his bride. Finally, the bride arrives, but not in perfect splendor. Instead, she is in slovenly disarray, not caring enough about her groom to get ready for her own wedding.

We know there's wedding coming soon. Rev. 19:7—8 tells us: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” Are you ready for that wedding? If not, what do you have to do to be ready?