Sharing God's Holiness

There is a highway to Holiness and those who walk in that path will find eternal life. 

Isaiah 40:3 says, ‘A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’

Prepare the way for the Lord. When a king, a prime minister or an important leader of a nation visits a slightly impoverished country, the path through which they might travel through is beautified. It’s made spick and span to ensure that the person visiting is left with a positive impression. In the same way God is coming and we have to prepare the way for the Lord. 

In the Book of Matthew, the prophecy of Isaiah comes to life through John the Baptist. John the Baptist tells everyone to confess and leave sinful ways. Hence, when Isaiah says, prepare the way, he does not mean tarring the road, or cleaning the town. He is referring to our hearts and minds. He is referring to leaving our sinful ways through repentance. We must all prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. It was John the Baptist that paved the way for the ministry of Salvation. It is only through repentance that we can prepare ourselves for the Lord. 

Hebrews 10:19-20 says, ‘Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,’

It is through the blood of Jesus that we can enter the Holy of Holies. I had mentioned earlier that there are three sections in the Temple, out of which the innermost section where the Ark of God is placed is only accessed by the High Priest once a year. It is a dark place lit only by God’s glory.

This structure is a shadow of God’s throne room in heaven where the mercy seat exists. It is through the covenant of the lamb and blood of Jesus Christ that we can walk to the temple of God and enter the Holy of Holies. When Jesus was crucified on the Cross of Calvary, the curtains in the inner sanctum tore into half just as his body was broken and bruised on the Cross. It is through this sacrifice that a path was opened for us to be able to enter the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies, before the throne of God. It is only by treading this path of holiness, that we can come before God. It is not our holiness but the path of the holiness of God. We can choose to walk the path to eternity in heaven. Or choose to walk the path towards eternal damnation. 

We are called to share God's holiness. God has several attributes in him. Some of these attributes he has shared with us and some not. Holiness is an attribute God has shared with us. There are four things to be noted in this regard. 

1. It is God's will for us. 

1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, ‘It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;’

We often tend to pray, "Your will be done”. It is God’s will and desire for us that we all be holy as He is holy.  From the day we were born till the day we were saved, all our sins are washed and wiped away by Jesus. We get a clean slate, due to justification in Christ. Justification means “ Just As If I Have Never Sinned”.However, this is a free gift that we receive from God. This is called imputed holiness.

From the day we are saved till the day we die, we go through a sanctification process. This sanctification process is referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:3. We have to flee away from impurity and let go of anything that might lead us to be unclean. This is practical holiness.


    2 .God is calling us for Holiness. 

James 4:8 says, ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.’

God is specifically telling each one of us to come near Him. 
God doesn’t stay away from us. However, we can be worldly focused and be completely disconnected from God. Some people have no relation with God. But the commandment given here is to ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you.’ When we take one step towards God, he takes a thousand steps towards us because it’s God’s will / desire. 
Then the verse continues to ask us to purify our hearts and wash our hands. Hands represent our activities and deeds. We need to do only clean deeds. We must purify our hearts. One term that is called out here is ‘double-minded’. People who are single minded, will have a razor sharp focus on just one thing. Whereas people who are double-minded will be confused and indecisive. We must lead a Christ-centred life. A life dedicated to doing God's work. As Paul wrote in Philippians, he had no other agendas except to serve God. 
      
     3. God chose us to be Holy, even before time began. 

Ephesians 1:4 says, ‘For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love.’

God chose us in him even before the world began. He chose us in Christ. We can stand before God only in Jesus’s name, as he died for our sins and redeemed us. We have no other qualifications. 
      
    4. God commands us to be Holy like him.

1 Peter 1:14-16 says, ‘14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”’

We should never compare our Holiness with others. Our standard for Holiness is God and not any other person in this world. His commandment is to be Holy as he is Holy. 

From these four things, we understand that God shares his Holiness with us.