… He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. (Ephesians 1:4 ESV)
Holiness
When I was a youth, I worked for my uncle’s plumbing business. I was assigned a remodeling job, and I was quite proud of the work I had done. I learned to measure twice and cut once, I learned to ask when I was unsure, and I learned to look before leaping.
But recently I found out that my work, of which I had been so very proud, was ultimately not mine. My uncle and my father, unsure of my ability and experience, at first checked my work, unknown to me. I am sure they found this to correct, particularly in the early days.
I could not be a plumber on my own.
Holiness is like that, for us. We strive to obey, we yearn to obey, we try to obey… and some days we are able to do righteous things. But ultimately, it is not we are holy.
Christ is holy for us.
Paul later writes that this salvation by grace stops us from bragging. (Ephesians 2:8,9)
But it is also simply a wonderful thing. We can not be holy. But Jesus can be holy in us.