God, our Creator and spiritual Father, has many amazing qualities that cannot be fully fathomed, adequately described, measured or appreciated. He is transcendent, the God above all. From our hearts we worship Him as we stand in awe before Him. It has been suggested that God’s greatest attribute is His character of holiness. Nothing else would matter if God wasn’t holy. All through human history God has not merely declared His holiness, but He has demonstrated it too many times to count. The Father, Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God are all infinitely holy (Isaiah 6:3).
The natural response to God’s grace is one of holiness (Titus 2:11-14). Jesus suffered and died for you and me not only to save us, but to set us free from the stranglehold of sin and enable us to be holy now. Being called out of the world and translated into the kingdom of heaven, we are to renounce ungodliness, evil lusts and to live soberly, righteously and godly the remainder of our days. My friend, Jesus didn’t go through the shame and anguish of Calvary to give us immunity from an ongoing lifestyle of practicing unrighteousness (1 John 3:5-10). We must not buy into an old doctrine that says what we do in our bodies has no bearing on our spiritual being or our relationship with God.
The Christian’s standard is one of holiness. If you and I think like the world, speak like the world, dress like the world and pursue the interests of the world, then we should not be surprised that Jesus sees us as worldly rather than holy. You and I are to measure each thought, word and action against the standard of holiness. If I wear certain clothing in public, if I participate in a given activity, if I go to a certain location, etc., will I promote a spirit of holiness?
The Christian’s pursuit is one of holiness (Hebrews 12:14). One emphasis here is that holiness is not only passive, but there is a determined interest and active element on our part as saints. Yes, God makes us holy. Yet, there is individual responsibility in the matter. God says, “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). These words identify a challenge from God and a choice on our part, because He imposes His holiness upon us.
The writer of Hebrews penned, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). According to Thayer, the idea expressed by the original term translated “follow” means “to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing.” In a metaphorical sense it means “to pursue.” We are not to be indifferent either about having peace with others or having holiness as our dominant character trait.
Our spiritual lives are not to be static but progressive. We are to grow in our walk with God, becoming more like Jesus with the passing of time. Jesus died for us that in holiness we might walk and live with Him.
