"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 that is continuously moving you from glory to ever greater glory in Christ, if you will receive it.  As God's grace does God's righteousness through you, that righteousness softens the ground and plants good seeds in your heart that grow.  And, little by little, you are changed, transformed, transfigured.  This cycle continues.  With each cycle, it is easier to yield to the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is more abundant.  On your own, this could never happen. As a member of the Body, with every part of the Body working in unity to bring you to maturity, this is your destiny.  

When we stop contending with Him, then the Almighty Creator God moves in righteousness in us.  The Almighty Creator of all things thinks His thoughts, says His words, and does His works through us as we yield the members of our bodies to Him.  We begin to see reality as He draws back the veil of our sinful flesh so we can see.  He gives us eyes to see.  We see Him in ourselves and also in our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Then, His Spirit changes what we are.  We become like Him. (1 John 3:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18)  

The Anointing, the Holy Spirit, cleanses us as it flows though us as long as we submit to the Anointing. This changes what we are. This change is the anointing of being or becoming, and it is sanctification and holiness.  We are changed and we have stability, which is faithfulness.Christ is being fully formed in you. 

The extent to which Christ is formed in you is the extent of holiness or sanctification.  Holiness is closely tied to being assembled into the place in the Body of Christ to which God has called you. 

Seeds planted and preparation of the ground to receive the good seed have their effect.  You reap what you sow.  Some have said that this refers to retribution.  Well, there are consequences to sowing bad seed, but this Scriptural Truth is actually referring to a law of of sowing and reaping that is God's way to bring you into the Kingdom.  Those who do not use this way cannot possibly enter the Kingdom of the Heavens. 

When you are born again, you become a ministry, the Christ in you. You still have the flesh, but that is not the real you.  You identify with the Spiritual Man, Christ in You.  You do not identify with the sin and the sin nature--it is no longer the real you.

Both holiness and unholiness are progressive and habit-forming. Whatever you take takes you. In the past, partaking of the world has molded our tastes and desires. As we begin to be sanctified, we love the Bible and begin to hate the worldly publications that worship ungodly personalities and lift up sensuality, fashion, possessions, and worldly pressures to conform to the mold of the world. We begin to love reality and real Spirit-led ministry in favor of fiction, entertainments, violence, and lasciviousness.We love modest clothes, and hate fashions that are not modest. Foul language becomes foul to us--we hate to even hear it let alone utter it. We repent of everything that has ever smacked of a double-life or hypocrisy.  

There is order in holiness.  There is stability.  There is faithfulness. Holiness, Sanctification, Faithfulness, Maturity, and Stability are all words that are used for the same spiritual concept.

Holiness involves the development of your spiritual senses.  You have eyes to see--to an extent--the moment you are born again.  You have ears to hear, but only to an extent.  As you exercise through obedience by grace through faith, your spiritual senses become increasingly strong.  You go from light to greater light.  You begin to see the reality more clearly that you have no real identity outside of the Body of Christ.

You are in Christ, that is, in the Body of Christ.  That which is out of order is not holiness.  You begin to be able to discern that the Body of Christ has an order.  You can see that a real called and ordained ministry that is ministering out of order or taking authority that was never given is not walking according to holiness, yet you discern Christ in the person and you encourage, comfort, and build them up.  You can see the ministries, gifts, offices, and orders of the Body of Christ are clearly given in Scripture.  And you can plainly see that they are part of holiness.