Galatians 1:15-16 - "But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man.
Chambers calls Christ the “Regenerator,” “One Who can put in me His own heredity of holiness.” Chambers suggests that if Christ calls us to holiness in our own power, it is pointless and cause for despair. But, God has “revealed his Son in me” – that is, we receive Christ’s holiness, we live a holy life through Christ Himself, not through our own power. It is this regeneration in Christ that makes this holy life possible.
Paul tells us that God has called us “by his grace.” It isn’t because of anything we do. We can never earn this grace because our human frailties keep us in a condition of constantly falling short in our efforts. But when we recognize the weakness in ourselves and allow God to do his work in us, we can accomplish anything. One need only consider the massive impact Paul had on the Christian movement. It is difficult to imagine our faith as we know it without the very real impact of this completely human man. He spread the word amongst the Gentiles and wrote much of what was to become the New Testament. Did Paul know in his lifetime what a massive impact his work would have on the future of Christianity? Probably not, but making history was never Paul’s intent. Rather it was his willingness to allow God “to reveal his Son in [him]” that gave Paul’s entire life it’s purpose, and it’s impact.
That said, before God can do a work in us, we must first recognize the need for a work to be done. Chambers explains:
The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a man is struck by a sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God, ‘until Christ be formed in you.’…when I reach the frontier of need and know my limitations, Jesus says – ‘Blessed are you.’ But I have to get there. God cannot put into me, a responsible moral being, the disposition that was in Jesus Christ unless I am conscious I need it.
The only limits on what God can do are those we place on Him by refusing to allow Him to do His work in us. When we allow God to bestow upon us Christ’s “heredity of holiness” there is no limit to what God can do through us. Corrie Ten Boom once said “It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability, that counts.” I must get to a point where I allow God to use me and regenerate me as His child.
"If all Jesus Christ can do is to tell me I must be holy, His teaching plants despair" -- this is true if Jesus is speaking to fallen man. But when He gives this directive, He bases it on the fact that He has imparted HIS disposition to us! It is no longer an impossible feat to expect that a person filled with the Holy Spirit and given His very disposition can, in fact, live a holy life. God wouldn't say "be holy, for I am holy" if He didn't also provide a way to make that happen!
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