Today's Scripture Reading (November 3, 2021): Leviticus 6
Holiness is a strange word that has
gathered many followers, most of whom do not understand the meaning of the word. At its most basic level, it is simply an indication of being set apart for
some purpose. Biblically, that purpose is one set on the desires of God. In Christian circles, we are considered holy when we set ourselves to be about God's purposes on the earth; when we love as he loved and accept as he accepted, we are holy.
Peter phrased it this way; "But 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). It is a scary
command, one that many believe is impossible, yet it is precisely what the
Bible asks of us. We are to be a holy people, set apart for all that God wants
to accomplish.
But the idea of holiness is an ancient one and one that was
impressed on those who ministered in the tabernacle. The sacrificed animal
served a holy purpose; it carried the sins of the people before God. And so,
everything that came in contact with the sacrifice also had to be holy. The
offering was holy, the priest who offered the sacrifice was holy, and the space
was holy. The utensils must be set apart as well as everything else that might
have been used in providing the sacrifice. All of it had to be holy. And if
blood happened to contaminate a garment, it couldn't just be taken home and
thrown into the wash with the rest of the clothes the person might have;
instead, it had to be removed and cleaned right there in the sanctuary, which
of course, was set apart and holy.
We no longer live in a world of animal sacrifices. In fact,
we have become the sacrifice. As Christians, we are continually remade into the
image of the living God, and we are to be constantly cleansed and made holy. We
are set apart. Our lives have been placed on the altar, and our dreams have
been molded into what God desires. We are a holy people, a holy priesthood,
sent into a dying world to bring life. We have become the holy sanctuary, where
things can be cleansed. The truth that Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at
the well has become our reality; "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they
are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers
must worship in the Spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24). It is our purpose and one
that can only be met by the ministry of a holy God living inside each one of
us, making us his holy people.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 7
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