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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll discover how God makes the life of holiness possible through Christ’s indwelling power and learn practical steps for putting off sin and putting on righteousness.

Key Verse

Romans 6:18: You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Introduction

God calls every believer to live a holy life. This isn’t just a nice suggestion—it’s a divine command that flows from God’s own character. Paul reminded the Corinthian church that the same God who commanded the Children of Israel to be holy is calling us to holiness today.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18: Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

What does this passage teach us? That holiness is for you and me. It’s not just for the Children of Israel. We are to be holy because God is holy.

2 Corinthians 7:1: Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

The Bible teaches that the life of holiness involves understanding who we are in Christ and responding appropriately to what He has done for us. As the Apostle Paul taught, we are to put off the old man and put on the new man, which is Christ.

Here are the main points we will explore together:

• Understanding holiness: Who we are and what we do
• Putting on Christ: Wearing the righteousness we have been given
• Putting off the flesh: Choosing to turn from sin and worldliness

Understanding Holiness

Before we can live holy lives, we need to understand what the Bible teaches about holiness itself. The writer of Hebrews makes a striking statement about the importance of holiness in the Christian life:

Hebrews 12:14: Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

But how do we understand what this means? Can we achieve holiness through our own efforts and good works? The answer is clear: we cannot. No amount of religious activity, moral effort, or sincere trying can make us holy before God. Our best attempts at righteousness fall far short of God’s perfect standard.

Isaiah 64:6: All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

This is why the gospel is such incredible good news. The apostle Paul explains the amazing truth that changes everything: we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Think carefully about what this verse is telling us. Jesus, who never sinned even once, took upon Himself all of our sin and rebellion. He became sin for us—bearing the full weight of God’s judgment that our sins deserved. But the exchange didn’t stop there. In return, God gave us the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. We didn’t earn it, we didn’t deserve it, and we couldn’t achieve it on our own. It was a gift of pure grace.

Romans 5:17: For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

This is the foundation of true biblical holiness. We are not trying to become holy—we have been made holy through Christ’s perfect work on our behalf. When God looks at us, He doesn’t see our failures, our struggles, or our imperfect efforts. He sees the righteousness of His beloved Son covering us completely.

God is holy, and He calls His people to follow Him in holiness. We see this clearly in the Old Testament:

Leviticus 11:44: I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.

Understanding holiness requires that we grasp the proper balance between who we are in Christ and what we do in response to who we are.

The Pharisees believed they were responsible for their own holiness through keeping rules and following religious traditions. Jesus taught, however, that holiness is primarily about the heart—not about our external actions. What the Pharisees practiced was not holiness, but legalism.

Matthew 23:27-28: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

The proper biblical balance is to recognize that holiness is a work of God that requires our obedience by faith. We see this balance beautifully displayed in the lives of Old Testament saints who trusted God and obeyed Him from the heart.

Consider Joseph, who faced tremendous temptation when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. His response reveals the heart of true holiness:

Genesis 39:9: No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?

Joseph’s holiness wasn’t based on following rules—it flowed from his relationship with God and his desire not to sin against the Lord he loved. (Notebook Moment: Think about a time when you faced moral temptation. What motivated your response—fear of consequences, concern for your reputation, or love for God? How does understanding Joseph’s heart attitude challenge you?)

We also see this in Moses, who chose to identify with God’s people rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin:

Hebrews 11:24-26: By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

Moses made his choice not because someone forced him to follow rules, but because faith in God transformed his heart and his values. This is the essence of biblical holiness—a heart so changed by God’s love and grace that we want to please Him in everything we do.

How can we be holy? Not in ourselves—but only through the work of God in our lives.

Philippians 2:13: For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Isaiah 26:12: Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

But there is a role for you and me. Holiness is God’s work in us, but we must make a choice to turn from the world and turn toward God. This is what we will explore in the following sections.

