Sunday, July 21, 2013

Wholly Holy

Wholly Holy
 
What does it mean to be ‘Wholly Holy’? Let’s start with some definitions:
  • Wholly – completely, totally, entirely
  • Holy – two meanings
    1. Morally and ethically perfect (God is Holy).
      • Morally – What we should be according to God’s perfect standards.
      • Ethically – What we actually are in real life.
    2. Separate/set apart
      • God is separate from/greater than His creation.
      • Christians are meant to be separate from the fallen ways of the world and set apart for special use by God.
Christians should be:
  • Totally perfect, both morally and ethically.
  • Completely set apart from the fallen world for special use by God.
    • But never forget, being separate from the world does not mean we are isolated from it. To show the love of Christ and share the gospel message, we must be engaged with the world. But we are not to be influenced to sin by the world.
Wait a minute! I know a lot of Christians (including myself), and not one of them seem to be totally separated from the things of the world or anywhere near perfect.
 
What does God’s Holy Word have to say about this?
 
We are commanded to love God with all that we are (Wholly)
  • Mark 12:29-30 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
    • No need to get overly analytical with these scriptures. Christ is plainly telling us that the greatest of all commandments is to love God with all that we are. We are to wholly give ourselves to Him.
    • What part of yourself are you holding back from God; desires, attitudes, intentions, words, actions, school, work, hobbies, talents/abilities, spare time, money?
We are called to be Holy
  • 1 Peter 1:15-16 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
    • Very straightforward wording here, we are called to be holy as God is holy.
We are declared to be Holy
  • 1 Peter 2:5, 9
    • 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
    • 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
      • Whether we feel like it, look like it or even act like it, we (Christians) are saints and we are holy.
 
In everyday life (practically), because of the weakness of our flesh, we fall short of God's standards (Matthew 26:41, Romans 7:18-19). But, in God’s sight (positionally), we have the righteousness of God.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
 
This is the key to it all. Through the perfection of Christ, Christians are perfect (righteous) before God. Christ’s righteousness is credited (imputed) to our account.
 
So, in Christ, in the sight of God, we are morally and ethically perfect. All our sins, past, present and future are covered/forgiven by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
 
Also, we have the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling us and enabling us to overcome the weakness of our flesh, the temptation of Satan, and the corrupting influences of the world (John 14:16-17, 1 John 3:24 and Acts 1:8). Although we will never be sinless this side of heaven, we can overcome a lifestyle of sin. We are to live a life that is not defined by sin. We desire to live free of sin by submitting to the power of Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9) and gaining more and more victory over sin as God refines us through varies trials (Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:6,7; 5:10).
 
To be Wholly Holy is to understand who and what we are in the sight of God (positionally) while submitting to His plan to transform us over time into the image of Jesus Christ in our daily lives (practically).
 
Prayer
 
Father, You have called me to be holy. You have given me Your Spirit to enlighten and empower me. Your Word calls Christian’s saints, holy, a royal priesthood. Thank You for my perfection in Your sight achieved only through Christ’s perfect life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. I pray Your Holy Spirit will lead Christians to understand what it means to be adopted by You. I pray You will allow Your children to see that they are Wholly Holy. Thanks for what You have done. I know that I don’t deserve it, I can’t earn it, and it is only achieved through Christ and Your gracious, merciful love. I praise You and pray to You in the name of Jesus. Amen.