But am I holy and how can I be sure? For some people, holiness is a theoretical concept and they follow one of many ‘holiness teachings’. Others see it as a practical issue and seek it in living good, self-denying lives. There are those who look for holiness ecclesiastically, in church ritual and ceremony. One may, I suppose, have studied ‘holiness’, but the real question is, is one personally holy? ssentially, people seeking holiness find ‘it’ in knowing ‘him’.

Holiness involves experience of, and relationship with, the living Christ. The dominant note in both the letters to the Ephesians and 1 Peter is that Christians have been redeemed for a purpose, ‘to the praise of his glory’. (Ephesians 1: 14) Outwardly this is expressed in all life’s relationships but inwardly in knowing Christ, the Christ who died for us, who rose from the dead and who ever lives as our high priestly mediator; so that God sees us as ‘in Christ’, covered by his grace and love. What greater spur to holy living? But the question remains. Am I holy? While it is an intensely personal issue, the test is holy living, and this has to do with action rather than inaction. In today’s reading do not miss the injunctions to work, live and love, within the framework of holiness and to his glory.