Holiness As Assurance

Recently, I had the opportunity to preach to our congregation on the subject of “A Great Need For Holiness.” While preaching from Acts 15:12-21, the main thrust of my sermon was to point the church toward a greater degree of holiness unto the Lord Jesus and to strive to be holy. During the message, I briefly touched on the idea of personal holiness to the Lord as a ready assurance of our salvation in Jesus Christ. 

This topic, I believe, must be written and preached upon more – the topic of assurance. Today, very few people are sure of anything, let alone salvation. I have too often heard the phrase, “I hope I get to heaven,” or “I’ve done what I can,” from Christians when they are asked if they are sure they are saved and will be with Jesus. Even after bolstering with Scripture, sometimes repeatedly, they lack concrete assurance of salvation. While this may be due to a lack of Biblical literacy or familiarity with Christian doctrine, I believe a main source of this is a lack of holy living. The famed Victorian preacher, J.C. Ryle, wrote on the very subject of assurance in his book Holiness, saying:

“Inconsistency will dim our eyes, and bring clouds between us and the sun. 

The Sun is the same behind the clouds,

but you will not be able to see its brightness or enjoy its warmth,

and your soul will be gloomy and cold.”

Here, my aim will be to cast your mind to the thought of holiness as assurance, and thereby encourage you to live a greater and holier life in Jesus Christ. I’ll cover this, very briefly, by discussing the trackable growth of holiness, its visible demonstrations, and its encouragement for other Christians.

First, Trackable Growth.

Holiness, to the common man, is simply moral virtue or excellence that one either has or has not, and or is or is not. The thought supposes that there is no growth in holiness (or possibility thereof) – I argue that there is. Examine the average light bulb with a dimmer switch – when the switch is turned positively, the light from the bulb increases in brightness. Inversely, when the switch is turned negatively, the light from the bulb decreases in brightness. 

In a similar way, greater obedience to Jesus Christ reveals a greater degree of holiness in the person. The Christian, for the sake of the illustration, glows more brightly with the holiness of God as they conform to the image of the Son, as the writer of Proverbs records, “The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” (Prov. 13:9) 

How, though, is holiness a means of trackable growth? By asking the question, “Am I more obedient now?” This is less of a day-to-day question but year-to-year and decade-to-decade. However, while the growth is seen over the long term, the decision to be holy is a daily practice. Much like the weight lifter who visits the gym daily – he may not see growth in a single day, but in a year, there will be results; and; this is what Paul means when he writes to Timothy, “while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.” (1 Tim. 4:8-9) 

Shortly said, the way to grow in holiness is to grow in obedience. Day by day, conforming yourself to the Son, and you will become more assured of your salvation in Christ – because you are becoming holy. 

Second, Visible Demonstrations.

Holiness, as it is grown in the Christian, will have visible demonstrations that accompany it – much like works vindicating faith, as James writes, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Similarly, then, if holiness is not visible, it is dead. So how, then, does one show true holiness? 

Firstly, as briefly mentioned above, Christians begin to grow in their desire to be obedient. This is not an obedience of reluctance but of readiness. Jesus Christ, the perfectly obedient Son, desired to be obedient as he says in John’s gospel, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (Jn. 6:38) Therefore, we who have been made children of God should reflect the desired obedience of Christ to our Father, as John writes in his letter:

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

By this it is evident who are the children of God and who are children of the devil:

whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God,

nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (1 Jn. 3:9-10)

Secondly, as a visible demonstration, holiness in the Christian reveals itself to be what Jesus describes as salt and light in the sermon on the Mount. Briefly, salt was primarily used as a preservative – and Jesus’ hearers knew this as salt’s primary function. Therefore, the holiness in the person keeps at bay the decay of sin in the believer’s life. Holiness and unholy living cannot co-exist. Light, for obvious purposes, is for illumination – but if we put a basket of sin over our lives, we become darkened. The light of holiness in the Christian is to act as a flood light – pressing back the darkness in the world and giving light to all. 

As holiness reveals itself in action via visible demonstrations, Christians can likewise grow more assured of their own salvation in Jesus Christ.

Third, Encouragement for Christians. 

Holiness is not simply for the individual Christian but for the whole of God’s people. As Peter writes in his letter to the churches in Asia Minor, “As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pt. 1:15-16). As Christians take seriously the command to be holy and grow in their own assurances of their holiness and Salvation in Jesus Christ, this will spark encouragement for other believers to do the same. 

Think, for a moment, if old Christians wallowed in their self-pity and unholiness after salvation – and someone new receives the gospel by grace but witnesses only unholy living. What would their thought be? Perhaps they would think, “It is not worth living a holy life,” or even, “It is impossible to live a holy life.” Then, perhaps after living in such a condition, they may lose their own assurance and think, “Perhaps I am not saved.” No longer will they live boldly or confident in Christ, but they will recluse into shame. 

Brothers and Sisters, we must live holy lives that help us grow in our assurance of salvation for the sake of our younger brothers and sisters who are newly born into faith. We must teach them to walk, to talk, and to live in the confidence of salvation – how? by living a holy life full of assurance. No runner begins his race believing that he will not cross the finish line – but if he sees all the other runners quit and never hears of someone crossing the line with strength, he too will quit. 

Our holiness not only becomes an assurance of our own salvation in Jesus Christ but gives a ready and sure example to new believers that they can be confident in their own salvation by living a holy and dedicated life unto Christ – this is the attitude of the Apostle Paul as he wrote to the Corinthian church, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1) 

Conclusion.

Brothers and Sisters, I entreat each of us to live holy lives unto the Lord for the sake of our own assurances! By living a holy life, we and others will be able to see our growth, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.” (1 Tim. 4:15) By living a holy life, we will see holiness on display in the visible demonstration of good works, and being both salt and light in the world. And finally, as we grow in our assurance of salvation by living a holy life, we will assist others in doing so as well – together by living holy lives, all we who are in Christ will see the Lord.