If God requires total holiness, how can a Christian live total holiness? Is it even possible?

Yes, It is possible to live in total holiness, but watch out for this. Do not modify holiness to be something that you can do. Do not think that holiness is something that you can do. Holiness is something that God causes you to become. You just receive it or reject it. There is a process. It is probable that no one, other than Jesus Himself, has ever walked in total holiness. During the process of walking into holiness, you will slip; you will fall; you will confess your sins; God will forgive your sins.

I asked my brother, "Isn't it true that the Bible, taken as it is written, has the promise that we who walk in the Spirit could walk right into total holiness?" My brother was silent for a moment, then thoughtfully said, "Yes; but don't we walk one step at a time?"

To understand this concept, read "Wisdom as a Process" below.

Many have lost the hope of total holiness. Some have, as a result, re-defined holiness. The Bible is very bold in stating that holiness is the kind of holiness that the Father has and that it is available to us only through Christ. When God says that whatever is not of faith is sin, He is saying that sin is anything that we think, say, or do that He has not led us to do and that He has not done through us. We miss most of His leading at this point, and also insert our fleshly selves into the process most of the time. There is only one way for you to do righteousness. That is to allow Jesus to do righteousness within you. That is what grace does. Paul said that it was not him who did the work but grace in him did the work.

Some have said that the Holy Spirit is given to help us to walk in holiness. This is only partly correct, and it misses the most important things. Actually, the first thing that the Holy Spirit does is to give you the ability to walk in righteousness. He does that by becoming our righteousness within us. He does that by doing the works of God through us. As Jesus only said the words of the Father, so the Holy Spirit only says the words of the Father through us. As Jesus only did the acts of the Father, so the Father does only the works of the Father through us. Righteousness is what you do. Holiness is what you are becoming as you have a new mind (repent). Romans 12:1-2states that renewing your mind is what causes you to be transformed, literally, transfigured. Transfiguration is actual redemption. All of these, righteousness, holiness, and redemption are processes that go from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18)

• We, in our nature, have no ability to walk in total holiness. The Holy Spirit not only helps us to walk in total holiness, but Christ in us is our total holiness.
• We can emulate holiness in order to impress ourselves or others that we are totally holy.
• in order to impress ourselves or others that we are holy.
• by trying to obey a set of rules or laws or principles
• lines drawn in the sand.
• these cannot bring true holiness.
• these can lead to false hope, hypocrisy, and spiritual deadness (read the book of Galatians, which was a letter to believers, not unbelievers).
• We cannot deny the reality that
• there are thoughts that enter our minds that are not pure,
• we get angry,
• we become discouraged,
• there are times when we are not flowing in the ultimate anointing of God,
• there are times when God is not the most prominent focus of our minds,
• we have not come the manifestation of Jesus Christ in our lives,
• our bodies have not been redeemed fully.

How? What is the process to bring us to the point where we walk in total holiness?

God's process that will bring us to the point where we walk in total holiness is walking in the Spirit. God's pro

• God's Spirit is given so that we can learn to yield our minds to Him.
• As we yield, our minds are renewed by the Spirit. (He does the work.)
• As we yield, He thinks His thoughts through us. (He is the source of all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.)
• As we yield, He says His words through us. (We begin to speak as the oracles of God.)
• As we yield, He does His works through us. (We never do our own will, but only the will of our Father.)
• The Scriptural pattern for the church is an integral part of this transformation, which is why God is in process of restoring it.
• Spiritual Church government must be functioning.
• Spiritual Gifts must be functioning.
• Every member must be functioning as a ministry.
• Worship must follow the patterns of Scripture.
• From time to time, we see a flash of His glory in our lives.
• It is not continuous or complete.
• Mostly, we are in process of coming into His glory.
• His forgiveness is continual and perpetual, covering our missteps.
• God's desire is to continue to flow through us until we are conformed into His very image in every facet of our being. When that happens, we will be transfigured by the renewing of our minds.

Wisdom as a Process:

Remember that God does all the work. We rest from our own work and submit to Him. Righteousness and Holiness are both Free Gifts (Grace) from God. Righteousness and Love are synonyms. Love is the fulfillment of God's Law. Righteousness is what you do. Holiness is what you are becoming by submitting to God's righteousness. Holiness is stability in Love. The faith that gives access to Grace is a Free Gift from God--it is God's faith, not our own.

The Church is both the mechanism by which God does this work and the finishing of the work. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. Revelation 3:12

Wisdom moves from taking spiritual ground from the enemy to holding ground and finally moving on to total victory. Wisdom is the principle thing, therefore get wisdom. (Prov 4:7) The Scripture tells us that God has made Christ to be Wisdom to us. Christ is Wisdom. Without Christ, there is no Wisdom. Not only this, but from a practical standpoint, wisdom consists of righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. (1Cor 1:30) Jesus is the Way. Righteousness, sanctification, and redemption are the three parts of the Way that build on each other.

