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Sep 06, 2025 06:00am

Holiness Over Excuses: Why God Calls Us Higher

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Recently, at the conclusion of Sunday morning service, I heard a pastor say, “Your performance doesn’t matter; God sees you trying.”

First things first, let me be clear; this sentiment was not expressed in reference to salvation.

It is clearly outlined in Scripture that salvation is not dependent on our performance, but our repentance.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Acts 3:19, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.”

The intention behind the pastor’s sentiment is identified in the last part of the statement, “God sees you trying.”

It’s abundantly clear this was said in an effort to comfort the congregation.

The issue is that the “comfort” being offered leads the believer to say “there, there” to current sin which consequently leads to a continued pattern of sin.

God has clearly outlined in His Word the expectation of believers: holiness.

1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but 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.’”

Google desperately wants to update the word “preparing” to say “prepare.” I believe God made no mistake in His verbiage.

If I do all I can to prepare my mind/self to live a holy life and am unable I could be tempted to say, “I did the best I could, but I still sinned.” Such a line of thinking will lead to continued sin and unholiness in my life.

However, if I’m always preparing I will be constantly active in striving to renew my mind and live an obedient life.

No believer is or will ever be fully perfect in this life; that’s a fact. However, we are to strive to live in a manner worthy of our calling.

To do this, we must lay aside every weight and sin that clings closely to us so that we may run the race of endurance set before us.

Instead of living under the ideology that seeks to comfort our sin we must live biblically seeking to confront and cut off our sin.

Matthew 5:29, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.”

We are called to holiness to imitate Christ so that we may point others to Him so they may know and be saved by Him.

We’re also called to live holy lives so that we may be a bride prepared for when Jesus comes to take us to heaven where we will be fully perfected and live and reign with Him forever.

This brings up another point: God, after our entrance to heaven by the blood and salvation alone, will judge how we lived our Christian lives.

1 Corinthians 3:12-13 speaks of this, “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.”

Christian, we will look Jesus in the eyeballs and give an account for how we lived our Christian life.

This is not to make us live in anxious panic, but is to cause us to live in holy reverence and fear of God and His Word so that we may be holy as He is holy.