The Right To Be Holy

The tactics may vary, but there is one common agenda for the deceiver, and that is obviously to keep people from knowing what God has said. The knowledge of our origins, the fall of man, the history of The Law, the prophesies of the Redeemer and their fulfillment, the promises to the redeemed, the struggles of the early Church and the common hope we share with them and finally the judgment of God, all carry with them the keys to understanding and obedience. It is common practice for the eyes of the lost to be blinded to the truth of these things, whether in part or in whole. But with the theft of truth comes the bondage of ignorance and sin.


The theft of Truth has been occurring since the days in the Garden of Eden. Satan's first objective was to bring into question what God had said. And once he caused Eve to question His word, the rest was a down hill slide. Ever since that day, the same has been happening in every culture and every society. We can see that what king Solomon wrote was true, even for the tactics of our Enemy;


Ecclesiastes 1:9

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."


Though I could list several ways that this theft affects the children of God, I want to take a few minutes to talk about just one. The right to be holy. When I say that, I can't help but think of police officers informing suspect criminals of their Miranda rights. "You have the right to be silent...". Can you see why? I'll say it this way, "You have the right to be holy. Anything you say and do can and should be sanctified. You have the right to Counsel. You can not afford The Counselor, but He willingly gives Himself for those who are in Christ...".


When Jesus spoke of leaving this earth, He said,



"But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment:" John 16:7-8


Unfortunately, many believers who long to be sanctified are held back by ignorance of one simple truth, that those who are in Christ are given holiness as a gift, and by hiding the word of God in their hearts they are able to overcome sin and rebellion. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us into all understanding. But those who do not belong to Christ have minds that are darkened and they can never be holy even if they succeed in donning a form of godliness, because any godliness apart from Christ lacks power and worth.


Let me reiterate, the children of God have the gift of holiness. It is not rooted in their own worth or strength. It is rooted in the perfection of Christ and given by the Spirit of God to those who surrender their souls to Him. And it is accomplished through the Word of God.


When Jesus was praying in John 17:17, He said, "Sanctify them by your Truth. Your word is Truth.". It's no wonder then, that the enemy seeks to corrupt our understanding of Truth. And consequently, there are many who are in bondage to the belief that they will never overcome. I was once one of these believers, and until I began believing God's word and hiding it in my heart, overcoming temptation was out of my reach.


Jesus' prayer, "Sanctify them by Your Truth, Your Word is Truth", has the power to unbind those who are in bondage to sin. Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We find our hope and our strength to overcome sin in the gift of holiness from Jesus, and the sanctifying work of His word. You have the right to holiness. It was given to you at the Cross. Exercise your right. He said, "Be holy, as I am holy". And with Him, all things are possible, even if right now it seems out of your reach.