When Sin Is No Longer the Question
As we grow in sanctification, the questions we ask begin to change. Early on, our conscience often revolves around boundaries: Did I sin? Was that allowed? Did I cross the line? These are necessary questions for a new believer learning obedience. But as the Holy Spirit continues His work, He gently draws us beyond legality and into holiness. The question matures. It becomes less about what I can get away with and more about what glorifies God. Not, Is this sinful? but, Is this holy?
Holiness sharpens our spiritual senses. The Spirit trains us to feel the weight of things we once brushed off—tones, motives, habits, words spoken casually, choices made privately. What once felt neutral now carries significance. Scripture says, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts… but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Peter 1:14–15). Holiness doesn’t ask how close we can stand to the edge; it asks how closely we can walk with God.
As sanctification deepens, the Holy Spirit begins to ask harder questions of us—questions not centered on self-preservation, but on witness. Does this strengthen or weaken the testimony of Christ? If Jesus Himself were in a courtroom on the stand giving His testimony, does my life support His truth or contradict it? Scripture reminds us that we are “letters of Christ… known and read by all men” (2 Corinthians 3:3). Our lives are speaking constantly, even when our mouths are silent. Both Christians and non-Christians are watching.
This is where conviction becomes holy ground. Not condemnation but clarity. The Spirit presses us to consider whether our choices adorn the gospel or quietly shove it aside. Paul warns Titus to live “so that the word of God will not be dishonored” (Titus 2:5). That is a sobering thought. A believer can be forgiven, saved, and still live in a way that weakens the visible testimony of Jesus before others.
At this stage, the most piercing question is no longer about rule-breaking, but truth-bearing: Does my life call Jesus a liar? Not with words, but with contradiction. When we confess Christ with our lips yet live contrary to His nature, we imply—however unintentionally—that His power does not actually transform at all, that His words are lofty but impractical, that His Spirit is optional rather than governing. Scripture warns, “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him” (Titus 1:16).
Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit means we allow Him to interrupt us, reroute us, and even disrupt our plans—not only when something is clearly sinful, but when something is simply unworthy of the calling. For example, a conversation may be lawful. Nothing immoral is being said. No commandment is clearly violated. Yet the Spirit quietly presses: This doesn’t build. This doesn’t honor Me. Holiness, in that moment, looks like stepping back—not out of fear, but out of reverence for what God is forming in us.
I was recently reminded of this through a sister in Christ who lovingly shared her concern about me watching a particular show. My intention was not entertainment for its own sake—I don’t prefer television at all—but connection. It felt like one of the few remaining spaces where my daughter and I could sit together, talk, laugh, and keep the door open for discipleship. The desire was good. The aim was love.
Still, my sister said something that landed with weight: “You have a holy calling. We have to be careful what we do with our eye gates.” She wasn’t accusing. She wasn’t commanding. She was lovingly reminding me that even good intentions must bow to holy discernment. Scripture tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). Sanctification trains us to take even our best motives and place them before the Lord for refinement.
That is where maturity is tested—not when the answer is obvious, but when obedience costs something tender. When love for Christ must be held alongside love for our children. When the Spirit asks us to trust that He can create connection and discipleship in ways that do not compromise the clarity of our witness. Sometimes holiness doesn’t remove the desire to love, it simply reorders how we love. Not in our own way, like Cain, but in thee Way.
Paul writes, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful… not all things edify” (1 Corinthians 10:23). Holiness is choosing what builds, what reflects Christ clearly, what leaves no question about whom we belong to. It is the quiet willingness to say, Even if this seems useful, I will pause and listen—because I care more about the testimony of Jesus than my own reasoning, than anything.
This is not about perfection. It is about truthfulness. A life yielded to the Spirit increasingly asks: Does this look like Jesus? Does this sound like Him? Does this move others closer to Him or give them reason to doubt Him? Sanctification trains our hearts to care deeply about those answers.
And so we pray—not merely for forgiveness, but for alignment. A favorite prayer of mine is, "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me to your everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24). Teach me to live in a way that strengthens Your testimony, honors Your name, and bears honest witness to who You truly are.
Reflection Question:
Dear Sisters, where has the Holy Spirit been shifting your questions—from “Is this sin?” to “Is this holy?” And what might He be inviting you to surrender so your life more clearly testifies to Christ?