• Righteousness is in the moment. Righteousness is the work that God does through you by His faith and grace.
• Sanctification or Holiness is progressive. By the righteousness that God does through you, He changes what you are, which is sanctification. Sanctification or holiness is the forming of Christ fully in you. The battle is now mainly for the mind. Holiness is stability and is what you are becoming.
• Redemption is the fullness of having Christ in you and you being in Christ, in His Body.It cannot be separated from the Body of Christ of Christ the Head. When it is complete, it is the full maturity and unity of the Body of Christ and Christ, the Head of the Body.

God has a process to have us grow up into Christ. God's way is through the Church, the true Body of Christ. God's process is by the Holy Spirit. It is by the free gift of wisdom.

Topic: Holiness, Sanctification, and Stability

\"It is because of him [the Father] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.\"   1 Corinthians 1:30 NIV   Holiness is progressive.  It is a change in what we are. It is a basic change in our very nature. You were designed for righteousness, holiness, and total redemption.  There is an upward spiral of righteousness, holiness, and redemption...

1 Peter 1:6 & 7  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found to praise and honour and glory at the appearing [Apokalupsis: removal of a covering or veil] of Jesus Christ FREE on-line BOOK (a...

Isaiah 48:10-11 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory to another. Many are called, but few are chosen.  Look at the place where the chosen are chosen: the furnace of affliction.  God does...

 \"But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind have taken us away.\"  Isaiah 64:6 \"For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness\" (I Thessalonians 4:7).  Some theologians assume that Scriptures that seem so completely opposed as these two are an indication that one of the Scriptures must be...

The Way Is Very Narrow And The Gate Is Very Strait  Key Scripture:   whatever is not of supernatural belief and trust is sin. Romans 14:23b   Whoever does miss the mark (sin) also does lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. * 1 John 3:4   Owe no one anything, but to love one another: for whoever loves another has fulfilled the law.  For this: You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal,...

The Scripture Testifies to Holiness as the Heritage of the Church 1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 2:8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now...

Ephesians 4:24-30 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him...

Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ; Ephesians 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conversation refers to the whole manner of life) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your...

Question: I\'m 28 years old and I\'m from the United Kingdom. I said the sinners\' prayer in 2005 with some other Christians and I\'ve been going to church ever since. I got baptized in 2006. I was drinking very excessively before I started coming to church and I continued to live in this sin of drunkenness even when I was hearing the gospel at church and after I got baptized. When...

Many years ago while preaching about the harlot who washed the feet of Jesus, the late evangelist JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE (1847-1907) of Zion City, Illinois, related the following: "This poor woman, a harlot, who came in from the streets is called 'Hamartolos'; in the original word, that is to say, a prostitute, a poor, wretched, outcast woman, a harlot. Oh, is there any being upon earth so much to be pitied,...

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: You see that they have purified their souls (soul, mind, heart, life are all the same Greek word.)  This purification is holiness.  There is a measure of holiness in those who follow Jesus.  It is accomplished by obeying...

Topic: Growing in Christ

God\'s process is that He leads and we submit to that leading. The Holy Spirit flows and we yield to that flowing. God\'s process is tied to God\'s pattern and leads us into God\'s pattern. God\'s process and pattern lead us into the life of the coming age. The processes of this present evil age lead into death, destruction, and misery. \"I would much rather say that every time you make...

Don\'t Miss The first step The Church can come into fullness. Fulfillment will happen God\'s way. Whoever will may come. There are no guarantees for the unfaithful, those not walking in the Spirit by grace through faith. God\'s pattern is more than a pattern. It is the very method of bringing us to salvation.   God restored all the following: Spiritual rebirth by grace through faith: (read article) Freedom from worldly constraints, forms, rituals, rules,...

Isn\'t it time to take ground and then hold ground? And what about finally taking the total victory? We are talking about doing right things right leading to ever-increasing stability of mind and action, and to final complete fulfillment. That is the promise of the Bible, and all of this is possible through Jesus Christ. There is no hope of fulfillment by any other way. Some Christians seem to be content with...

Doing right things right by the right Spirit--this is what the Bible calls righteousness. Earthly wisdom sends you to the wrong source, but God\'s wisdom contains within it the necessary righteousness. Righteousness is by grace through faith. Here is how it works: God speaks His hope. We hear. We receive God\'s word and believe Him. Faith comes by hearing the word (utterance) of God. Faith gives us access to grace, that...

