When Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, he warned them against false teachers who were claiming that faith in Jesus wasn’t enough to save them. Paul writes that faith in Christ is not only enough to save us, but also the beginning of a new life, in which we can become more like Him. This process of sanctification requires active participation on our part; Jesus has won the victory over sin, but we still fight in the battle.

In his invaluable book Josh Moody directs our attention not only to the theory of how we fight this battle, but also practical strategies for how we can train in holiness. The first step is to focus our minds on things that are above – things that are pleasing to God. We read our Bibles and ponder His word; we pray and ask Him for help.

Moody also highlights the practical instructions the letter to the Colossians give us for growing in holiness. When we are united to Christ we are new creations, but how do we live in a way that shows that? By taking sin seriously and putting it to death. We put off the old way and we put on the wardrobe of Christ – His compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness. We let Christ rule our hearts. Moody not only explains the thinking behind this but gives suggestions for steps we can take today to put it into practice.

This increasing holiness affects our relationships too. Imagine a family, church or workplace whose members are committed to this process, who all seek to please God instead of themselves with their choices. What a joy that would be. What a witness that would be to those who do not yet know Jesus. This is the goal that Josh Moody encourages us to look towards as we seek to be more like Christ in our day to day lives.