I’ve been reading in Exodus and Peter about the Lord’s commandment for us to be holy. I thought I’d share some of my meditations with you.
Holy is a word often used to describe our Lord. But have you ever quietly pondered what it means?
Here is one description.
“In Christian theology, the word holy has two meanings.
The holiness of God refers to the unparalleled majesty of His incomparable being and His blameless, faultless, unblemished moral purity (Isaiah 6:1–5; Revelation 4:1–8).
Holy also refers to something or someone that has been separated from the common or set aside for God’s use.” (1)
Wow! Just meditating on the above will yield much fruit in your thoughts and life with the Lord. But it will serve also as a guide and guardrail for your actions. The Lord gives us a clear picture of how we are to worship and live—holiness. We are to be set apart from the world.
Whenever I see this beautiful passionflower, it reminds me of Christ. It is stunning in its color, purity, design and beauty, just like our Lord Jesus Christ.
In church this week, we sang this song, “Holy Forever.” It is worth listening to all the verses. Here is one stanza.
“Your name is the highest, Your name is the greatest, Your name stands above them all … And the angels cry, “Holy” All creation cried, “Holy” You are lifted high, holy, Holy forever” (2)
The apostle Peter tells us that the Lord said, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (3)
Some people say it’s impossible to be holy. Yes, in its purest form, we cannot be as holy as the Lord. But that does not mean we shouldn’t want to be, or strive to be, holy. The pursuit of holiness is lifelong. When the Holy Spirit lives and reigns in you, the holiness you have is a deposit of His holiness that gives you entrance into heaven. But it also gives you the willingness and perseverance to try to be holy in all you do.
We are to strive for the holiness our Lord displays. Clearly, this is difficult. We are still trapped in sinful bodies. But recognizing as Christians we are set apart for His purposes, makes our journey profound. We are aware of our sinful, failing nature that guides us away from Him. But now we have something to work toward, and we have a partner to get there. It is no longer a journey of our own strength. We have His strength to become the person He intends us to be.
So, when we are told in scripture, be holy because I am holy, it is not an impossible dream. It is His intent and good will to make us like Him. What a blessing! Granted, it’s not complete until we inhabit our eternal home. But if you think of the journey as a partnership, with the one who created you, the one who has a plan already laid out for your life, it becomes doable. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (4)
“Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
Exodus 15:11 ESV
- Got Questions website
- “Holy Forever” Songwriters: Brian Johnson, Chris Tomlin, Jason Ingram, Phil Wickham CCLI#: 7201044 Essential Worship website (punctuation mine)
- 1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV
- Ephesians 2:10 ESV
