Are you holy? I certainly am not. I’ve made tons of mistakes over my lifetime. Have you ever struggled your inability to be holy? I have. So, why then is holiness so important? What is it about the holiness of God that makes us fearful, yet gives us hope? I went to the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit shed light on an answer for me. I learned how God’s holiness is one of the reasons why I could believe that He was looking out for my best.
Revelations 4:8 says, “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!’” (ESV)
It is clear God is holy in John’s vision of the future and of heaven. He learns God is holy. So, what else can we find out about the holiness of God. One of the more difficult things is that we are commanded to be holy because He is holy. “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (ESV) 1 Peter 1:13-16 How is that going for you? Probably just as well as it is going for me.
However, in Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17 He gives a great promise filled with hope. He prays specifically for you and me if we believe in Him. “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (ESV) John 17:11, 20-21 Please read this over again carefully. It has made a huge impact on my life and hopefully it will in yours as well. First, we see that Jesus appeals to His Holy Father to keep us in His name. It is God’s holiness that keeps His disciples. So, what is the big deal and how does that affect me you say? Look closely at verses 20-21, Jesus clearly states that this prayer was not directed to His Holy Father for His disciples, but it was meant for all who believe in Jesus through the words of His current disciples. I do not know about you but I came to believe in Jesus through the words of Jesus’ disciples. Therefore, Jesus was praying for me as well and for you if you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you do not know Jesus the Savior of the world. It is time that you learn more. Read this.
If you have not read my previous blogs you can find them here.
You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here.
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