Again, from Beeke's "Puritan Reformed Spirituality":
Our progress (in holiness) is hindered when we misunderstand 'living by faith' (Gal 2:20) to imply that no effort towards holiness is commanded of us. (emphasis in original) Sometimes we are even prone to consider human effort sinful or 'fleshly'. Bishop Ryle provides us with a corrective here:Is it wise to proclaim in so bald, naked and unqualified a way as many do, that the holiness of converted people is by faith only, and not at all by personal exertion? Is this according to the proportion of God's Word? I doubt it. That faith in Christ is the root of all holiness no well-instructed Christian will ever think of denying. But surely the Scriptures teach us that in following holiness the true Christian needs personal exertion and work as well as faith.
We are responsible for holiness. Whose fault is it but our own if we are not holy. As Ralph Erskine counsels, we need to implement the fight-or-flight (emphasis in original) attitude with regard to sinful temptations. Sometimes we simply need to heed Peter's plain injunction, 'Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul' (1 Pet. 2:11). Abstain - often it is that simple.
Thanks to Beeke, another work has made its way onto my reading table - Holiness by J. C. Ryle. I began reading it once, but again I'll have to take a crack at it. I find it interesting that Beeke (and Ryle, 125 years ago) is taking to task this notion of "sancitification by faith". Some do indeed teach (and if you read Ryle, did teach then that somehow sanctification comes by no effort on our part... that we're supposed to regard our sanctification through the same lenses as our justification - that it is entirely external to us. The Sonship program is one teaching that comes to mind that seems to regard sanctification in this way (or at least can push you in this erroneous direction).
Holiness is something that has lost favor in our churches... yet we are commanded to pursue it, by God's grace and with his Spirit's guidance. How can our churches today neglect this vital part of our walk with Christ?!