God has deemed us holy, because of the righteousness we have received from Christ. Then why does the author of Hebrews tell us to “strive…for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord”? Are we holy or not? Have we already been sanctified or is it something we are to pursue? The answer is, “Yes.” As we saw in yesterday’s episode, we have been and are being sanctified. And in Hebrews 12:14-17, we discover that God expects us to strive to live a life of holiness. We are not to rest on our laurels or bask in the joy of our status as God’s child. We are holy, because God has deemed us so. And He has made a life of holiness possible because He has placed His Holy Spirit within us. Not only do we enjoy our status as God’s set-apart ones, we rely upon the power He has made available to us, so that we might live with holiness as our constant obsession.