Returning to holiness.

In a previous post, I referred to a book by Gregory Frizzell. In that book, he reveals a truth that many Christians avoid at all costs. Why? Sometimes it is because they don't understand it, but mainly it is because it is is a hard concept to grasp. This has been the focus of my walk with God for the past three years, and I am still trying to fully understand it.

Hebrews 12:14 - Try to live peacefully with everyone, and try to live holy lives, because if you don't, you will not see the Lord.

So, on that note, I'm going to camp on the second half for a moment. "...try to live holy lives, because if you don't, you will not see the Lord." This is a direct echo of God's command in Leviticus 11:44 : "... be holy because I AM holy."

Holiness is not an option. It is something we should push toward at every moment. The "little sins" that we think don't mean anything are in fact the very things that separate us from God.

We tell ourselves "Ahh, it's okay. No one will know the difference." or "... everyone's doing it." or even "What sin?" even though your heart of hearts is sending red flags like crazy. Inside, we know the truth, but ignore it on a daily basis until we are calloused to it.

Holiness is not an option.

Exodus 22:31 -- You must be my holy people.

The craze in the 90's for the WWJD bands, buttons, and necklaces had a right idea, even if it was more of a marketing campaign. The idea holds true: What did Jesus do? He lived a holy life, and he calls us to strive for the same. While we may not attain holiness, God isn't calling us to just give up. And he understands we are human. We will fail at this chase for holiness. That's a cold, hard fact of being human. But failure doesn't mean we aren't to CONTINUE to strive for it: to pick ourselves up and keep striving, even when we fail.

Without holiness, we are no different than the world. Without holiness, we ARE "the world". God is calling us to holiness for our own benefit, but also for his glory. Holiness isn't something we can attain on our own. When he called his people in othe old testament to holiness, it was an unattainable goal without Christ. That command pointed out the direct need for a savior. As people strived to follow the Law to holiness, it would quickly become evident that it was impossible.

But even Christ said that he didn't come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. So holiness isn't less of an option for you today. In fact, it is more of a requirement for you. They had to strive to be holy in hope of a savior. We have to strive to be holy through the power of our savior. To do less is to sin.

This is a tough pill to swallow. We, as Americans especially, hate to be told what to do. We idolize our freedoms and expressions. If we want to use four-letter words, we do. If we want to spit on the streets, we do. If we want to ... whatever... we do. We have placed our wills above everything else.

But God isn't American.

God is Holy. He is above our foolish patriotism and a pride that puts everything else on the back burner. I'm an American and I'm not giving up on the country that has provided me security and a very good life. But God is more than the borders of the USA. In the grand scheme of the universe, the USA isn't even a speck. You couldn't find it under an electron microscope of you tried.

Holiness isn't an option. We have to return to holiness. But, if holiness is so important, what is it? How can we define it? Holiness has been termed "the act of being set apart by God." While that is a great definition, it doesn't answer our initial question of how I attain holiness. If God calls us to actively attain holiness, how does this definition allow us to attain it? I am not God, so I can't set myself apart, right? In this light, I would like to propose a small change to this definition which I think is much more appropriate: "our acts of obedience to be set apart by God."

Holiness is a choice. These acts are directly obeying God and responding to our day-to-day communication with Him. We are set apart by God, through his sacrifice, and his Spirit. But it is our choice to be holy. In our obedience to God, we pursue that holiness he wants to instill in us. It is a cooperative effort: An individual and God.

Are you living with "little sins" every day? Do you let words, thoughts, jealousy, or other "little" things exist in your life? Do you complacently let things slide here and there? If so, you are not pursuing holiness. You are lukewarm, complacent, and sluggish. You run the risk of not seeing God. (Not my words, but the word of God: Hebrews 12:14.)

Holiness is not an option.