April 8

Read: I John 1:7-9

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light,… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (I John 1:7).

The Prerequisites Of Holiness

In our quest for holiness we have seen that God wants us to have this blessing now. What preparation must we make to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Dr. J. B. Chapman has written: “The promise of cleansing is conditioned upon walking in the light. ‘If we walk in the light, as he is in the light… the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ This walking in the light means simply obeying God to the full measure of our knowledge of His will. It implies willing and glad obedience.

“So we may summarize the prerequisites of holiness as (1) a clean, definite condition of regeneration, and (2) a heart that is willing to go all the way with God in all His revealed will. And when these two are considered together they become so closely united as to be almost one. It is essential to a clear state of justification to be ready and obedient. Reluctance and hesitation bring defeat and darkness.

“How is it with you today? Is your witness of sonship and acceptance with God bright and clear? Are you ready and willing to obey God in any and all things in which His will may be made known to you? Can you, as the poet would say, read your title clear to a mansion in the skies? If all this is descriptive of your state and relation, then you should have no hindrance in coming to God with prayer and faith to be ‘made every whit whole.’ There is a fullness in God’s grace and mercy for you as a child of God. Do not be content without it. Claim your heritage. Lay hold upon the promise. Pray with the poet:

“Refining Fire, go through my heart, Illuminate my soul; Scatter Thy life through every part, And sanctify the whole.”