Grace frees us from the hopelessness of being accountable to the Law’s penalties, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24, NIV). But grace does not free us to live however we want. Grace gives us a love and longing to be like Jesus, to live for God the Father through Christ. Grace frees us to be holy. If we take seriously God’s promises of blessing for pursuing holiness and His promises of discipline for not pursuing it, we should be doing everything we can to excel at it. How do you do that? How do you know that you are in the pursuit of holiness with Jesus Christ? Let me give you four questions to check yourself in this regard.
First, do I see a conformity of my heart to the holiness of God? When you read about our great and holy God and you hear what He has done and is doing, do you find yourself saying, “I really like Him,” or “I really want to be like that too”? Does the thought of holiness delight you? Personal holiness comes with a delight, a passion, an attraction to God’s holiness.
Second, do I see a conformity between myself and Jesus Christ? Am I following His example? In a sermon titled The Way of Holiness, Jonathan Edwards exclaimed,
Have you ever read the four Gospels, and did you not observe in the life of Christ wonderful instances of humility, love to God, love to religion; wonderful instances of zeal for God’s glory, steadfastness in resisting temptations, entire trust and reliance upon God, strict adherence to all his commands; astonishing instances of condescension, humility, meekness, lowliness, love to men, love to his enemies, charity, and patience? Why this is holiness. When we imitate Christ in these things, then we are holy, and not till then (The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 10, p. 473).
Real personal holiness developed by the Holy Spirit will always bring our hearts and lives in line with Christ’s own heart and life.
Third, do I see a conformity between myself and God’s Law? Am I working with the Holy Spirit to be learning to love God with all of my heart, all of my soul, and all of my mind? Am I working with the Holy Spirit to be learning to love my neighbor as I love myself? Am I committed to doing all that I can to keep from sinning?
When we live by the Spirit, we are going to walk in step with Him (Galatians 5:25). The Spirit of God walks the law of love we have been freed to follow. Personal holiness comes when we joyfully do all that we know God wants us to be doing.
Fourth, when I do sin, am I repentant? Do I go to God and ask for forgiveness? Do I go to my neighbor whom I offended or hurt and ask for forgiveness and do whatever I can to make things right?
The Spirit driven soul is always driven to its knees in repentance for sin. When you are living by the Spirit, you cannot take sin lightly. You will face it, admit it, renounce it, and look to Christ for the grace and power to not only move on though forgiveness but for the commitment to work with the Spirit to keep from falling into that sin again.
Now, let me help you relax just a bit. None of us are going to be doing these four things perfectly this side of heaven. That’s why Christ died. We can’t do this on our own. But we do need to be committed to living holy lives. You were freed by God’s grace to live a life of love. Living that life of love is being fully committed to the pursuit of personal holiness.
Learning To Be Full Of Grace And Truth. 
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