It is human nature to desire to be significant and relevant. In a world where the church and religion have largely lost their relevance, we ask, \"Why?\" What happened that took away the relevance of the church? Actually, two things happened. First, Secularism, a virulent religion, has been on a campaign to marginalize the church for centuries, and they have been very successful in misrepresenting and marketing lies to Christians...

In our souls, if we hear and understand God\'s will and yield ourselves to do it, we are fighting a battle, taking ground away from Satan, the enemy of our souls. This is the fruit of the Spirit; it is righteousness, and it is a free gift from God. Spiritual maturity is holding ground, which is the same thing as faithfulness, stability, and holiness. Holding ground requires a surge of...

God uses an analogy of a garden in Scripture.  Jesus set us free from Satan's chains of slavery, but our minds are still full of impurities that are like roots of bitterness in the gardens of our souls.  These roots of bitterness can spring up like weeds to trouble us.  We all know that this is true.  Satan and worldly counselors are constantly trying to plant weed seeds into our...

No one can come to God except through Jesus Christ (John 3:14), and no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them (John 6:44-47).  The Father draws us, so we seek God.  Everyone who seeks God does find Him (Luke 11:9).  God speaks (Romans 10:17), and so does the enemy of our souls (John 8:44).  God speaks His hope into our heart.  God\'s hope sure.  It is the...

I used to think that salvation had nothing to do with works. I didn\'t realize that Jesus has really set us free from sin so we can do good works. We were unable to do good works, but, through Christ, we can now do good works. I didn\'t realize that Jesus gives us the free gift of righteousness, and the righteousness that Jesus gives is real. Then, I realized that...

If you allow the Spirit to lead you to Spiritual music, teaching, reading, meditation, and action, then you will find that the soil of your heart becomes increasingly open to God\'s good seed. The weeds will slowly die out. The fruit of the Spirit will spring up. God will create a clean heart in you. God gives good counsel. God has given wonderful counsel in the church. He speaks to us...

I heard a Christian say that she is trying to practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. I realized that God isn\'t random or senseless. He doesn\'t need our ideas. He is full of ideas. He doesn\'t want us to use our imaginations to come up with a vision out of our own hearts. He wants us to see a heavenly vision that starts and ends with Him. With these...

There are two areas where God seems to particularly emphasize yielding our members to Him, these are the eyes and the tongues.  When we yield our eyes to God, we see things as they really are.  We begin to see Him as He really is.  If we look at what the original Greek means, 1 John 3:2 says that now, we are the immature children of God, and what we shall be...

When we think seriously of our individual relationship with Jesus, it might seem like this is such an individual walk that there is no need for the church.  That is not the case in any way.  The church is a vital part of the walk.  We quickly come to the point where the Holy Spirit puts the church on our hearts.  We can see the mighty opposition of all Satan's...

You could look at the Kingdom of God and say that it does cost you everything.  If that is how you view it, you must remember that everything that you have is worth nothing.   Everyone in heaven will have joy.  That will cost you your lack of joy.   Everyone in heaven will have peace.  That will cost you your lack of peace.   Everyone in heaven will have...

I would like to encourage you to move forward and follow God. There is much more available to you than you can imagine. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand--that means you can reach out and take hold of it. I\'m not saying that you should try to run ahead of God. I\'m saying that we all need to live according to the promises of Scripture, not according to the...

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made to us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: KJV 1 Corinthians 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. NIV Some translations render this as a list of four distinct and equal items:...

Down to earth righteousness is real and it has to do with the will of the person through whom the righteousness is done..  It is righteousness the flows from the Holy Spirit.  It is the flow of God\'s Own Love through the follower of Christ.  It is the fruit of the Spirit.  God speaks, leads.  The Christ follower hears and directs his or her will to follow.  God\'s Own Faith...

What is real faith? What a question! The answer is simple, but it may be different from what you thought that faith was. Real faith is a supernatural belief and trust that comes from God. It is not human faith. Human faith is fake--not real. Human faith is a rationalized faith. It is a self-generated faith. Real faith is the faith of God and it must come from God. FREE on-line BOOK...

There is a tremendous volume of fakery that the world has to offer. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Heaven IS reality. This may seem to be an amazing statement, but it is true. This simple statement, \"The Kingdom of Heaven IS reality,\" can help you to have a deeper understanding of many things. As opposed to the Kingdom of Heaven, the political messages, movies, and much of...

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The Holy Spirit The baptism of the Holy Spirit is real and available to you today. Speaking in tongues is Biblical. Scripture speaks of two distinct types of tongues. Liberalism rejects the power of the Holy Spirit Before you are born again, the Holy Spirit convicts you so that you know that you need salvation. When you are born again, your Spirit is cleansed to a great degree and the Holy...

