BE HOLY!

 

BE HOLY!

 

We know that GOD is HOLY or set apart from every other being because He is the creator of all beings and no being can stand before GOD on their own merit.

 

We know that GOD created humanity in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27) and called humanity to be Holy as He is HOLY (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:16); we are to be set apart to GOD above everything and everybody else.

 

We know that GOD is Spirit (John 4:24) and that being made in His image that humanity is spirit. We know that Ruach HaKodesh (The HOLY SPIRIT or SPIRIT of GOD) is GOD. One of the identifying marks of the believer is that the SPIRIT of GOD is the seal or mark of our salvation; or the HOLY SPIRIT is the seal of our being set apart to GOD (Ephesians 1:13-14). This is the evidence to the spiritual and physical world that we are redeemed by the Blood of the LAMB; that those humans who believe and confess that JESUS CHRIST is Savior and LORD are born again as a new creation in CHRIST JESUS. We are set apart from the world even though we still live in the world because He has made us Holy as He is HOLY.

 

So why does GOD tell us in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, “Be Holy as I am HOLY!” if His SPIRIT sets us apart from those who do not believe and is the seal of our Holiness? Because as the whole of the Old and New Testaments teach; we are to stop living like those of the world around us live. As JESUS said, “Go and sin no more!” (John 5:14, 8:11) we are called to be separate from those in the world who do not believe in GOD and JESUS CHRIST, those who continue to sin (John 17:15-18).

 

It is not about religious activity, even though under the Law the Jews were called to be Holy as GOD is HOLY they did not desire a personal relationship with GOD but preferred Moses to act as their mediator, and they failed to understand and therefore know GOD as SPIRIT and TRUTH so they became religious. JESUS came as the perfect and only mediator between GOD and humanity that could actually bring humanity back into relationship with GOD and lead humanity into Holiness (John 14:6; Hebrews 7:25); because as the Son of GOD (in the SPIRIT) and the Son of Man (in the flesh) He was the only person who was set apart to GOD from conception since Adam and it was Adam who sinned (disobeyed) and caused humanity to stop being Holy to GOD (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).

 

Adam was conceived in the heart of GOD and formed from the dust (which GOD had created) and then GOD breathed into Adam and made him a living being and GOD commissioned him to care for His creation. JESUS was conceived in the heart of GOD before the foundation of the earth was laid then formed in the womb of the virgin (Luke 1:30-35) and commissioned with the salvation of humanity and creation waits for the fulfillment of our salvation.

 

It is about how we live our life now that we believe in JESUS and confess Him as Savior and LORD. Our part of being Holy as GOD is HOLY is to demonstrate to the world by our lifestyle that we are no longer part of the world (even though we still live in the world) but that we are set apart for GOD’s eternal Kingdom now! (Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 2:11-12) We are to be witnesses; light and salt (Matthew 5:13-16) of GOD’s eternal Kingdom so that others will see and desire what we have and we are to be ambassadors of GOD’s eternal Kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20) telling people how to receive citizenship.

 

But we must be clear this is not a dual citizenship life we now live. We cannot be citizens of both the world and GOD’s eternal Kingdom Matthew 6:24)! The true sign of our being Holy as GOD is HOLY is that we live in the world even while we live for GOD’s eternal Kingdom. Relationship with GOD is about lifestyle. We can be religious and live for the world but we cannot have a personal relationship with GOD as our Father and live for the world. To have a personal relationship with GOD as our Father we have to live for Him and His eternal Kingdom. That is being set apart only for GOD; that is being Holy as GOD is HOLY!

 

Study Genesis 1-3; Exodus; Matthew 1-7; John 15-18; Romans and Hebrews.