“I saw the Lord
sitting on a throne,
high and lifted up,
and the train of
His robe filled the
temple. Above it
stood seraphim; each
one had six
wings: with two he
covered his face,
with two he covered
his feet, and
with two he flew. And
one cried to
another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is
full of His glory.’”
Isaiah 6:1-3
(NKJV)
“But as He who called
you is holy,
you also be holy in
all your conduct,
because it is
written, ‘Be holy, for
I am holy.’”
1 Peter 1:16
(NKJV)
Our God is holy---righteous, perfect in every way. He is totally pure and exalted. He is “Holy, holy, holy” as Isaiah declares in the above passage and John records in Revelation 4:8. Yet, as believers, we are called to be holy as God is holy. Of course, we can’t and aren’t expected to achieve holiness on our own; it only comes about through the power of the Holy Spirit and our Lord’s sanctifying work in us. Still, we must desire it and have a responsibility to pursue holiness in our lives.
Peter exhorts us to be
holy in our conduct and there are a number of conduct areas where we can begin
to put this in practice: honesty (refraining from even “white” lies,
stealing, deceit), purity (no immorality in thought, word or deed) and peacefulness
(lack of bitterness, anger or strife). These virtues are no longer valued
much in our culture today, but as Christians, we are not to be conformed to the
world around us. We are called to be consecrated, set apart for God's use. We
may need to make a covenant with our eyes (and our mouths), as Job did; or flee
from temptation, as Joseph did; or resolve to put away the things that might
defile and distract us, as Daniel did. Being sensitive and responsive to
the Holy Spirit’s conviction will help in our quest for self-control and
discipline in these areas. Reminding ourselves of this vision of a thrice
Holy God will also help us refrain from un-holy conduct.
Paul also extols believers
to be holy: “Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinth. 7:1,
NKJV) The holiness of God should inspire reverence of Him in our hearts
and our conduct. I’m afraid that we are often too familiar in our
attitude towards God. We are able to come into His presence only because
our sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus and we are clothed in His
righteousness. Because of that truth, we should come before Him
with humility and gratitude, as well as a healthy fear of God. And that
respect and reverential awe will help us cultivate holiness in our lives.
I encourage you to take a
moment to contemplate our great God, high and lifted up on His throne. . .He
who is holy, holy, holy! Seeing Him that way will help keep us from low
living, from compromise that hinders us from being the holy vessels He wants to
use.
