Amy Tindell “You must be holy because I am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2, 1 Peter 1:16)
“We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We aren’t destined to happiness, not health, but to holiness.” —Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, 9/1
Over the last few weeks, God has been continually teaching me about holiness and grace. My relationship with God depends on both, and God continues to show me how much I depend on Him for both.
In the Bible, the word holy specifically refers to things or people set apart by God. God is the one doing the action of setting apart for His purposes. The act of making us holy simply means we set apart and can enter the presence of God. God wants us to come to Him, but we must come on His terms, not our own. Holiness is what allows us to survive and thrive in God’s presence. Everything that belongs to God is holy. They (or it) is holy because it belongs to God, not because of anything the person or thing has done.
The ancient Israelites set apart an entire section of the temple as being holy. Everything in that area was holy, from the sacrifice, to the altar, to the dust on the floor. From the least to the greatest, everything and everyone dedicated to God holds the same level of holiness.
Don’t confuse holiness with not sinning or with our maturing process in our faith. We all sin and are challenged to grow closer to God throughout our lives, but through Christ we are still set apart as holy at the moment we make Christ the King of our hearts. Grace is how God deals with our sin to make us holy. Just like we can’t make ourselves more holy, we also can’t earn any more or less of God’s grace. We live under the same grace as the criminal and the saint. No more, no less…and His grace and holiness are sufficient.
That is how holiness and grace coexist. We are His because He showed us grace. We are holy because we are His. The world tries to convince us that we can do something to be more holy, but once we are set apart by God, we are automatically holy.
It may seem from my perspective that I need more holiness in my life or more grace than another person. That’s the problem. I’m seeing things from my perspective, not God’s. The same grace covers a multitude of sins. The same holiness makes me acceptable to God.
Just as God’s grace is all-sufficient, so is His holiness. I may look at someone else and think their lives are holier than mine, but holy is holy. God doesn’t make one person more or less holy than another. His holiness is more than sufficient to allow me to come into His presence and worship Him.
The point is that I cannot do anything to be “more holy” or require “more grace” from God. My relationship with God opens my eyes to the extent of His work in showing me grace and making me holy. I cannot earn either one.
