I recently shared my thoughts on how pursuing personal holiness is not legalism. It was my goal to emphasize our responsibility and the covenant motivation for pursuing holiness, but I don't want anyone to think that that is all there is to be said about pursuing holiness. It is also important to remember that the Holy Spirit is absolutely vital to our pursuit of holiness. Let's take a look at how the role of the Holy Spirit relates to our responsibility to pursue holiness.
Good theology maintains balance. This can be seen in nearly every field of theology, indeed, of life, but it is displayed most prominently in the discussion of salvation, which includes sanctification. We must maintain a proper balance between man's responsibility and God's work. We can truthfully say that man is called to live a holy life, but we can also, and must, truthfully say that he cannot do that without the equipping of the Holy Spirit. Here is where we must remember the important distinction between ability and responsibility. Man is called to have faith, but He cannot obey unless He is given the Holy Spirit. That gift of the Spirit subsequently enables Him to demonstrate the genuineness of his conversion by a life of mortifying the flesh. We should not, however, conceive of this as a one-time work of the Spirit that empowers us for the rest of our lives. The Spirit abides with us continually, working in and with us, helping us to grow more Christ-like.
There are (at least) three passages that illustrate this cooperation in sanctification. The first is Philippians 2:12-13, where Paul tells us to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling," but then proceeds to tell us that it is God who works in us "both to will and to work for his good pleasure." How can both of these things be true? How can Paul call them to such a task if it is really God who must enable them to fulfill it? The latter (God's work) enables the former (our work), and does not negate it. God's work in sanctifying us does not remove our responsibility to pursue holiness, but, rather, encourages us in that pursuit with the knowledge that it is not futile.
The second passage is Ephesians 4:30, which tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit, and that immediately after having told us how to live as Christians. We should note 1) that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us in our war against sin, and 2) that this reality does not mean that we will automatically reject sin. It is possible to grieve the Spirit. It is possible to neglect and reject the movement of the Holy Spirit on the conscience, at least momentarily. We must flee temptation, heeding the guidance of the Spirit and utilizing the means of grace.
Our final passage is Galatians 5:16ff. Note particularly Paul's admonition to "walk by the Spirit" before his description of the inner battle the believer experiences between the Spirit and the flesh. There is, he tells us, a sharp dichotomy between flesh and Spirit. If we are indwelt by the Spirit, then we must stop gratifying the flesh. He concludes by saying, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit." Once more we see the balance between being indwelt by the Spirit and choosing to walk in the ways of the Spirit, between the need to follow the Spirit continuously and the impossibility of the spiritual man persisting in fleshly behavior.
Without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives we can do nothing good. Having been indwelt by the Spirit, we can be assured that we will advance in holiness. However, we must never rest on that promise, growing cold and slack in our duty to mortify the flesh. Instead, we must capitalize upon it, knowing that the sincere pursuit of holiness will be accompanied and blessed by the Spirit. After all, such a desire is, in and of itself, evidence of the presence of the Spirit.
Good theology maintains balance. This can be seen in nearly every field of theology, indeed, of life, but it is displayed most prominently in the discussion of salvation, which includes sanctification. We must maintain a proper balance between man's responsibility and God's work. We can truthfully say that man is called to live a holy life, but we can also, and must, truthfully say that he cannot do that without the equipping of the Holy Spirit. Here is where we must remember the important distinction between ability and responsibility. Man is called to have faith, but He cannot obey unless He is given the Holy Spirit. That gift of the Spirit subsequently enables Him to demonstrate the genuineness of his conversion by a life of mortifying the flesh. We should not, however, conceive of this as a one-time work of the Spirit that empowers us for the rest of our lives. The Spirit abides with us continually, working in and with us, helping us to grow more Christ-like.
There are (at least) three passages that illustrate this cooperation in sanctification. The first is Philippians 2:12-13, where Paul tells us to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling," but then proceeds to tell us that it is God who works in us "both to will and to work for his good pleasure." How can both of these things be true? How can Paul call them to such a task if it is really God who must enable them to fulfill it? The latter (God's work) enables the former (our work), and does not negate it. God's work in sanctifying us does not remove our responsibility to pursue holiness, but, rather, encourages us in that pursuit with the knowledge that it is not futile.
The second passage is Ephesians 4:30, which tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit, and that immediately after having told us how to live as Christians. We should note 1) that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us in our war against sin, and 2) that this reality does not mean that we will automatically reject sin. It is possible to grieve the Spirit. It is possible to neglect and reject the movement of the Holy Spirit on the conscience, at least momentarily. We must flee temptation, heeding the guidance of the Spirit and utilizing the means of grace.
Our final passage is Galatians 5:16ff. Note particularly Paul's admonition to "walk by the Spirit" before his description of the inner battle the believer experiences between the Spirit and the flesh. There is, he tells us, a sharp dichotomy between flesh and Spirit. If we are indwelt by the Spirit, then we must stop gratifying the flesh. He concludes by saying, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit." Once more we see the balance between being indwelt by the Spirit and choosing to walk in the ways of the Spirit, between the need to follow the Spirit continuously and the impossibility of the spiritual man persisting in fleshly behavior.
Without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives we can do nothing good. Having been indwelt by the Spirit, we can be assured that we will advance in holiness. However, we must never rest on that promise, growing cold and slack in our duty to mortify the flesh. Instead, we must capitalize upon it, knowing that the sincere pursuit of holiness will be accompanied and blessed by the Spirit. After all, such a desire is, in and of itself, evidence of the presence of the Spirit.
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