Holiness Reflected and Accelerated
by Dr. Peter A. Kerr
We often speak of “reflecting God.” That language can sound abstract until we see that Scripture itself frames salvation this way. Human beings were created to bear and mirror the life of God—we are His image (Gen 1:26–27; 9:6). Sin burns, bends, and distorts the mirror (Rom 1:21–25). Salvation reorients it (Col 1:13). Sanctification renews and polishes it (Eph 4:22–24). Holy love is reflected when the mirror is straightened, oriented toward God, and ready to shine again (2 Cor 3:18).
When Jesus says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15; cf. 14:21), He is not reducing faith to rule-keeping. He is defining what love looks like when it takes form in a human life (1 John 5:3). God’s commandments are not arbitrary tests. They are descriptions of what love does (Rom 13:8–10). They tell us how to love God with our whole heart (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37) and how to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev 19:18; Matt 22:39). Obedience is not the opposite of love and it is not optional. It is love given shape (John 15:10).
Holiness is not moral performance for divine approval (Eph 2:8–9). Holiness is participation in the life of the Father, revealed in the Son, perfected by the Spirit (2 Pet 1:4; John 17:3; Rom 5:5). It is love embodied (Gal 5:6, 22–23). The mirror of the soul generates no light but rather participates in divine light (John 8:12; 1 John 1:5). When we forgive (Eph 4:32), tell the truth (Eph 4:25), practice self-control (Titus 2:11–12), pursue purity (1 Thess 4:3–7), serve the weak (James 1:27), and endure faithfully (Heb 12:1–2), we are not earning salvation. We are reflecting the character of the One who saves us (1 Pet 1:15–16).
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of Righteousness
Paul uses strong language in Romans 6. We were once “slaves of sin” (Rom 6:17, 20). Before surrendering to God, everyone sins (Rom 3:23), and sin accelerates as it is enacted, creating deeper and deeper bondage (John 8:34; Rom 6:16). Now we are “slaves of righteousness” (Rom 6:18–19, 22). After justification (Rom 5:1), we are intended to accelerate in holiness (2 Cor 7:1). Sin should increasingly become an anomaly rather than a pattern (1 John 3:9). This contrast is not about moving from one external label to another. It is about a transfer of allegiance (Col 1:13).
Sin enslaves because it curves the heart inward (Phil 2:21). It traps us in self-protection, self-exaltation, and self-indulgence (1 John 2:16). At its core, sin is self-worship—exchanging the glory of God for lesser things (Rom 1:23, 25). Righteousness liberates because it reorients us toward love (Rom 6:22; Gal 5:13). To be a “slave of righteousness” is to belong wholly to a new master whose service is freedom (Matt 11:28–30). The same intensity that once fueled selfishness now fuels holiness (Rom 6:19).
This is why the New Testament does not describe salvation as a static status alone. It speaks of being saved (1 Cor 1:18), of working out salvation with reverent dependence on God’s ongoing work (Phil 2:12–13), of receiving the outcome of our faith (1 Pet 1:9). Salvation is accomplished in Christ (John 19:30; Heb 10:14). It is enacted in us (2 Cor 3:18). It is awaited in fullness (Rom 13:11; 8:23–25). The Christian life is not a frozen verdict; it is a living trajectory (Phil 3:12–14).
Acceleration in Holiness
Reflection is not meant to remain faint. We are called to grow (2 Pet 3:18). Paul speaks of being transformed “from glory to glory” (2 Cor 3:18). Growth in holiness is not optional (Heb 12:14). It is the normal pattern of life in Christ (Rom 8:29). If we are united to the Son, we should increasingly resemble Him (1 John 2:6). Holiness is not instant perfection (Phil 3:12), but it is real progress (1 Thess 4:1).
Acceleration in holiness does not mean frantic striving. It means deepening consent (Rom 12:1–2). It means quicker repentance (2 Cor 7:9–10), more eager obedience (John 14:21), freer generosity (2 Cor 9:7–8), purer motives (Matt 5:8), steadier endurance (Heb 10:36). Over time, love becomes less resisted and more natural (Gal 5:16).
In the language of trajectory, salvation is not merely a change of status but a change of direction (Col 3:1–3). We were oriented toward self (Eph 2:1–3). Now we are oriented toward God (Rom 6:11–13). The question is not whether we stumble (James 3:2). The question is which way we are facing (Phil 3:13–14).
Reflecting the Father by Looking at the Son
We do not guess what reflection looks like. We look at Christ (Heb 12:2).
The Father is the source of life and goodness (James 1:17). The Son is the light of truth who reveals and restores (John 1:14; 8:12). The Spirit is the communion of love who perfects and indwells (Rom 5:5; 2 Cor 3:17–18). To reflect God is to be conformed to Jesus, who is the exact image of the Father (Col 1:15; Heb 1:3; Rom 8:29). Every command of Christ is an invitation into His own life (John 15:9–12).
When we love enemies, we reflect the Father who sends rain on the just and unjust (Matt 5:44–45).
When we tell the truth, we reflect the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Eph 4:25).
When we endure suffering without retaliation, we reflect the crucified Son (1 Pet 2:21–23).
When we rejoice in another’s good, we reflect the generous heart of heaven (Rom 12:15).
