Words are important. Words are a necessary means of communication. But sometimes words are not enough. Words, in our human experience, can be limiting. And, as the old saying goes when we experience something astonishing we can be “lost for words”, or say, “Words fail me.” When the apostle John was exiled to the Island of Patmos (some 45kms from the Turkish mainland in the Aegean Sea) for preaching the Gospel, he was given a whole series of revelations which we now call the Book of Revelation. The experience was overwhelming. It took John’s breath away. What he saw he struggled to describe in spoken human words. So much was beyond human understanding. The revelations were so spectacular, so momentous and so immense and powerful … yet, with the help of Holy Spirit we have some record of those prophetic revelations. We can only guess at what John saw with his own eyes.
So, words are obviously important, but they can be limiting when we are trying to describe the “indescribable”.
The word “holy” in scripture is such a word. It is attempting to describe the indescribable. It can only go so far in doing so. “Holy” has several shades of meaning in English. Your average dictionary might define the adjective “holy” like this: “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness”; “divine” (… for the Lord our God is holy.” Psalms 99:9 (KJV); “devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity (a holy temple, holy priests etc.); “having a divine quality (holy love etc.); “venerated as, or as if, sacred” (holy scripture, a holy relic etc.). Of course, we have also heard phrases and exclamations of surprise like “holy smoke” or “holy cow” (remember Robin speaking in shocked surprise to Batman?).
In scripture God says several times, “I am holy”, and several times He calls His people to be holy, as well. And this requires of us some serious understanding of what “holy” is – and how we respond to God in holiness. What the average dictionary defines as holy is extremely limited. It is far more than being a good person, far more than sacred and so on. No one really understands what holy and holiness are – for they are beyond human understanding and therefore beyond description. God is holy and He is beyond definitive descriptions – we know that. Biblical understandings of holy and holiness do give us some clues, of course. Just as Jesus never neatly and exactly described the kingdom of God but He gave us glimpses of its nature and function in the parables, so the Bible gives us glimpses of holy and holiness too, that we might learn how to relate to God properly. “But why?”, you may ask. The simple reason is that God being holy relates to that which is holy. Which is why sin must be dealt with in His created order. When we learn holiness, and allow ourselves to be made holy, we are able to properly relate to God more and more – and know and enjoy Him. Holiness is a state of being, but this is not the condition of our humanity. But, unlike God who is holy, we “born-agains” are works in progress and are being made holy by God – so that we can relate to Him more richly.
And so, being made holy by God is a continuing process – that’s the process of being sanctified. We were not saved from the fires of Hell and left at that.
So, two helpful scriptures here to reflect upon:
Leviticus 20:7-8 (NIV)
"'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.
8 Keep My decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.”
Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling [i.e. that’s us consecrating ourselves], 13 for it is God who works in you [i.e. that’s God doing the sanctifying] to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”
Holiness is God’s call to us to enter into an eternal relationship. Having been saved from sin’s curse and power – redeemed – we are now being transformed. And this is not about becoming good, religious, nice people. It is about becoming holy. To be conformed more and more to His nature and character, and this is far, far more than just being a good, or nice, person. Holiness is not about morality, either. In heaven morality does not exist at all. It is all holy. Big difference! And so, from the moment of salvation every born-again person, having been made righteous by the blood of Jesus, and now able to be in right relationship with God is on a journey towards holiness – a state of being which is like God’s state of being. All powerful, all knowing in the ways of God and able to exercise His divine authority on the earth in His name. This kind of transformation takes time and devotion as the apostle Paul infers in Philippians 2 above. And God has promised to complete this transformation so that (this side of heaven) we are as close to holy as we can be. Consider two more scriptures in this discussion:
Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
“… being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
In our redemption God began something wonderful. He authored it, but the story is not yet written, it’s in progress. Our cooperation with Him as the author of our faith gives Him the room, the opportunity and the joy of perfecting us. This is about holiness. Not religion or anything else.
So, holy. It’s a big subject. But more important is our commitment to learn holiness and continue to be transformed in every way to be (not divine) like God. It is God’s good pleasure that we experience this every day.
2 Peter 1:4-11 (NIV)
“Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
He has called us …
Leviticus 20:7-8 (NIV) "'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.”
Think on these things. Accept God’s call to become holy.
Ps Milton