Wesleyan Life - Spring 2009 Back to Wesleyan Life Home

Pursue Holiness

By Ron McClung

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy” (Hebrews 12:14, NIV).

The phrase “make every effort” is the Greek word dioko, which means “zealously pursue.” In other words, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy...”

Many get discouraged trying to achieve holiness and give up the pursuit. They say such things as, “I thought I was holy. I tried to be holy, but I blew it. I guess I’ll never be holy. The standard is too high. It’s not for me.” But the writer says, “Keep on the trail of holiness. Make every effort.”

That almost sounds as if you can become holy by your own efforts. If you gather all your determination, all your courage, all your effort, and if you concentrate hard enough... presto! You’ll be holy? No, it doesn’t work like that.

We can’t make ourselves holy any more than we can save ourselves. Notice Hebrews 13:12: “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” We cannot achieve holiness on our own. Jesus shed his blood and died for that very reason.

However, realizing we need the cleansing of God in order to be holy, we can ask for His help. The Bible assures us that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

So pursue the cleansing! Pursue holiness!

— Ron McClung, Assistant General Secretary, The Wesleyan Church

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