Why Holiness Matters
There’s not much talk about holiness these days. We make everything relative. Movies get rated “G”, “PG”, “PG 13”, “R”, “NR” and “X”, but none of this even touches on holiness. There aren’t degrees of holy. It’s yes or no. Black and white. Holy or unholy.
Here’s why it’s important…
1. God is totally, completely, 100% holy
“There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God”. (1 Samuel 2:2)
God cannot and will not be in the presence of evil. When Moses wanted to see God, he was told ‘no’ – that God is so holy and pure that if a regular, sinful human being were to be in His physical presence, they’d die. “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” says Hebrews 12:14. He’s that holy!
2. He wants us to be holy
“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)
“Speak to all the congregation of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)
God loves people – we’re His highest and best creation. In the beginning, we were holy. Pure. Innocent. But we chose evil, and we continue to choose evil & unholiness now. You think “Yeah, I know ‘Adam and Eve and the ‘fall’ stuff’, but that wasn’t me.” Forget the Adam and Eve stuff. Just watch a two-year old for a few minutes. Selfish, defiant, and at times, just plain mean. Evil is in their nature. It’s in our nature. No matter what you believe about Adam and Eve, it’s hard to deny the natural ‘pull’ toward evil and away from good and holiness and selflessness and submission.
3. Jesus makes us holy
About 2000 years ago, for some reason we aren’t likely to discover until heaven, God decided to change things. He gave us a way to regain holiness. To come back into relationship with Him. Our unholiness had to be ‘atoned’ for. And it was, when Jesus sacrificed His life at Calvary to atone for our sins.
Virtually every religion in the world includes some sort of atonement. Pure, Holy God – sinful man – gotta’ do something to regain God’s favor. Sacrifice made to God to ‘atone’ / ‘pay for’ the sins and restore the relationship.
But Christianity is unique because :
1) The sacrifice was a human being, not a goat or a chicken or a lamb or an ego or a set of desires
2) The sacrifice made was the ‘one-and-only’, perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ
3) The sacrifice (Jesus) came back to life after being brutally sacrificed on a Roman cross . . . the only religious figure to claim to be God, predict His death & resurrection and pull it off.
Only after we’re dead to this life and hanging out with God in person will we be able to ask, listen and understand why God made things work this way. But we don’t have to fully understand it to believe it. There’s thousands of things we trust in without truly understanding, but maybe none quite as important as this.
Question: Will you get down on your knees before this day is over and praise our God for His holiness? Will you thank Him for making you holy through Jesus’ atonement for your sins on the cross? Share your thoughts here.
Breathe New Life Into Your Discipleship
Small group mentoring can help you engage your people, build your core group of leaders, and transform your church. Our free resources equip you with all the tools you need to launch a sustainable mentoring program.
Responses (4)
Great thought Reggie, sadly we try to make God relative to fit our own ideal. Granted we can’t even come close to be holy without the redemption of Jesus Christ but we work hard to live counter to his holiness.
Regi,
Are you familiar with Eldredge’s new book Live Free? It was originally released with the title The Utter Relief of Holiness. I’ve not read it, but have heard some of the conversation around it. Most of us don’t like the word holiness because it brings with it thoughts of do good, be good, don’t do this, rules, boundaries, laws, etc. But what comes from holiness is actually real freedom. Living a holy life brings us to a place where we are under no power of darkness. That’s truly living free and experiencing utter relief. Thanks for bringing up the importance of holiness.
[…] https://radicalmentoring.comholiness-matters/ […]
“Just watch a two-year old for a few minutes. Selfish, defiant, and at times, just plain mean. Evil is in their nature. It’s in our nature. No matter what you believe about Adam and Eve, it’s hard to deny the natural ‘pull’ toward evil and away from good and holiness and selflessness and submission.”
How true. I have two pre-schoolers. No one taught them how to roll around on the floor in a fit of anger or take something that wasn’t theirs. Sin is built in us. Only through Christ can we be made holy.