Daily Devotional For Sunday, March 17, 2024

Well, it is the Lord’s Day today. I pray you have taken the time to worship and listen to God today at church and also through this devotional guide. One of the things we are commanded to be is holy. Look at Leviticus 20:7, “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God” (ESV). The Hebrew word for holy is [קָדוֹשׁ, qadosh kadosh]. This word implies differentiation. What is holy is not common or profane. What is holy is not on the same level as anything else. This word refers to that which is pure, righteous and the Greek New Testament counterpart [ἅγιος, haggis} means “to be set apart — distinct from the rest."

Thus sinless, but when the Bible says God is holy, this is more than to say God is sinless. It signifies something or someone who stands out due to a unique characteristic or purpose. It’s an emphasis on His unparalleled nature and distinctive essence. For instance, when God declared the seventh day as holy, it wasn’t an indictment on the other six days or suggesting they were flawed. Instead, it was an affirmation of the seventh day’s distinct purpose and significance. Thus, understanding holiness in its original context helps us appreciate the richness of its meaning, transcending mere opposites of good and bad. For example, in the Pentateuch, God is set apart from all other gods because He is the Creator while they are not

Dr. Eitan Bar, is a Jewish Christian born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel. He holds bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in Bible and theology. He writes this:

“The basic meaning of the word is ‘consecrated’ or ‘devoted.’ In the Scripture, it operates within the context of covenant relationships and expresses commitment. Our God is also different in his ways. Other gods are motivated by fear and hate; Our God is love. Other gods seek revenge; Our God desires to forgive. If God’s holiness meant he “could not bear to look at sin,” and we all sin, then it follows that God cannot be in the presence of sinners. 

But this view is clearly contradicted by the different manifestations of God throughout the scriptures, the promises of the scriptures, and the very manifestation of the Son of God who came to live amidst sinners. Further, if God is omnipresent, He is always present in the fallen world. The universe continues to exist; it is preserved by the Creator’s presence. Finally, there is the famous story of Job, where Satan comes before God and negotiates with him. God did not need to “avert his gaze” or “shield his eyes.”

This means that since God is holy, even the space He occupies is holy, distinct and unique. Just like operating rooms today must be clean and if they become contaminated, then surgeries have to be cancelled and postponed until they are sanitized. This is why in the Old Testament, Israel’s holy places such as the altars had to be sanitized by what? Lamb’s blood. When Jesus was here, He never shunned sinners. He welcomed them and embraced them into His presence. He would touch them (lepers) and hold them (children). The central message of the whole Bible is that God never shuns or says away sinners. The sinless, perfect and holy Jesus spend most of HIs life on earth around sinners” (Source: https://eitan.bar/articles/what-does-it-mean-for-god-to-be-holy/). 

Look at these verses about holiness:

• 1 Thessalonians 4:7, “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness” (ESV).
• Hebrews 12:14, “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord” (NLT).
• Romans 6:22, “But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life” (NLT).
• Ephesians 4:22-24, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. (23) Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. (24) Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (NLT).
• Hebrews 12:14, “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord” (NLT).

In Hebrews 12:14, the Greek New Testament word translated as “work” is [διώκω, dioko] and can be translated as “work, pursue, strive” and it means this involves diligence and it is to be a lifetime goal for the Christian. To some who are younger, the words “holy” and “holiness” may seem archaic and bring up images of cooky looking people. Some see these terms associated with an arrogant and repugnant “holier-than-thou” attitude. 

“The word holy in various forms occurs more than 600 times in the Bible. One entire book, Leviticus, is devoted to the subject, and the idea of holiness is woven elsewhere throughout the fabric of Scripture. More important, God specifically commands us to be holy (see Leviticus 11:44) — Source: (Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness, p. 15).

“So over the years, holy and holiness have been given a bad rap because to some it invokes a pharisaical mindset to self-righteousness, trivial dos and don’ts or a particular kind of dress and mannerisms. For some, it means unattainable perfection, an idea that fosters either delusion or discouragement about one’s sin. To be holy is to be morally blameless” (Source: (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, "Of the “Greek Dictionary of the New Testament.”p. 7).  It is to be separated from sin and, therefore, consecrated to God. The word signifies “separation to God, and the conduct befitting those so separated” (Source: W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, pp. 225-226).

D.A. Carsons writes this about holiness:

“People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.

We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated” (Source: D. A. Carson, “Reflections,” Christianity Today, 7-31-00).

To have a better understanding of biblical holiness, one only has to look at how the biblical writers use this word. They primarily use the words holy and holiness in comparison to what God insiders unholy. For example, look at the following verses:

• 1 Peter 1:14-16, “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. (15) But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. (16) For the Scriptures say, `You must be holy because I am holy’” (NLT).
• 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, “God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. (4) Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— (5) not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. (6) Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. (7) God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. (8) Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you” (NLT).
• 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (ESV).
• Galatians 5:16, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (ESV).
• 1 Peter 2:11-12, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (12) Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (ESV).
• 1 Corinthians 6:9-11,  “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, (10) or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. (11) Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (NLT).

To live a holy life according to God is to live in contrast to a life that is immoral, deceitful, indulging in lusts of the flesh and more specifically — to live and conform one’s life to what God desires by denying oneself, and putting off the desires of the flesh. If holiness, then, is so basic to the Christian life, why do we not experience it more in daily living? Why do so many Christians feel constantly defeated in their struggle with sin? Why does the Church of Jesus Christ so often seem to be more conformed to the world around it than to God? I will discuss this more in the following week.

Years ago, the Associated Press had this article on holiness:

“There was quite a mix-up at the Duke University Hospitals in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina. Sometime in November 2004, maintenance workers had drained hydraulic fluid from the hospital elevators into empty detergent drums and then didn't get rid of the drums. Through a strange series of events, the drums were mistakenly redistributed to the people who clean surgical instruments. It took two months and 3,800 surgeries before anyone figured out something was wrong.

Washing the instruments in hydraulic fluid was not an effective means of sterilization. The biggest question is, what kind of damage has been done to the patients? No one was sure what the petroleum residue might do to people. The hospital's head honcho assured the public, "We want to give people the message that we care about our patients," and no doubt they do. But if their instruments weren't safe, they were a threat to their patients no matter how much they cared” (Source: Associated Press (6-13-05).

Now, let’s compare the same attitude to the church. A church careless about holiness is like that! We may care about our people, but we're a danger to them nonetheless. It isn't enough to share the gospel with the lost; we must also be sure we act in holy ways and teach holiness as a way of life, lest we harm the people of God.

Questions To Consider

1. What is holiness to you?
2. Would God say you live a holy life? Why or why not? If not, what is unholy in your life that needs to change?
3. What do you think of D.A. Carson’s quote above and why?
4. Do you think holiness gets a bad rap? If so, why?
5. “Holiness” means to be different, or distinct from the culture and others as God Himself is. What makes you distinct or causes others to see a differentiation in you from our culture?
6. In the illustration above with Duke University Hospital, besides the obvious, do you personally ever live your life like this or see others in the church living their lives like this? What can you personally do to bring about change to that?

Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Peter 1:16,  “For the Scriptures say, `You must be holy because I am holy’” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I want to live a holy life — one that honors You. I do not want to conform to this world, but be transformed by Your Word. I do not care if I stand out, seem different, or weird for living my life for Your glory. Please help me do this. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! — Pastor Kelly