Reflection is relational before it is behavioral. We become what we behold (2 Cor 3:18). As we remain in Christ (John 15:4–5), His life becomes luminous in us (Matt 5:14–16).
What This Means for Everyday Life
Reflecting God is not mystical abstraction. It is daily faithfulness (Luke 16:10).
It is how you speak to your spouse (Eph 5:25, 33).
It is how you respond when wronged (Rom 12:17–21).
It is how you handle money (1 Tim 6:17–19), ambition (Mark 10:42–45), sexuality (1 Thess 4:3–5), power (Matt 20:25–28), and disappointment (Rom 5:3–5).
It is whether love governs your will (1 Cor 16:14).
The world does not see God directly (John 1:18). It sees the people who claim His name (Matt 5:16). When Christians live in growing holiness, they become visible signs of an invisible glory (1 Pet 2:12). When they refuse holiness, the mirror dims (Rev 2:4–5).
Salvation’s finality is not merely a verdict but communion (1 John 1:3; John 17:24). Holiness is the lived substance of that communion (Heb 12:10, 14). We were created to reflect (Gen 1:27). We fell into distortion (Rom 3:23). In Christ, the mirror is being restored (Col 3:10). The Spirit is polishing the surface (2 Cor 3:18).
The call is simple and demanding: love Christ (John 14:15). Obey Him (John 15:10). Turn quickly when you fail (1 John 1:9). Press forward when you grow weary (Gal 6:9). Accelerate in holiness (2 Pet 1:5–8). As we do, the light that has always belonged to God begins to shine through human lives (Phil 2:15), and the world catches glimpses of the glory that was there all along (Hab 2:14).
Scripture Referenced (in NASB)
Genesis 1:26–27 "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
Genesis 9:6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man."
Romans 1:21–25 "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."
Colossians 1:13 "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,"
Ephesians 4:22–24 "that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."
2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (Appears multiple times.)
John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." (Also cf. 14:21: "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.")
1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."
Romans 13:8–10 "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,' and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, namely, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
Matthew 22:37 "And He said to him, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'"
Leviticus 19:18 "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD."
Matthew 22:39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'"
John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."
Ephesians 2:8–9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
2 Peter 1:4 "For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."
John 17:3 "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
Romans 5:5 "and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
Galatians 5:6, 22–23 "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. ... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
John 8:12 "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'"
1 John 1:5 "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."
Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Ephesians 4:25 "Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another."
Titus 2:11–12 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,"
1 Thessalonians 4:3–7 "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification."
James 1:27 "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
Hebrews 12:1–2 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
1 Peter 1:15–16 "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.'"
Romans 6:17, 20 "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed... For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness."
Romans 6:18–19, 22 "and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification... But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life."
Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
John 8:34 "Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.'"
Romans 6:16 "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?"
Romans 5:1 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"
2 Corinthians 7:1 "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
1 John 3:9 "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
Philippians 2:21 "For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus."
1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."
Romans 1:23, 25 "and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures... For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."
Galatians 5:13 "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
Matthew 11:28–30 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
Philippians 2:12–13 "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
1 Peter 1:9 "obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."
John 19:30 "Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."
Hebrews 10:14 "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified."
Romans 13:11 "Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed."
Romans 8:23–25 "And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it."
Philippians 3:12–14 "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
2 Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
Hebrews 12:14 "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord."
Romans 8:29 "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;"
1 John 2:6 "the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."
1 Thessalonians 4:1 "Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more."
Philippians 3:12 (Repeated from above: "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on...")
Romans 12:1–2 "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
2 Corinthians 7:9–10 "I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."
John 14:21 (Repeated from above.)
2 Corinthians 9:7–8 "Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;"
Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Hebrews 10:36 "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised."
Galatians 5:16 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."
Colossians 3:1–3 "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
Ephesians 2:1–3 "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest."
Romans 6:11–13 "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."
James 3:2 "For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well."
Philippians 3:13–14 (Repeated from above.)
Hebrews 12:2 "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
James 1:17 "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."
John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Colossians 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."
Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"
John 15:9–12 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."
Matthew 5:44–45 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Titus 1:2 "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,"
1 Peter 2:21–23 "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;"
Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."
John 15:4–5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
Matthew 5:14–16 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."
Ephesians 5:25, 33 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her... Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband."
Romans 12:17–21 "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,' says the Lord. 'BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
1 Timothy 6:17–19 "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed."
Mark 10:42–45 "Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, 'You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.'"
1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 (Repeated from above.)
Matthew 20:25–28 "But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.'"
Romans 5:3–5 "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
1 Corinthians 16:14 "Let all that you do be done in love."
John 1:18 "No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him."
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Repeated from above.)
1 Peter 2:12 "Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation."
Revelation 2:4–5 "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent."
1 John 1:3 "what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
John 17:24 "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."
Hebrews 12:10, 14 "For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness... Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." (14 repeated.)
Genesis 1:27 (Repeated from 1:26–27.)
Romans 3:23 (Repeated.)
Colossians 3:10 "and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—"
John 14:15 (Repeated.)
John 15:10 (Repeated.)
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Galatians 6:9 "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."
2 Peter 1:5–8 "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Philippians 2:15 "so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,"
Habakkuk 2:14 "For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea."
