Several times throughout Scripture, God calls us to be holy as He is holy …
- “For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44)
- “For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45)
- “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)
- “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 20:7)
- “… we should be holy and without blame before Him in love …” (Ephesians 1:4)
- “… but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.'” (1 Peter 1:15-16)
Yet how on earth are we going to pull that off?
Isaiah reminds us that even our best attempt at producing holiness or righteousness on our own is but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
Scripture is quite clear that God is the only One who is intrinsically holy. All else is unholy and different than Him.
Therefore, the only chance we have to be holy, is to embrace the One Who is holy.
Just as Moses was told to remove his sandals because the ground was holy when he talked with God in the bush – the reason the ground was holy was because God showed up.
Wherever God shows up, that place becomes holy.
Can you imagine what would happen if we allowed Him in our lives? We couldn’t help but become holy as He is holy.
Holiness is not my attempt, effort, and ability to act like God (that only produces legalism) … holiness is rather my embrace of the One Who is holy, and in turn, He makes me holy as He is.
Paul asks, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Would you allow God full access in your life? Would you freshly embrace the One Who is holy so He can make you holy as He is?
I’m cheering you on unto that end!