The Crossing
No one really denies that we now live in a Post-Christian Nation. The foundations of faith have been eroded. This provides a significant advantage to people of faith when we live a counter-cultural life BUT only if we stand securely on a Christian Worldview revealed in Scripture.
All throughout human history, God has been curating for himself a people. God’s desire has always been for people to find their identity in Him. They were to be identified as the people of God.
The Old Testament is full of regulations and laws, designed to not only identify a person as part of the family or people of God, but also to distinguish themselves from those who were not.
These instructions were reiterated by both the teaching and example of Jesus and the writings in the New Testament. Jesus laid out what his followers were to do and how they were to behave. The New Testament instructs us to shine like stars and to not conform to the pattern of the world.
The intention was to form a community with God at the center.
God’s ways are the best way, and living inside of His will not only produces blessings for us, but serves as a beacon of light in a dark world.
Many of us, however, try to live in two different worlds, hiding our faith so as not to stand out.
Living for God in a godless world is the definition of HOLY! It shows up in a lot of places, and we are called to be Holy.
Leviticus 11:45 NIV
1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV
In both Scriptures, Holiness is used to describe God and to prescribe our actions.
Holiness is to be separate or utterly unique. To be Holy is to separate yourself from something, to identify with something else, to make yourself unique. It is not just a separation from something, but a separation toward something, or more importantly someone.
There is not an area of our lives where we do not have a choice to move toward God in Holiness or move away from Him in worldliness.
Sometimes the weight of this command to be holy can cause us to see holiness as a work, becoming so legalistic and religious that we forget what holiness actually means.
Holiness is received not achieved. It is only when God’s declaration of our holiness, our set apartness, sinks into our souls that our actions are transformed to align with his character and nature.
We don’t become Holy through human effort and burdensome discipline. We become Holy the moment God says MINE!
Holiness is sacrificing now to receive a future reward. His decision to choose us deserves our best representation of Him.
God's holiness is like the sun - unique, powerful, and a light source. The closer you get the more intense it gets. If you get too close it will kill you.
If you are impure it can be dangerous, it can kill you. Not because it is bad, but because it is good.
Leviticus gives us the instructions.
Isaiah 6:1-6 NIV
The coals come to Isaiah and make Him clean. He isn’t destroyed but transformed.
Instead of coming clean first and going into the temple, God’s holiness comes out of the temple making things clean.
Jesus did the same - touching the unclean and making them clean. Jesus was the human embodiment of God’s holiness, and we are His temple - bringing life, healing and hope, streams of living water.
John 7:38 NIV
One day the whole earth will be made new and exist as God’s temple, with the river flowing from God’s throne.