Holiness

             There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. (I Samuel 2:2)

You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’  You shall fasten it on a violet cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take away the guilt of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, regarding all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be accepted before the Lord. (Exodus 28:36-38)

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (II Chronicles 7:14)

The association of which my church is apart is doing a forty-day prayer adventure and posting a daily blog connected with it. The verse above was yesterday’s and the theme for the week is God’s holiness. As it happens, another e-mail blog I received this morning touched on a closely related subject – our lack of holiness. That brought to mind the beloved II Chronicles 7:14. I think it appropriate to spend at least one day reflecting on the theme.

The definition of holy is “dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred;” (of a person) devoted to the service of God; morally and spiritually excellent.” The word comes from a Germanic or Dutch word meaning “whole.” The Hebrew word we translate as “holy” is “qodesh” which means “apartness, sacredness,” or “separateness.”

As you read through Scripture, one of the things you can’t miss about God is that He’s not like the vast majority of the gods who were worshipped in ancient days. Most of them were effectively very powerful people. They had some interesting powers, but they were the soap opera stars of their era, engaging in family spats, intrigue, and affairs.

God, as described in the Bible, isn’t like that. His thoughts and ways aren’t just like ours only more so. There is no one holy like the Lord. His manner of salvation for humans is separate from the way humans think about salvation for themselves because we look to ourselves for salvation. I can’t say that all religions except Judaism and Christianity teach salvation by works, but I can’t think of any that don’t except those that acknowledge that salvation is needed that don’t make it about what we do or don’t do. I can’t even say that there aren’t those who teach that Christianity is all about works. But if you read Scripture, God is separate from and opposed to our attempts at self-righteousness as a means to salvation.

At the same time, He does call us to holiness or separation. His people, those called by His Name, are to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. We’re to recognize that the very things we think make us holy (like the gold plate that said “Holy to the Lord”) had to be made holy through sacrifice. Our trinkets, treasures, and tasks don’t do it. In fact, our holiness does not produce salvation. It is a result of it, and the first step involves separating ourselves from the evil that is in our lives by thinking according to the teachings of Scripture, and by doing what Scripture teaches.