Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7.1

People want different things from the Spirit of God, and ministers and church leaders encourage or discourage them as seems appropriate. Some people want the Spirit’s power to be able to bear witness for Christ (Acts 1.8). We steer them to the evangelism training class (remember those?).

Others want to “discover my spiritual gift” and so we walk them through “inventories” and courses on “spiritual gifts”, urging them to try on whatever seems suitable to their interests or needs.

Some just want “more joy of the Spirit” in worship. We give them more contemporary music and a louder praise band.

Still others just want the peace of the Spirit to comfort them in their times of distress, and we try to embody that as we are able and to connect them with God’s peace through our presence and prayer.

But we’re missing something. The Spirit of God is Holy. His curriculum consists, first and foremost, of the holy and righteous and good Law of God (Rom. 7.12). His indwelling presence is designed to expand the space of holiness within us, so that holiness might be the defining attribute of all our lives (Matt. 5.48).

Where are the believers clamoring for and pressing their ministers to lead them to holiness? The fact of God’s precious and very great promises (2 Cor. 6.16-18) and His fearsome discipline (2 Cor. 7.1; Deut. 11.1-7) should lead us all to shed the mind of the flesh, acquire the mind of the Spirit, submit to the Law of God, and work out our salvation, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God (Phil. 2.13).

We will never realize the power, gifts, fruit, joy, or peace of the Spirit until we make the pursuit of holiness our primary aim. It’s what He’s after in us, and until holiness becomes what we’re after, we will not be able to realize the rich benefits of the Spirit’s indwelling presence to anything like the extent God has planned for us.

All our interpretations of the Law of God, as we submit to the Spirit’s teaching, should be for holiness, first of all. Not information. Not to bash the unbelieving culture. Not to make us self-righteous. Holiness. For only out of holiness will love for God and neighbor flow like rivers of living water (Jn. 7.37-39).

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