We, the church, have a calling on our lives. Corporately and individually, our task is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” While the expressions of that truth look different in each of our lives (based on our gifts and talents) …
And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. -Eph. 4:11
… we each live life best when we live sold-out to our Savior. And that’s what makes the body strong enough to stand in this anti-church age.
“We do not want to a church that will move with the world, we want a church that will move the world.” G.K. Chesterton
First, we looked at holy living in light of our kinship to Christ. Last time, we considered God’s sovereignty. Today let’s look at God’s holiness, before moving on to the last reason winning the spiritual victory is so vital.
Be Holy as God is Holy
Our King, our Creator, our Savior and Lord, is a holy God. He is perfect in all things. In this, our God is singular (which is what holiness means). No one but our Triune God is sinless.
There is no one holy like the Lord, indeed, there is no one besides You… – 1 Samuel 2:2a
I love this verse from, the old hymn Holy, Holy, Holy, which captures it so well.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee;
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
Only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee –
Perfect in power, in love and purity. – Reginald Heber
Not only is God holy, He commands us to be holy.
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:14-16
If God alone is holy, how can He command us to be holy? By our own strength and will it’s impossible. But if, in humility and repentance, we allow Christ’s shed blood to wash away the sinful impurities in our lives, we can stand before God holy and complete.
“I dwell in a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. – Isaiah 57:15b
This isn’t an exact quote, but I recently heard a pastor say this: “Lament is the language of worship in the church where the Man of Sorrows dwells.” That sheds quite a different light on what worship should look like, doesn’t it?
Consequences of Unholiness
God can’t tolerate unholiness, so He made a way to pardon sin through Christ.
The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” – John 3:36
However, He must judge the unrepentant. It’s the only perfectly just thing for God to do. So yes, those who reject Christ will spend eternity in hell.
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20:15
God’s holiness makes Him jealous of our undivided devotion and allegiance. In Exodus 20:5 (part of the 10 Commandments), God explains that we must have no other gods because He is a jealous God. In Isaiah, God says He will share His glory with no one – and rightly so! No created thing is worthy of His glory.
So, what happens when people reject God and worship the idols of our world?
A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; the Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies. – Nahum 1:2
If we are in Christ, we’re delivered from God’s wrath. But there’s a whole world of people out there who aren’t. Living a holy life in the midst of an ungodly world will give us opportunities to invite others to find peace with God. But more about that next time.