For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved. —1 Corinthians 1:18
From start to finish, the pathway of holiness is a life of faith—faith in the person, the work, and the gospel of Christ. We were justified— declared righteous—by faith in the atoning work of Christ on our behalf. And we are sanctified—progressively made righteous in our practice—not by our own efforts but through faith in His sanctifying grace.
In looking to Jesus, Hudson Taylor discovered the power to live a holy life. He wrote to his sister, “I am as capable of sinning as ever, but Christ is realized as present as never before. He cannot sin; and He can keep me from sinning.” 1
Jesus can keep you and me from sinning. And when we do sin, it is He who will cleanse and pardon us. Through the cross of Christ, God has made provision for every sin we could possibly commit. His grace is infinitely more powerful than any sinful bondage.
1 Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission (Edinburgh: R & B Clark, 1918), 177.
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Holiness: The Heart God Purifies ©2004, 2005 Revived Hearts Foundation
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
How can you choose to live today in the power and freedom of Christ? Thank Him for His pardon and the cleansing of your sin.