BE HOLY...

I’ve been meditating on the passages in Scripture where God commands, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”  (Lev.19; see also Ex 19 & 1 Pet.1).  Even with a remedial understanding of what the Bible calls “holy”, this command —this, “you shall”—is as refreshing as a splash of ammonia in the eye. We’re offered no compartmentalization of holiness.  There is no “I’ll be holy on Sunday to cover for the rest of the week” or “I’ll act holy outwardly while hiding what’s in my head.” Holiness isn’t something we can toggle on and off. It is a command framed as “you shall be,” a reality we are to embody, and that is (or should be) a terrifying concept before our holy, omnipotent God.   

 

A Sunday school response to the ammonia-burning eyes might be a natural retreat to: “Christ’s sacrifice on the cross covers our inability to meet God’s standard.” While this is gloriously true, the apostle Peter—writing this side of the cross—doesn’t end the discussion there, but exhorts us:

 

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’  And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:14-19).

 

So where does that leave me… leave us… as we grapple with deceitful hearts and indwelling sin? My hope and comfort this morning came from the prophet Isaiah, and his shocking confrontation of God’s holiness.  He found himself in the very throneroom of God, surrounded by seraphim proclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;” (Isaiah 6:3). The prophet is understandably, utterly undone, decrying: “‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!’” (v.5).  

 

On my own, holiness is a hopeless endeavor, both before and after Calvary. However, Isaiah’s vision doesn’t end in despair. He does not crumble to dust before God’s holiness. Instead, we read: “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” (v.6-8).

 

Beyond the Sunday school answer of “Jesus on the cross takes care of my sins” lies a richer truth: God’s requirement for holiness is met by His provision and His empowerment at every moment. Through Christ, we are, and continue to be sanctified—made holy—and empowered to live holy lives that attest to God’s eternal goodness, even when we must repent of sin. The gospel moves us from “Woe is me” to “Here I am! Send me.” By His Spirit, we are no longer “conformed to the passions of [our] former ignorance,” but instead, we live in the holiness He calls us to, as Peter reminds us: 

“...do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:14-19).