Holiness Embodied

The inglorious task of endeavoring to make the doctrine, experience, and profession of Holiness popular, has not been undertaken; efforts of this sort ever have been, and ever must be, ineffectual. The hearty reception of a doctrine which makes it the duty of men to become Christlike, and exhibit in heart and life entire devotedness to the interests of Christ's kingdom, is not to be expected either of the world or worldly-minded professors. An embodiment of holiness once appeared in human form. Immaculate purity, ineffable beauty of holiness, was once personified, and walked and talked with men. Was He, or were His sayings, popular? Listen to the questionings: "Is not this the carpenter's son?" "Have any of the rulers and Pharisees believed on Him?" "This is a hard saying; who can hear it?"  —Phoebe Palmer, The Collected Works of Phoebe Palmer

1 Corinthians 1:23-24 reads, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Jesus, His mission, His ministry, His teachings, and His examples are a stumbling block to the religious. They embrace works over grace. The Good News is grace! Jesus is folly to unbelievers, as unbelievers don’t see their need for a redemptive Savior. They write him off as a historical figure, dead and gone like all others. “But to those who are called,” suggests redemptive work begins with God; His love calling out to souls, effectually awakening faith in our hearts. How do we come to recognize this calling? We see the stumbling block is not a message of grace, but rather our inability to do the works that would be required of holiness, and the folly of following Jesus—the carpenter’s son—is really the wonder of God, revealing Himself and His love to us all in human form and inviting us to believe. Jesus is holiness embodied. Our privilege is following Him to glory. —DH