Have you ever wondered whether life is different for those who know Jesus? Can it be different? Should it be different? 

This is one of my favorite questions! The answer, according to Scripture, is a resounding…yes!

In the Gospel of Matthew, we see that Jesus’s invitation is to not only believe things about Him, but to come and follow Him, and be changed by Him (Matthew 4:18-22).  

As you learn to follow Jesus, you become more like Him.  

Holiness is a consistent theme in Scripture. Turn to the Book of Leviticus. This book often gets overlooked, but it is really a book about holiness, which means being set apart by God. God’s chosen people are holy because they have been chosen and set apart by the Lord. “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45, NIV). 

The rest of Leviticus describes what the consecrated, or holy, life should look like. The same themes are found throughout the New Testament. Here is one example: 

“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16, NIV).  

We as Christians have made the mistake of making holiness seem like a detailed and burdensome “to-do” list, or rather “to-don’t” list. One old-fashioned example from the to-don’t list: “Don’t drink, smoke, or chew or go with girls who do.” 

Some wonder, “Is this really the point?” Is this what we are called to in light of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Stay with me. As followers of Jesus, we know (and can learn) of the things we ought not to do. Scripture does contain clear prohibitions and lists of activities that are prohibited by those who are following Jesus. 

And Jesus told us, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, NIV). 

My point is not to tell you that committing outward sins is no big deal. Not at all! 

Rather, I want you to see the whole picture of God’s design and desire for your life. Look at what Jesus said in a famous passage found in Matthew’s Gospel. The Pharisees tested Jesus,  seeking to trap Him, by asking Him a question: “‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:36-40, NIV). 

Jesus, the smartest person who ever lived, summarized the entire Law brilliantly: 

1. Love God.
2. Love others.

Don’t miss the crucial order. The passage assumes that we have received God’s love first, in order to be able to love God and others. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NIV). 

This Love Is Holy

In the Christian life, we are freely given the undeserved gift of God’s love. Receiving God’s love enables us to respond with love for God. When we are filled with God’s love and the love for God, we are also empowered to love others. 

Holy love is receiving the love of God through the work of Jesus Christ and responding with love for God and others. In other words, when we encounter God’s love for us, we are changed or transformed by it. Theologians call this “sanctification.” This is the work the Lord does to change us from the inside out, to transform what we love and how we live our lives.

This may raise a question for you: How does this work?

Holy love is a gift of God, not a work that we earn or create in our own strength.

Scripture describes this gift—and I encourage you to read all of 1 Thessalonians 4-5 to get the bigger picture. 

“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified … May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3a, 5:23-24, NIV). 

Okay. So this is a pretty bold and radical vision. There are two keys from this passage. First, sanctification (being filled with holy love) is God’s will. In other words, this is God’s idea, not ours. Second, God is the one who will do this, not us. We do not sanctify ourselves. The Lord sanctifies us by His grace through faith. 

There Is More

We can boldly pursue holy love because it is promised in Scripture and because God is able to fulfill His promises to us. 

Have you ever had a sense that there is more in your relationship with the Lord, that something was missing? 

I have good news! There is more. God the Father sent His one and only Son, so that you could not only be forgiven and set free from the penalty of sin, but so that you could be live a life of holy love now. 

This is a gift that God does for us. It is not something we do ourselves for God. Are you ready for more? 

Jesus, fill me with your holy love. Help me receive your love entirely, completely. Let me be filled with love for you and abiding gratitude for all you have done for me. Send me to share your love with others that they might know you and be transformed just as you are changing me. I believe that you alone can make me whole and holy. I receive the gift of holiness in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen. 

for further study

• The Scripture Way of Salvation by John Wesley: A sermon about how the grace of God can fill us with love that excludes sin, by the founder of Methodism. 
• Helps to Holiness by Samuel Logan Brengle: Written by a beloved theologian of The Salvation Army,  this book argues that holiness is not just avoiding sins, it is “pure love.”
• Perfect Love by Kevin M. Watson: For a recent summary of the doctrine of holiness and the possibility of sanctification in this life, check out my book.