Holiness

Holiness is living our lives in the way that God has commanded us. Holiness is also an attribute of God. God alone is supremely holy. We as God’s people are given to share in God’s holiness even though we are not perfectly holy as He is. This is because we fell into sin after Adam and Eve sinned in Paradise. Nevertheless, we are told “…be ye holy, for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16b). How is this possible? It is possible only if we by  God’s grace have a sincere sorrow over our sins and turn in repentance to Him daily. We are also commanded  to “be ye holy in all manner of conversation”(I Peter 1:15b), that is we are to reflect  in our lives the holiness of God, whether on the job, at school, playing sports or whatever other capacity we are placed by Him. Secondly, we are to reverence the name of God by respecting its holiness. Too often today many people utter different expressions which misuse the Lord’s name or text “OMG” to each other to express shock, surprise, anger or frustration. Also, many people attribute holiness to non-sacred objects. The expression “holy cow” is an example of this. These examples show that the world and even us as Christians can take a light view of holiness when we really know better. We also follow after holiness, when we do what the hymn “Take Time to be Holy” exhorts us to do when we “…  speak oft with thy Lord and feed on His word,” as well as when we “make friends of God’s children” and “help those that are weak.” In other words, when we have devotions with God in which we sing and pray to Him, and when we help those of His children who are spiritually weaker than we are, we are engaged in a holy activity. God commands that we ” exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy” (Psalm 99:9). This what we do on Sundays and during special church services.  We do this not for our own glory but because we  “…have an unction from the Holy one”  and a calling as a “holy nation, a peculiar people to show forth the praises of Him who hath called us from darkness, into His marvelous light” (I John 2:20b, I Peter 2:9). Although we sin daily and do not show ourselves to be the Christian witnesses as we ought, God works sorrow over these sins and faith in Christ, as well as the assurance that all these sins and others we commit are covered in His blood. May God grant that this be so!

Kevin Rau