The Pursuit with A. W. Tozer
The Pursuit of Holiness
“Whenever there is a breakdown of holiness, that is proof there never was any real degree of holiness in the first place.”
Discipleship (p.115)
Peter has given every Christian a forceful exhortation to holiness of life and conversation. He clearly bases this exhortation on two great facts—first, the character of God, and second, the command of God.
What does this word holiness really mean? Is it a negative kind of piety from which so many people have shied away? No, of course not! Holiness in the Bible means moral wholeness—a positive quality which actually includes kindness, mercy, purity, moral blamelessness and godliness. It is always to be thought of in a positive, white intensity of degree.
Whenever it is written that God is holy, it means that God is kind, merciful, pure, and blameless in a white, holy intensity of degree. When used of men, it does not mean absolute holiness as it does of God, but it is still the positive intensity of the degree of holiness—and not negative.
This is why true Bible holiness is positive—a holy man can be trusted. A holy man can be tested. People who try to live by a negative standard of piety, a formula that has been copyrighted by other humans, will find that their piety does not stand up in times of difficult testing. Genuine holiness can be put into the place of testing without fear. Whenever there is a breakdown of holiness, that is proof there never was any real degree of holiness in the first place.
Excerpted from Discipleship (p. 111, 115).
Is your pursuit of holiness white hot in intensity? If not, ask God to reveal more of His holiness to you and draw you to imitate Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.