The Highway To Holiness

A key verse in the Christian's pursuit of sanctification (holiness) is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18. This topic is critical because if you are a Christian, this is where we live and breathe.  We are all at some point in the process of sanctification.  You cannot be a Christian and find that this is not true in your life (“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13, ESV)). Sanctification is a free and sovereign work of God. He is active.  We are passive.

But because God is sovereign in no way insinuates that we are inactive.  Inactive and passive are two different things.  The sovereignty of God demands that He determines the end result and the means to that end result.  We must choose to embrace those means to our holiness.  But how we use those means is critical to achieving the desired results.  This is what we see in 2 Corinthians 3:

¹⁸ And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Christ leads us to holiness through the goal of beholding Him in the means of grace as empowered by the Holy Spirit working in us.

So the important question then is how do I use the means (Scripture, prayer, fellowship, etc.) in a way that "beholds" Him?  And what does that mean?  The word behold (in the ESV) or "contemplate"(in the NIV) is the Greek word: κατοπτρίζω.  "The word translated “beholding” (Gk. katoptrizō) can mean “behold” or “reflect” or “look at in a mirror,” and commentators support all three views. In this context, however, the connection with a mirror does not seem to be necessary to the word, and the meaning “behold” seems more consistent with the idea of having the veil removed and therefore being able to see God’s glory, in contrast to the unbelieving Jews who still have a veil blocking their vision (see note on vv. 14–15)." [1]

Someone writes: "I love the way Allan Redpath words a clear explanation of this glory the apostle Paul is trying to communicate to believers:

"I have a clear view of Jesus. I have seen Him, felt Him, and I have known Him in a far deeper way than simply by the outward physical appearance; I have felt the reality of His life begin to burn in my heart. I have seen in Christ the glory of a life that is totally submitted to the sovereignty of God. That glory has begun to take hold of me, and I have begun to see that this is the one life that God expects of any man He made in His own image. I have seen the marks of the cross upon Him, and by His grace the marks of the cross have been put upon me and I am no longer my own; I am bought with a price, redeemed by His precious blood. Yes, I have seen Him--not in the outward physical sense only, but in the inward sense of a deep spiritual reality. I have had a clear view of Jesus and my life will never be the same again" (Blessings Out of Buffetings, p. 44)." [2]

This is the highway to holiness.




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1. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (2227). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
2. http://www.abideinchrist.com/messages/2cor3v18.html