Holy...does it define you?

A survey published by the Barna Group in 2006 demonstrated that most American evangelicals don't consider themselves to be holy. The report states:

76% believe that it is possible for someone to become holy regardless of their past.
55% said that they knew someone they considered to be holy.
29% consider themselves to be holy.

It appears that believers are more convinced of their connection to their old nature than they are to their connection to their connection to their new nature. They're more aware of their acts of sinfulness than they are of their acts of righteousness. They're more aware of their failures than they are of their successes.

I suppose this makes sense. In the journey toward holiness, the ugliness of sin will stick out more, like a smudge on an otherwise beautiful painting. It is this awareness of sin that empowers us to fight it, reject it, and abandon it.

But let's not let ourselves be too aware of sin -- not in the sense that it defines us. Though we struggle with the old man, we must remember that who we really we are is defined by the gift of grace that God has lavished upon us. Hebrews says we have made holy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:10) and through this sacrifice we are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:14)

The first reference describes our position: God declares us holy. The second reference describes our performance: God is conforming us into the image of Christ.

For this reason we must learn to see ourselves as God sees us: New creatures, created in Christ to become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Your struggles with sin -- the fact that sinful tendencies frustrate you -- are an indication of what God has already done in your life and where he is taking you today.