by Pastor Martin Hodge
The motto of the Church of the Nazarene is, “Called unto Holiness.” You can go to the church’s general website and type those words and find 469 articles relating to that phrase. Is the call to holiness just wishful thinking or is it possible for today’s Christian?
A.W. Tozer wrote … “God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God’s power and admire his wisdom, but His holiness he cannot even imagine.”
God is holy. “My thoughts are not your thoughts. Nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) He’s holy – He’s set apart from the ways and thoughts of sinful man.
It’s important to realize the imperative nature of the call Christians have to live lives of holiness - and WHY we are to do so. God does not say, “Be holy, and I’ll make it worth your while.” Not even, “Be holy, and I‘ll bless you.” NO. God says in His law (Leviticus 11:44 – and it’s reiterated in the New Testament in 1 Peter 1:16) … “Be holy FOR I AM HOLY.” Holiness is God’s essential character. The journey of the believer is INTO HOLINESS. It’s about becoming more and more distinct and separate from the fallen condition of this world. The opposite of holiness is “SAMENESS”. To be unholy is to be just the same as everybody else. Our lives should be a stark contrast to those around us who have not come into right relationship with God.
So here is the race the Christian runs. Hebrews 12:14 commands us to “pursue … holiness without which no person will see the Lord.” Everything in God’s presence is holy – set apart for Him, sharing His holiness (e.g. the angels). All in His presence is holy.
Now the thing that makes us holy and fit for His presence is the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. His blood that was shed for us. We are made holy by the Lord Jesus when we believe in Him and receive Him. When God looks at the believer He sees His own Son, their Savior – standing in their place, and He declares that we are holy.
But Jesus does more than just make us “look” holy. When He comes into our lives by His Spirit He begins the process of changing us from the inside out so that we are empowered to live holy lives – to BE holy in every way.
What is God’s #1 agenda for your life today? CHANGE! He is making you holy. Every day He’s making you to be more like His Son Jesus. He’s setting you apart to be uniquely His – separate from all that is ungodly.
And I testify today that a life of holiness is a DELIGHT, not just a duty. It brings marvelous joy. True holiness brings us into close, uninhibited fellowship with God. And that in itself is where real joy and fulfillment is found.
