Is Holiness Attainable?

Every year I make resolutions to strive for physical and mental health. I have yet to make a resolution to become holier. It’s not that I don’t value holiness; it’s just that I don’t think of it as an attainable goal. I mean, you can’t just decide to become holy…can you?

I’ve read many different accounts of what it means to be holy: dedicated or devoted to God, set apart for God’s purposes, spiritually pure...I like to think of holiness as the pinnacle of spiritual health. Just as there is a spectrum between physical or mental health and illness, there is a gradation between holiness and sinfulness. And just as we can allow our physical or mental health to deteriorate, we can also let our spiritual health degenerate.

“Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16 MSG)

Whether or not we reach the pinnacle of holiness, we can still move up towards it. Every step we take away from our sinful nature is progress. Every virtuous habit, every spiritual discipline raises us up and out of the mud pit. We were created to be holy, to be shaped by God’s life. Our Father wouldn’t set unreachable goals for us; thus holiness must be attainable.