Holiness

Holiness - 

When I wanted to write about this, I retrospect and introspect my life and my illness to speak or write about this inherent  charcter of the Lord. Isn't that why, prophet Isaiah when he had a vision in the times of king Uzziah, in Isaiah chapter 6, saw that the Seraphim, the dwellers of heaven, themselves covered their feet and their faces, as if they are not worthy to present themselves before the Lord or in the presence of the Lord, and cried to one another, knowing where they are, calling, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Armies; His glory fills the whole earth" (v3). And Isaiah, the prophet who was watching all this dumb struck, felt the weight of his own sinfulness, said, "Woe to me! I [too] am doomed! - because I, a man with unclean lips, living among a people with unclean lips, have seen with my own eyes the King, ADONAI - Tzva'ot!", which means, "the King, the Lord of Armies" (v5). This is how the holiness of the Lord would be. No one is worthy to stand in this presence. When God called Moses in Exodus chapter 3, and presented himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses was awe struck and "hid his face because he was afraid to look at God" (v6). The Lord introduces Himself when questioned by Moses, replied as, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you" (v14). 

Can man become holy? No. Never by himself, because Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Man can become righteous by the salvific and redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls himself as "I AM", as in Exodus 3:14, in John 8:58. And Jesus also says that we die in sin, because, "for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (Jn 8:24). Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, reads, "Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 2Corinthians 5:21 reads, "He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God". We are made righteous by the blood of Jesus, but are in the process of being holy. We should  live a pious life to be made holy till the day of the Lord or until our last breath. Till then day after day we should live a life sanctified to the Lord. Romans 12:9-21, Colossians 3:12-17, etc, all teach how to lead a pious life, to present yourselves as "a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you..." (1Corinthians 6:19). Because "For you are bought at a price" (1Corinthians 6:20), the invaluable blood of Jesus.

Apostle Paul in his bid farewell address to Ephesian elders before leaving to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), giving them a hope in the present and in the future says, "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32). Paul is speaking of an inheritance among all those who are sanctified, which means, the sanctified has an inheritance. They may be the believers and the church or may be those who inherit the heaven or the new heaven and earth. The scriptures says, "..we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.." (Romans 8:16,17). His children are sanctified for this purpose.

The word "holy", render to mean sanctified. Sanctified is used in hope to encourage the believer and the Church in his spiritual journey, as well as, also the resultant act of Christ through the Cross. The scriptures also confirm that we are sanctified through the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 13:12; 10:10 reads, "And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood". "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Scriptures like 1Corinthians 6:11; 1Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 10:14; Revelation 22:11 and so on, are all there to encourage the believer and the Church in hope to encourage our spiritual warfare. But one thing is clear that we are sanctified and set apart for the Lord. Jesus before his arrest declares himself as "sanctified/ set apart" in John 10:36; 17:19, and He also wants his apostles to be "sanctified by the truth", and separating or consecreating them as "who are not of this world", in John 17:17-19. 

"25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an Holy (qodes) anointing oil. 26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29 And thou shalt sanctify (qadas) them, that they may be most holy (qodes): whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy (qadas). 30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate (qadas) them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office." Exodus 30:26-30. We can read the words "consecrate/ sanctify/ holy" all come under the same word "qadas". We can also read that the Levites, Aaron and his sons are also sanctified for the special work God has appointed for them. It makes clear that the Levites, the utensils and other things are all sanctified or consecrated for special work, just like Jesus himself, the Apostles. Even the believers are all sanctified for a special purpose and we need to accept it in faith and in hope.

To conclude, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy (hagios) nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1Peter 2:9). Ephesians 1:4 says, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy (hagios) and blameless in his sight." Colossians 3:12-17, includes reiterating that we are "the elect of God, holy and beloved..", following with some rules for christian living to live a pious and acceptable life. Peter writing in his first letter encourages us to have a 'holy conduct' to 'be holy in all you do', "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” (1Peter 1:15,16).

There are many other things that are connected with holiness but out of those this is the most prominent thing I thought to write it down. I want to close with a hope and a wish that, "May he make your (our) hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen (1Thessalonians 3:13).