Glory to God! The Lord has been good to us throughout the past week as He was kind enough to pour out His love and grace and mercy upon our life lavishly. The Lord kept us safe and secure and supports us with His presence, protection, and provision as we trusted Him more and more in our day-to-day life. The Lord does it to us because He is good and compassionate toward all that He has made, as it is mentioned: The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made (Psalm 145:9). In response to His goodness and faithfulness toward us, the Lord asks us to consecrate ourselves and be holy as He is holy (Leviticus 11:44). The Lord God wants everyone who are set apart for His purpose to be holy, as He commanded the Israelites: You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own (Leviticus 20:26). Apostle Paul made it more clearer to his readers, saying: For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life (1 Thessalonians 4:7).

Holiness simply means ‘the state of one being set apart’ or ‘being separated from everything that which is not holy.’ The Scripture teaches us that God is holy as He is set apart from everything that is unclean or impure, which indicates that God’s chosen people must also be holy by being set apart from anything that is unholy and impure. Psalm 99:5 urges God’s people to Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. The Lord God Almighty who created the universe and everything in it, including you and I, asks us to be holy as He is holy (Leviticus 11:44-45). Hannah wife of Elkanah and the mother of Samuel praised God, saying: There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God (1 Samuel 2:1-2; also refer to 1 Samuel 1:1-2, 20). After talking with God and seeing His glory, Moses exclaimed, saying: Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders (Exodus 15:11). Prophet Isaiah stated as he heard in His vision that the seraphim calling out to one another: And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory (Isaiah 6:3). Apostle John also described about all that he had seen and heard in a vision that he received a vision from the risen Lord Christ Jesus while he was in the island of Patmos, particularly regarding the four living creatures praising God day and night, saying: Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come (Revelation 4:8). In every sense, God is holy …

• • God is holy in His existence
  • God is holy in His nature
  • God is holy in His word
  • God is holy in His actions
  • God is holy in His judging
  • God is holy in His planning
  • God is holy in His sovereignty
  • God is holy as the ruler of the universe
  • God is holy in His dealings with His creation
  • God is holy in His dealings with the mankind
  • God is holy in His word and deed

As God is holy, He is righteous, loving, compassionate, merciful, faithful, and He is sovereign in everything He says and does.

We have learned that God is holy, and, now, He is asking us to be holy. When God created the first human beings (Adam and Eve) in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7; 5:1), the glory of God dwelt in them. As a result, they were holy and the holiness of God reflected in and through their lives, which caused them to have continuous fellowship with God (Genesis 3:8-9). However, due to man’s disobedience and rebellion against the Lord God (Genesis 3:1-19), they lost the glory of God that was in them originally, as Apostle Paul stated: … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23; also refer to Psalm 14:2-3; 53:2-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20). Prophet Isaiah stated that our sin separates us from God, as it is mentioned: Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear (Isaiah 59:2). Prophet Habakkuk made it clear the reason why God does not have fellowship with the fallen humanity, it is because God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil as He doesn’t tolerate wrongdoing, as prophet Habakkuk stated: Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing (Habakkuk 1:13a) and nothing impure will ever enter in the presence of God, as it is mentioned: Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful (Revelation 21:27). Due to this reason, man was forbidden from entering into the presence of God (Genesis 3;22-24) unless they make themselves holy before the Lord. As the mankind, themselves being sinful, is unable to make either themselves or their fellow-human beings holy before the holy and righteous God, God Himself took initiative and sent His One and only Son into this world, so that through Him they can be made right with God and make themselves holy again before the Lord God, as Apostle John stated: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17; also refer to 1 John 4:9-10). And, God demonstrated His love for the mankind through laying down the life of His One and only Son Jesus Christ on the cross, as Apostle Paul mentioned: God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Now, we have been justified by His blood (Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:20) and made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:10; also refer to 9:12, 14, 26; 13:12). And, now we are made holy through Christ Jesus, as Apostle Peter stated: Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Apostle Paul made it clear that the Lord chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 1:4). Therefore, we need to be holy because the Lord God who created us, sustained us, and redeemed and saved us, and promised us eternal life is holy. If we consecrate ourselves and maintain purity and holiness, God can associate with us and live among us, as the Lord God premised to the Israelites through Moses His servant, saying: I will make my dwelling place among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God … (Leviticus 26:11-13a). According to Apostle Paul, we are the temple of the living God, as he pointed out to the believers in Corinth: We are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people (2 Corinthians 6:16; also refer to Jeremiah 31:33; 32:38; Ezekiel 36:28). Apostle John also stated as he heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God (Revelation 21:3). The reason God asks us to be holy because without holiness no one can be in the presence of God or see Him or talk to Him or hear from Him (Hebrews 12:14). For instance …

• • Without the holiness, no one can be drawn in to the presence of God
  • Without the holiness, no one can approach the throne grace where God is seated
  • Without the holiness, no one can see God
  • Without the holiness, no one can please God
  • Without the holiness, no one can hold fast unto the Lord
  • Without the holiness, no one can follow Christ faithfully
  • Without holiness, no one can accept Christ Jesus as the Lord and Savior of their life
  • Without the holiness, no one can achieve salvation through the blood of Christ
  • Without the holiness, no one can accomplish Christ-likeness
  • Without the holiness, no one can attain eternal life
  • Without the holiness, no one can inherit the Kingdom of God
  • Without the holiness, no one can be with God in eternity
  • Without the holiness, no one can attain perfection
  • Without the holiness, no one can be pure
  • Without the holiness, no one can resist the evil one

Dear friends in the Lord, as we conclude this week’s SftW meditation based on Leviticus 11:44-45, let us consecrate ourselves and be holy in the sight of God. Every one who wants to be friend with God or need favors from God needs to be holy as we approach the throne of grace where God is seated since no one can have fellowship with God without holiness. This could be one of the reasons prophet Hosea urged the Israelites, to acknowledge the Lord in our holiness, as it is stated: Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth (Hosea 6:3). Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount series, taught His disciples and other followers, saying: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8). Also, Apostle Paul urged the believers in Corinth to purify themselves from all that contaminates body and spirit: Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God (2 Corinthians 7:1). In the light all that we have discussed above, let us draw closer to God in holiness so that He will draw closer to us, as James the brother of Jesus said: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). May the Lord God bless us all! Amen!