Holiness and Perfection
Holiness and Perfection
Holiness is the state in which God created man from the beginning. Holiness was a characteristic of Adam and Eve, as well as of the angels. God, the Holy One, lived in His creation among a company of saints before sin entered the world.
Holiness will also be the prevailing state in eternal bliss after the resurrection, when the chosen and victorious are crowned with the crown of righteousness, and there will be no sin in the heavenly Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God with men.
God desires holiness to be the distinguishing mark of His children on earth, for this is fitting for those whom the Scripture calls the temples of God, in whom His Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 6).
In ancient times, during the apostolic era, every believer was called a saint. Thus Saint Paul said to the Philippians: “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you” (Philippians 4:21). And in his Epistle to the Hebrews he said: “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling” (Hebrews 3:1).
Repentance, then, is the starting point of a person’s relationship with God; from it one must progress to a life of holiness.
A sinful person is far from God, separated from Him, in enmity with Him. Through repentance, he is reconciled with God and begins a good relationship with Him. This is only a beginning. No one should think that by leaving sin and repenting, he has reached the goal. Rather, he has merely placed his feet on the first step of the ladder connecting earth to heaven, and he must continue climbing step by step.
Repentance is the abandonment of the negatives, while holiness is the positive work.
When a person repents, he is purified through acts of repentance, confession, and communion from his former sins. Repentance becomes the veil drawn over the past, so that he no longer lives in it, nor does God remember it against him.
Holiness, on the other hand, is the work of the present and the future—indeed, the work of eternity.
It is a work that begins and never ends, continuing forever. Holiness becomes a way of life and a rule of conduct in one’s relationship with God and with people.
Holiness is not a struggle with sin; struggle is the first step of repentance, as one strives to overcome sin. When repentance is complete, the struggle ends.
Repentance is not only leaving sin, for a person may abandon sin in action yet still desire it in thought or heart, or may leave it temporarily and later return to it. True repentance begins with abandoning sin permanently. It becomes a turning point in one’s life—from the path of the world, materialism, and the flesh, to the path of God and the spirit.
The beginning of repentance is the abandonment of sin, but the perfection of repentance is the hatred of sin.
Through hatred of sin, every love and desire for it is removed from the heart and mind. If later the person is tempted, it is an external temptation only, for no love for sin remains within. Through hatred of sin, a permanent separation exists between the righteous person and sin. As Saint John the Beloved said of the righteous man: “He cannot sin” (1 John 3:9), “and the wicked one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18).
This is the distinctive characteristic of a saint: he cannot sin.
The repentant person abandons the sin he once loved and that was his weakness. But he may discover other weaknesses he did not previously perceive, or that were hidden under more obvious sins; so he strives to abandon these as well, until he leaves them all behind, and the Lord cleanses him until he becomes whiter than snow. Thus he enters into a life of purity, progressing to the point where he cannot sin, and the evil one does not touch him.
Yet the phrase “cannot sin” is a negative expression; the positive aspect is the virtues.
A saintly person is not merely one who does not sin, but one who lives positively in relationship with God and others. He abides in the love of God, and that love prevents him from sinning. Thus, two forces restrain him from sin: love for God and hatred of sin.
His love for God burns away all love for sin, making him detest and shrink from it, so that it becomes impossible for him to commit it. His hatred of sin also drives him to cling to God’s love even more. These two forces work together, each strengthening and producing the other.
In the love of God, virtue is practiced naturally. The love of God leads to prayer, praise, contemplation, and reading Scripture.
All these are positive acts that strengthen and purify the heart, increase one’s aversion to sin, and fortify the heart against it. They also kindle the love of God even more—they are both cause and effect. Love for God leads a person to prayer, and prayer deepens the love of God.
The same applies to hymns, praise, chants, meditation, spiritual readings, and all means of grace.
In a life of holiness, one does not force oneself to practice spiritual exercises; one performs them with love, longing, and joy.
A beginner in the life with God, whose heart has not yet been enlarged through divine fellowship, may practice these spiritual acts within certain limits, and may become weary if his prayers extend beyond his spiritual stature or beyond the measure of love and grace he has received.
Hence, the life of holiness is marked by continual growth.
God nurtures a person and expands his heart. As grace works within him, he yearns for God all the more. Thus, his spiritual life becomes more fervent. In his love for God, he wishes to cling to Him constantly. The more he advances, the more he realizes that the road ahead is still long, and he keeps pressing forward without end.
Saint Paul the Apostle, who reached great spiritual heights, labored more abundantly than all the apostles, and was granted many gifts and revelations, spoke of this growth: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead… I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12–13).
Thus, in holiness, a person strives toward perfection.
Man was created in the image and likeness of God. God is infinite, and man cannot become infinite, for that attribute belongs to God alone. Yet within man is a longing for the infinite, which gives rise to his aspiration. Just as the worldly person is never satisfied with worldly gain, so too the spiritual person is never satisfied with spiritual progress. God calls us to this perfection, for the Lord Jesus said: “Be perfect, therefore, as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
Absolute perfection belongs only to God.
For us humans, the required perfection is relative—according to our spiritual stature and the grace granted to us by God. Each time we reach a certain degree of perfection, our hearts long for a higher one. Thus grace leads us from glory to glory, from love for God and people to deeper and deeper love—without limit.
God does not reveal all these perfections to us at once, lest we fall into despair or discouragement, or think the spiritual path too difficult and withdraw from it. Instead, God shows us one step to reach toward; when we attain it, He reveals another, leading us in His triumphal procession step by step.
Truly did the Apostle say to his disciples in their spiritual infancy: “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it” (1 Corinthians 3:2).
If this is the path, then what stage have you reached?
Are you still in the stage of repentance? Have you progressed from repentance to purity? Have you begun the life of holiness? Are you growing daily in holiness, striving toward perfection? Are you advancing from one stage of relative perfection to another, drawing nearer to the divine image in which you were created and which the Lord restored to you when you lost it?
Or are you, my brother, still in sin, unrepentant, and unreconciled with God?
If so, may you begin today—be reconciled with God and ask Him for strength to walk the path. And since the spiritual journey is long, do not waste time. Listen to the Apostle’s exhortation: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). Trust that God, who has worked with many saints, can swiftly draw you to Himself.
The stages of holiness and growth are not measures of time, but of condition—and God is able to do much for you if you surrender your life to Him.
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An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Watani newspaper on February 1, 1981.
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