How are holiness and repentance connected?

True repentance that flows from godly sorrow is necessary for salvation. Repentance understands that we have offended a holy God. Without repentance, we don’t see God as He really is. He is holy and our offenses are grievous in His sight. Before salvation and repentance, we don’t see our sin as it really is.

Repentance is a turning away from idols to God. The first step of holiness is repentance. It involves removing sin from the grace of God and a pursuing of the holiness of God. Repentance is necessary in the pursuit of God and for true salvation. 

Hebrews 12:14 (NKJV) - "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord"

True repentance that flows from godly sorrow is necessary for salvation. Repentance sees that I have offended a holy God. Without repentance, I'm not seeing God as He really is because He is holy, because my offense is great in His sight. It also is not seeing my sin for what my sin really is as great in that sight. And so Repentance is a turning away from.

It's a turning from idols to God. And so repentance must be required. It's necessary because the writer to Hebrews tells us that without holiness, no one will see the Lord. The first step of holiness is repentance. It's removing the sin from our heart by the grace of the Spirit, by the acting of the Spirit, and then pursuing a holiness unto God.

And so repentance is necessary in the whole following after or pursuit of holiness. And we're told without it, no one will see the Lord. So if that's the case, then repentance must be necessary for true salvation.