At least not as much - Jerry Bridges pursuit of Holiness

From Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges


Part 1

Solomon tells us that the eyes of man are never satisfied (Proverbs 27:20). One more lustful look or one more piece of pie never satisfies. In fact, quite the opposite takes place. Every time we say yes to temptation, we make it harder to say no the next time.

We must recognize that we have developed habit patterns of sin. We have developed the habit of shading the facts a little bit when it is to our advantage. We have developed the habit of giving in to be inertia that refuses to let us get up in the morning. These habits must be broken, but they never will till we make a basic commitment to a life of holiness without exception.


The apostle John said, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin" (I John 2:1). The whole purpose of John's letter, he says, is that we not sin.

One day as I was studying this chapter I realized that my personal life's objective regarding holiness was less than that of John's.

He was saying, effect, "Make it your aim not to sin." As I thought about this, I realized that deep within my heart my real aim was not to sin very much. I found it difficult to say, "Yes, Lord, from here on I will make it my aim not to sin." I realized God was calling me that day to a deeper level of commitment to holiness than I had previously been willing to make.

Part 2

Can you imagine a soldier going into battle with the aim of "not getting hit very much"? The very suggestion is ridiculous. His aim is not to get hit at all! Yet, if we have not made commitment to holiness without exception, we are like a soldier
going into battle with the aim of not being hit very much. We can be
sure if that is our aim, we will be hit--not with bullets, but with temptation over and over again.

Jonathan Edwards, one of the great preachers of early American history, used to make resolutions. One of these was, "Resolved, never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life." Dare we modern-day Christians make sure a resolution? Are we willing to commit ourselves to the practice of holiness with exception? There is no point in praying for victory over temptation if we are not willing to make a commitment to say no to it.

It is only by learning to deny temptation that we will ever put to death the misdeeds of the body. Learning this is usually a slow and painful process, fraught with much failure. Our old desires and our sinful habits are not easily dislodged. To break them requires persistence, often in the face of little success.

But this is the path we must tread, painful though it may be.