Holiness in the Christian Life: A Matter for the Physician, Not the Lawgiver
Orientation
Holiness is often misunderstood as a fearful, legalistic self-improvement project to appease a demanding master.
- This view creates a distorted sanctification of striving under judgment.
- It misses God's heart revealed in Christ as a compassionate Physician.
- We are not called to the terrifying atmosphere of Sinai's law-giving.
For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (Hebrews 12:18-19)
— Hebrews 12:18-19
Clarification
Sanctification is not our project of improvement, but God's gentle healing of our spiritual sickness.
- God works as the Physician through the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
- He deals with us as a bruised reed or smoking flax, with infinite patience.
- The goal is restoration and life, not condemnation under law.
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. (Matthew 12:20)
— Matthew 12:20
Structure
True knowledge of God and His work in us is revealed only in the face of Jesus Christ.
- The incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ reveal God as compassionate Physician, not harsh judge.
- The Holy Spirit illuminates this knowledge of God's glory in Christ to our hearts.
- This divine pattern redefines holiness as a healing journey under care, not legal striving.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
— 2 Corinthians 4:6
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core assertion is that holiness is a result of God’s work as Physician, not our effort under law. This is established by the definitive revelation in Christ. The Old Testament lawgiver imagery, seen at Sinai, is not the final word on God’s character. That final word is the incarnate Son—born of a virgin, suffering, dying for sins, becoming sin and a curse for us (2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 3:13). His sacrificial death condemned sin in the flesh and reconciled enemies (Romans 8:3, 2 Corinthians 5:19). This reveals God’s heart: longing to gather and comfort, not condemn (Matthew 23:37). Therefore, sanctification is the Spirit’s gentle work of healing, brooding over believers to illuminate the knowledge of Christ. To view it otherwise—as legalistic self-improvement—is to operate with a veiled understanding, like the Pharisees (2 Corinthians 3:14-15). Pauline categories are clear: we are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14). The rule of life is our union with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:5-14; Galatians 2:20), not outward commands. The ‘how’ is the Spirit’s work; the ‘what’ is Christ revealed.
Integration
Your sanctification is secure because it rests on the finished work of Christ and the present work of the Spirit. God is not a harsh taskmaster evaluating your progress; He is the compassionate Physician tenderly healing what is sick. There is no pressure to advance, only an invitation to rest in the care of the One who knows your frame. Christ is your sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30). The Comforter is at work in you, brooding with patience. This is not a challenge to strive harder, but a reality to be assured of. Look away from your own efforts and look to Christ, in whom the full knowledge of God’s gentle heart is seen. Your healing journey is in His hands, and He will not break the bruised reed. Be at peace.