Prayer works. Almost all atheists pray.  Why?  They don\'t want to miss out on the blessing.  Why would a Christian miss out on the benefits of praying? No man - I don\'t care how colossal his intellect - No man is greater than his prayer life.\" ~ Leonard Ravenhill James 4:2 \"You desire [or, lust for], and you do not have. You murder and are jealous and are not able to obtain....

God defines wisdom as something that comes from God Himself.  Wisdom is a gift of God to those who ask for it. (James 1:5-8) 1 Corinthians 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. NIV   Wisdom:moving from taking ground to holding ground and finally moving on to total victory. Wisdom: going from doing right things right...

So what is the meaning of life? You were designed and made for better than what you have been experiencing. You probably know intuitively that we are living far below what God has planned for us. You were designed and made for glory, to have the power of the Spirit of God flowing through you. Your spirit was made to be joined to the Spirit of God. Your mind, your...

Have you considered that your life has a purpose and God knows it and wants to reveal your purpose to you? Do you know your purpose in life?  Are you happy, fully satisfied and completely fulfilled... or do you want something more?  If you continue to think as you have always thought, then you will continue to get what you have always got.  Is it enough?  You can find out...

Topic: Is It Too Late

Question: I\'m 28 years old and I\'m from the United Kingdom. I said the sinners\' prayer in 2005 with some other Christians and I\'ve been going to church ever since. I got baptized in 2006. I was drinking very excessively before I started coming to church and I continued to live in this sin of drunkenness even when I was hearing the gospel at church and after I got baptized. When...

Many years ago while preaching about the harlot who washed the feet of Jesus, the late evangelist JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE (1847-1907) of Zion City, Illinois, related the following: "This poor woman, a harlot, who came in from the streets is called 'Hamartolos'; in the original word, that is to say, a prostitute, a poor, wretched, outcast woman, a harlot. Oh, is there any being upon earth so much to be pitied,...

A site visitor askes a sincere question. \"Am I Saved?\" As a teenager, he had gotten into sin with drugs and girls. God obviously called him and he thought about God and talked to God, but drugs and other sin continued to plague his life. He knew that God is to be feared as a severe judge when we do evil. So his real question is, \"Am I saved?\" Read...

What does it mean to be born again? What does the Scripture say?   \"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.\" 1 John 5:1     If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, then you are born again. \"for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be...

Topic: Repentance and Repenting

The English word, repent, means to turn around and proceed in the opposite direction. However, repent is not an entirely accurate translation from the Greek. Nor is it always an accurate translation from the Hebrew. To repent is often literally to have a new mind.  This could be taken as a purely intellectual exercise as, \"I had in mind to paint the room yellow but changed my mind,\" but it\'s...

Question: In practical terms what does true repentance involve in daily life? Answer: To repent is to have a new mind. God\'s intent is that you change your mind or, literally, have a new mind. Repentance is having a new mind. Romans 12:2 You Will Be Transfigured [metamorphoo] Just As Jesus Was Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a...

Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ; Ephesians 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conversation refers to the whole manner of life) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your...

When you endure trials and suffering such as stress, betrayal, tragedy, disappointment, criticism, contempt, malice, rebukes, disrespect, disobedience, dismissal, tantrums, mind games, and such, and you respond correctly, you will be sanctified. This is what is meant by God\'s illustration of the refiner\'s fire (Zechariah 13:9, Haggai 2:7-9, Malachi 3:1-3, faith Is Much More Precious Than Of Gold\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://seekfind.net/1_Peter_17_The_Trial_Of_Your_Faith_Is_Much_More_Precious_Than_Of_Gold_.html\">1 Peter 1:6-7, Isaiah 48:10-11). Many of the most evil seeds...

Question: Can a person truly repent if he or she doesn\'t know how God views his or her life and actions? Answer: The simple answer is, \"No.\" A person needs to know how God views his or her life and actions. The Holy Spirit convicts the person. The Father draws the person to Jesus. When a person is born again, they have a slight idea of how wicked they are in the...

If you have not read Stories Versus Truth, you may want to read that before reading this.   You may hear someone say that they don\'t want to repent because they think life will become dull and boring. In these types of discussions, don\'t let Satan turn any discussion into a contest.  Discuss without turning the other person into a loser or turning yourself into the winner. Answer: Ask them why they think that life...

\"It is because of him [the Father] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.\"   1 Corinthians 1:30 NIV   Holiness is progressive.  It is a change in what we are. It is a basic change in our very nature. You were designed for righteousness, holiness, and total redemption.  There is an upward spiral of righteousness, holiness, and redemption...

Acts 2:38, Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins , and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  KJV Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, \"Have a new mind, and be baptized every one of you into the Name of Jesus Christ for the release from bondage to, and pardon from...