“The work of transformation from unholiness to holiness is a continuous work. Day by day God labors for man’s sanctification, and man is to cooperate with Him by putting forth persevering efforts in the cultivation of right habits.”
?—The Review and Herald, March 15, 1906.

Whenever I ask myself whether I am becoming holy and faultless, I despair and see little hope ahead. But in the words of the apostle Paul, I find much hope and courage in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15, 16).

“The righteousness of God is absolute. This righteousness characterizes all His works, all His laws. As God is, so must His people be. The life of Christ is to be revealed in the lives of His followers. In all His public and private acts, in every word and deed, practical godliness was seen, and this godliness is to be seen in the lives of His disciples.”
?—Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 198.

“[God] cannot endure the presence of sin. It is the thing that His soul hates. . . . Holiness is the foundation of God’s throne; sin is the opposite of holiness; sin crucified the Son of God. If men could see how hateful sin is, they would not tolerate it, nor educate themselves in it. They would reform in life and character. Secret faults would be overcome. If you are to be saints in heaven, you must first be saints upon the earth.”—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 145.

We are bidden to be: “giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience ;and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (1 Peter 1:5–7).

“The Scriptures plainly show that the work of sanctification is progressive. When in conversion the sinner finds peace with God through the blood of the atonement, the Christian life has but just begun. Now he is to ‘go unto perfection;’ to grow up ‘unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ (Hebrews 6:1; Ephesians 4:13). Says the apostle Paul: ‘This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:13, 14).”—The Great Controversy, p. 470.

“Justification means the saving of a soul from perdition, that he may obtain sanctification, and through sanctification, the life of heaven. Justification means that the conscience, purged from dead works, is placed where it can receive the blessings of sanctification.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 908.

“Righteousness within is testified to by righteousness without. He who is righteous within is not hard-hearted and unsympathetic, but day by day he grows into the image of Christ, going on from strength to strength. He who is being sanctified by the truth will be self-controlled, and will follow in the footsteps of Christ until grace is lost in glory.”—The Review and Herald, June 4, 1895.

If we are to be sanctified, by God’s grace we should be in the constant warfare against evil. By all means, let’s avoid the first step downward. The temptation into which you have never fallen will be easier to resist, even if it comes again in the future. Sin is like an addiction. It’s better not to try it. Don’t sin! Better run away from any sin, like Joseph did. Then your energy to resist another temptation will not be depleted.

One Sabbath afternoon during a Bible study, we were discussing why many people are so weak when tempted. He (Grandpa Benson Musosa) quoted Romans 6:10, “For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” Grandpa further said, “You see the secret? Christ never sinned because—look at another verse before that—Romans 6:7, ‘For he that is dead is freed from sin.’ Now, verse 10: ‘For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.’

Grandpa explained that Jesus was appointed to die for our sins long before His entrance into our world. He was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). So when you see Jesus, Jesus was born already dead to sin; He was growing up while working in the carpenter’s workshop already dead to sin; He was baptized by John the Baptist already dead to sin; and He was dying on the cross already dead to sin. There was no chance given for gratification of His human body, and that made Him a victor over every temptation He faced. So if we are to be overcomers successfully—even from childhood—we should as Paul the apostle says in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, ‘hold fast that which is good’ and ‘continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them’ (2 Timothy 3:14).”

An addict has a difficult struggle to overcome his cravings for his usual sinful habits, but if you have never tasted the source of addiction, you are safer. The temptation to indulge and be overcome by the evil is harder to resist if the person has succumbed to it before. But even then, the situation is not hopeless. Don’t give up! Cling to Christ for help.

“The Christian will feel the promptings of sin, but he will maintain a constant warfare against it. Here is where Christ’s help is needed. Human weakness becomes united to divine strength, and faith exclaims: ‘Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15:57).”—The Great Controversy, pp. 469, 470.

“No repentance is genuine that does not work reformation. The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven.”—The Desire of Ages,—Testimonies for the Church, pp. 555, 556. “None are living Christians unless they have a daily experience in the things of God and daily practice self-denial, cheerfully bearing the cross and following Christ. Every living Christian will advance daily in the divine life. As he advances toward perfection, he experiences a conversion to God every day; and this conversion is not completed until he attains to perfection of Christian character, a full preparation for the finishing touch of immortality.”vol. 2, p. 505.

“God has given us the power of choice; it is ours to exercise. We cannot change our hearts, we cannot control our thoughts, our impulses, our affections. We cannot make ourselves pure, fit for God’s service. But we can choose to serve God, we can give Him our will.”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 176.

“Feeling the terrible power of temptation, the drawing of desire that leads to indulgence, many a man cries in despair, ‘I cannot resist evil.’ Tell him that he can, that he must resist. He may have been overcome again and again, but it need not be always thus. He is weak in moral power, controlled by the habits of a life of sin. His promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. The knowledge of his broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens his confidence in his own sincerity and causes him to feel that God cannot accept him or work with his efforts. But he need not despair.”—Ibid., pp. 174, 175.

“By the word and the Spirit of God are opened to men the great principles of righteousness embodied in His law. And since the law of God is ‘holy, and just, and good’ (Romans 7:12), a transcript of the divine perfection, it follows that a character formed by obedience to that law will be holy. Christ is a perfect example of such a character. He says: ‘I have kept my Father’s commandments.’ ‘I do always those things that please him’ (John 15:10; 8:29). The followers of Christ are to become like Him—by the grace of God to form characters in harmony with the principles of His holy law. This is Bible sanctification.”—The Great Controversy, p. 469.

As youth, our chemistry is very active and diverse. But far greater is our God, the Lord and Saviour Jesus and His liberality toward us to strengthen us to overcome. Let us devote ourselves entirely to Him, as we are His purchased possession.” “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Yes, it is indeed possible to be holy because Jesus has already begun a good work for you and me. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).