“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be Holy because I, the Lord your God, am Holy” Leviticus 19:2 (New International Version.)
Be Holy. What a thought. I mean that’s a pretty big directive. Leaves me wondering exactly what that means, and how would I accomplish being holy? I have spent the better part of two months thinking about this. I have prayed about it, and truly wrestled with the suggestion that I should be holy that anybody should be holy.
1 Peter 1: 15-16 says, “But just as he who has called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘be holy because I am holy.” First thing to recognize is that we are “called” chosen and set aside by God. Also, Leviticus 11:44 says, “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy…” God asks us to consecrate ourselves, to set ourselves apart for sacred purposes. I just can’t imagine God choosing me for a sacred purpose. It’s an overwhelming thought. God loves me and thinks that I am special enough to have a sacred purpose.
The other thought that has absorbed me is, I am not holy I am a sinner. I am a sinner and I just don’t see how to get from sinner to holy. It’s a huge leap. I love God but I am a spiritual screw up, a hot mess. I am proud and selfish, I have a hard time accepting criticism, I’m impatient, and I get angry and vindictive. But God loves me anyway and has chosen me, and is asking me to become holy. That’s a tall order. To go from hot sinning mess to holy.
But, God sent his son to die for my sins; to forgive me for falling short, and he sent his inspired word to give me directions, and the Holy Spirit to guide me and protect me and to hold me up when I fall short, so I can stand up and start again. I can’t be holy on my own. We can’t be holy on our own. 1 Corinthians 15:3, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for your sins according to the scriptures…” And in Isaiah 53:5, “ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Jesus died, I’m forgiven, and I am sanctified through God’s sacrifice.
Maybe being “holy” and being “sin free” are separate issues, God chose the Israelites to be a holy people, but he also prepared for them the ability to repent for their sin. Maybe our ability to be holy is a measure of our desire to be “Christ like” not our ability to be without sin. If God thought we could in anyway be without sin he wouldn’t have sent His Son. Our reaction to that sacrifice is our holiness or un-holiness. In fact maybe it is our desire to be Christ like along with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross that becomes our holiness.
Bending our will to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the example of Jesus Christ this is second to our accepting Christ as our savior. Our believing that Christ was the Son of God who was born by the Virgin Mary and that Jesus Christ being without sin died on a cross was buried and he arose from the dead this is first and most important. Isaiah 64:6 says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” So, you can’t be holy by acting like Jesus alone. On our own we are alienated from God. “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:21-22.) Also, Titus 3:4-7 says, “When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
Jesus saved us through grace and then we Christians are called to imitate God. Ephesians 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
So going the long way around I think I’ve got it nailed down. After we are saved through Christ we are filled with the Holy Spirit and that will cause a change in our lives that makes us holy. This has been an interesting and challenging thought. Recently I have experienced the change caused by the generous pouring out of the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The more I learn about Christ and pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit the better life choices I make, The more I trust God and the more I can see his magnificence. I am not holy on my own, but through the Holy Spirit and with God’s grace I am experiencing all that God has planned for me.
Peace and joy,
Billie
P.S. Don’t forget to let me know what you think.
Love And Other Oddities 
Holiness Untangled
06 Apr 2014 Leave a comment
by Hippie Chick Creative Arts in Non-Fiction Tags: 1 Corinthians 15:3, 1 Peter 1: 15-16, Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Colossians 1:21-22, Ephesians 4:22-24, Holiness Untangled, Isaiah 64:6, Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 19:2, Titus 3:4-7
“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be Holy because I, the Lord your God, am Holy” Leviticus 19:2 (New International Version.)
Be Holy. What a thought. I mean that’s a pretty big directive. Leaves me wondering exactly what that means, and how would I accomplish being holy? I have spent the better part of two months thinking about this. I have prayed about it, and truly wrestled with the suggestion that I should be holy that anybody should be holy.
1 Peter 1: 15-16 says, “But just as he who has called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘be holy because I am holy.” First thing to recognize is that we are “called” chosen and set aside by God. Also, Leviticus 11:44 says, “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy…” God asks us to consecrate ourselves, to set ourselves apart for sacred purposes. I just can’t imagine God choosing me for a sacred purpose. It’s an overwhelming thought. God loves me and thinks that I am special enough to have a sacred purpose.
The other thought that has absorbed me is, I am not holy I am a sinner. I am a sinner and I just don’t see how to get from sinner to holy. It’s a huge leap. I love God but I am a spiritual screw up, a hot mess. I am proud and selfish, I have a hard time accepting criticism, I’m impatient, and I get angry and vindictive. But God loves me anyway and has chosen me, and is asking me to become holy. That’s a tall order. To go from hot sinning mess to holy.
But, God sent his son to die for my sins; to forgive me for falling short, and he sent his inspired word to give me directions, and the Holy Spirit to guide me and protect me and to hold me up when I fall short, so I can stand up and start again. I can’t be holy on my own. We can’t be holy on our own. 1 Corinthians 15:3, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for your sins according to the scriptures…” And in
Isaiah 53:5, “ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Jesus died, I’m forgiven, and I am sanctified through God’s sacrifice.Maybe being “holy” and being “sin free” are separate issues, God chose the Israelites to be a holy people, but he also prepared for them the ability to repent for their sin. Maybe our ability to be holy is a measure of our desire to be “Christ like” not our ability to be without sin. If God thought we could in anyway be without sin he wouldn’t have sent His Son. Our reaction to that sacrifice is our holiness or un-holiness. In fact maybe it is our desire to be Christ like along with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross that becomes our holiness.
Bending our will to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the example of Jesus Christ this is second to our accepting Christ as our savior. Our believing that Christ was the Son of God who was born by the Virgin Mary and that Jesus Christ being without sin died on a cross was buried and he arose from the dead this is first and most important. Isaiah 64:6 says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” So, you can’t be holy by acting like Jesus alone. On our own we are alienated from God. “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:21-22.) Also, Titus 3:4-7 says, “When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
Jesus saved us through grace and then we Christians are called to imitate God. Ephesians 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
So going the long way around I think I’ve got it nailed down. After we are saved through Christ we are filled with the Holy Spirit and that will cause a change in our lives that makes us holy. This has been an interesting and challenging thought. Recently I have experienced the change caused by the generous pouring out of the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The more I learn about Christ and pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit the better life choices I make, The more I trust God and the more I can see his magnificence. I am not holy on my own, but through the Holy Spirit and with God’s grace I am experiencing all that God has planned for me.
Peace and joy,
Billie
P.S. Don’t forget to let me know what you think.