Putting on Christ

First, we must put on Christ. As believers, we already have been given the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Philippians 3:9: And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Even though God sees us as righteous in Christ, we are commanded to put on and wear the righteousness of Christ like a garment.

Ephesians 4:24: And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Romans 13:14: Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

This is something we must do each day, just like getting dressed each morning.

Notebook Moment: Think about how you choose your clothing each morning. What would it look like to be just as intentional about “putting on Christ” as you are about putting on your physical clothes?

It’s important for us to understand that holiness is not keeping rules. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their false holiness. True holiness is being like Christ and letting His life be lived through us.

Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Philippians 2:5: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

Putting off the Flesh

Second, we must put off the flesh. We must choose to follow Christ in holiness, but we must also choose to put off sin. We must choose to turn our back on the things of this world. We must choose to deny our flesh. Paul gives clear and practical teaching on this in his letter to the Colossian church.

How can we live a life of holiness? Paul gives us the key in Colossians 3:1-17. In these verses, we see:

We have identified with Christ:

• We have died with Christ (verse 3).
• We have been raised with Christ (verse 1).
• We will live forever with Christ (verse 4).

We have a new life within us. We have a new power within us. This is the only way we can follow Christ in holiness each day.

Why should we live a life of holiness? Here’s what Colossians 3 teaches us:

• God has commanded it (verses 1-5).
• The world needs to see our testimony (verses 6-9).
• Holiness builds up the Body of Christ (verses 10-17).

➤ The Word of God

Paul reminds us of how important the Word of God is. We cannot live holy lives if we are not letting God speak to us regularly through the Bible.

Colossians 3:16: Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Psalm 1:1-3: Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

Ephesians 5:26: To make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.

Psalm 119:11: I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The Word of God cleanses us, guides us, and strengthens us for the battles we face. When we fill our minds with God’s truth, we develop the spiritual discernment we need to recognize sin and choose righteousness.

➤ The Holy Spirit’s Power

Paul also reminds us of the power of the Holy Spirit to live in obedience to God.

Ephesians 5:18: Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16: So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

The Christian life is not about trying harder to be good—it’s about surrendering more completely to the Holy Spirit’s control. When we walk by the Spirit, we find that He gives us both the desire and the power to please God. The Spirit produces in us the fruit of righteousness that we could never manufacture on our own.

Notice that Paul doesn’t tell us to get more of the Holy Spirit—he tells us to be filled with the Spirit. The issue isn’t getting more of God, but allowing God to have more of us. When we yield control of our lives to the Holy Spirit moment by moment, we discover the supernatural power we need to live holy lives.

Notebook Moment: Are there areas of your life where you’ve been trying to live righteously through your own willpower instead of depending on the Holy Spirit’s power? What would it look like to surrender those areas to God’s control?

Conclusion

Living in holiness is a matter of the heart. When God changes our hearts through faith in Christ, we discover that we want to please Him in everything we do. This isn’t burdensome legalism—it’s the joyful response of grateful hearts that have been transformed by grace.

Each of the disciplines of the spiritual life are necessary to help us grow in holiness. As Jude reminds us, God is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless before His throne:

Jude 1:24-25: To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

The disciplines that help us grow in holiness include prayer, regular time in God’s Word, and yielding moment by moment to the Holy Spirit’s control. These aren’t works we perform to earn God’s favor—they are means of grace that help us stay connected to the source of our spiritual life.

John 15:5: I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Holiness is not a burden that God places on us to make our lives difficult. Instead, it is the pathway to the abundant, fruitful life that our hearts long for. The holy life is about consistently choosing God’s way over our own way, His truth over the world’s lies, His Spirit over our flesh.

Remember that holiness begins with what Christ has already done for us. We don’t work to become righteous—we work from the righteousness that is already ours in Christ. The world desperately needs to see authentic holiness—not cold, rigid legalism, but the warm, attractive holiness that flows from hearts transformed by Christ’s love.

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