Hebrews 10-12 NLT
For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time (10:11), For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. (10:14), But God’s discipline is always good for us so that we might share in his holiness. (12:10b)
God is more concerned about your holiness than He is about your happiness. That might seem like a shocking statement but it is true. We all realize that God loves us and that He has a wonderful plan for our lives, but that plan includes our holiness. Jesus died to save us and to give us eternal life, but He also died to make us holy—to conform us to His image and to glorify God through our holiness. We often think of salvation in terms of “our benefit” or “a free ticket to heaven,” but salvation is God changing us to be like Him. Yes, some benefits come from being in Christ, but the benefits are the “product” of salvation and not the “point” of salvation.
Being a Christian means that you have been made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus. We don’t always “feel” holy and as believers, we are not yet perfect. However, in the mind of God, His will and purpose for our life is holiness and conformation to His image. His purposes will not be thwarted, so even if we don’t “feel” holy at the moment, we have been made holy in the mind of God by the sacrifice of Jesus. In our lives and in the present time we are just living out that process and being conformed to the image of Christ, but to our God who is outside of time, He can see the finished product and pronounces us holy in Christ.
The secret is for us to live out today, what God says is true of us, and what we will experience in full reality when we get to heaven. The standard of holiness we must live up to is Jesus himself, not our neighbor or spouse or fellow church members. God demands holiness in our lives and ever-increasing growth in holiness as He slowly sanctifies us to be like Jesus. Sometimes, (especially for hard-headed folks like me) this requires the discipline of the Lord. He disciplines those He loves—He corrects His children and He cares about their holiness. If you think that God will overlook your sin so you can be happy (as you define happiness) then you are mistaken. If you think that God will discipline you in love, so you will be holier today than you were yesterday, then you are correct. He cares more about your holiness and continued growth than He does about your definition of personal happiness, because your holiness is what brings Him the most glory.
