There are conditions, of course in our high and holy calling. The Son of God said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). The injunction from God is absolute: “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:15–17). Interestingly there are other absolute statements that hinge on our relationship to the Father and Son, for example “I am the vine…without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5); “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26); “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb 11:6); and, by no means the least, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb 12:14). These statements, and many others, illustrate the sense of privilege underscoring our high and holy calling. Again, the Lord in simple but profound words says, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matt 5:8). The opposite is clearly sobering; the impure of heart shall not see God or gain His approval. The Psalmist asks the pertinent question, “Who shall ascend into the hill of Yahweh? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully” (Psa 24:3,4). Without that moral purity and personal holiness, no one shall ascend into the hill of Yahweh, stand in His holy place or see God!
On face value mankind faces a humanly impossible situation. God’s intrinsic holiness in juxtaposition with the ingrained weak, erring state of mankind. Yet in the marvellous wisdom of God, He moved to bring salvation, without compromising His absolute standards of holiness and righteousness, in the personage of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He who was the highest expression of God’s character; that “holy thing” born of Mary; the very “arm of Yahweh” revealed, set forth the grounds for reconciliation.
Let us behold the one who brought salvation. He is described as “holy, harmless and undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb 7:26). Yet many recognizing their sinfulness and great need, in desperation cried out to him, “I know who thou art, the Holy One of God”. And he lifted their burdens. Their sin-marred lives were cleansed and transformed by hearing his gracious words, or stooping to touch the hem of his garment. He stopped the mouths of proud Pharisees, lordly Sadducees and a weak vacillating Roman governor. His challenge to his adversaries was, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” The sinless one perfectly fulfilled his Father’s will. God was vindicated and declared to be right in the life and death of one who was so wonderfully “the Holy One”, “the Just”, the “Prince of Peace.” Flesh was prone to sin and rightly related to death. Yet in him alone, Christ never yielded to the promptings of sin, refusing to contemplate sin in all of its insidious guises.
We rise up from our remembrance of the Lord resolved to, the more firmly, tread the path of sacrifice and personal holiness. To be sanctified means to make our hearts and lives a dwelling place for God; our bodies as a living Temple where the Father and Son can come and abide and be manifest in devout, consecrated service. Rather graphically, Brother Dennis Gillett once described the way to holiness “is first to give up living in the basement, amid the low things and base things; then a positive move to the guest room and the open door, because there is fellowship and friendship; there is light and purity; there Christ dwells by faith with his next of kin” (The Genius of Discipleship, p49).
Light in Darkness
The light of that fellowship and friendship with Christ radiates out to the world. As light-bearers we bring light into people’s lives, dispelling the darkness of ignorance and superstition. We are in the world with one mission and that is to witness by preaching and a holy way of life, that attracts people to enquire of us, not to repel them. That personal godliness is not static; it is a state of readiness to speak of our hope in Christ (1 Pet 3:15). We treasure our status as “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a purchased people.” We are, by grace, called, elect and chosen. But this does not mean that we cut ourselves off, remote, or living like some sect or community in the desert. The light of God’s Truth must shine in and out of us, in what we say and in what we do, so that people around us notice. What do they notice? What do people see in us? With God’s help, good works which reveal a God-centred life and a peace of God that the world seeks in vain. Do they see therefore a Godly demeanour, high principles, strength of character and a joyful, positive attitude? Is a humble, devout disposition evident when we’re assailed by pressure? When we are faced by the allurements of temptation, do our contemporaries see a conscience that firmly believes in the living God? In a world that knows not God, let our neighbours and work colleagues see, in us, a ray of light to guide them to Christ.
Living Sacrifices
Graciously, we have been freed from sin and become servants to God. Yet the apostle Paul adds the phrase, “Ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Rom 6:22). Yes, our life is Kingdom-orientated and we make every endeavour to prepare our families for Christ’s coming; but our life, now, is to be fruitful. We are people who desire more than anything else to see God’s glory filling the earth as the waters do the sea. Yet, we need to let God’s glory shine in our characters today. As we rejoice in hope of the glory of God, let’s translate that hope into a daily waiting and watching; using our time wisely and reaching out to each other so as to build, enthuse and encourage in our common faith. We shall take every opportunity to speak often one to another, enthusiastically noting the signs of the times; feel the uplift of personal Bible reading and study, the joys of fellowship, the thrill of witnessing for the Truth, the blessing of family life in the Lord, and the joy we feel when we share the consolations of our Hope with the elderly and frail whom we love and honour. That kind of fruitful life can fill our minds, and our time, with Godglorifying, positive and wholesome activity.
Fleeing and Pursuing
Encouragement for that rich and rewarding service is to be found by linking up with others of like precious faith. Paul wisely counsels Timothy to “flee youthful lusts”, whilst at the same time pursuing after “righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim 2:22). It is important for us to see the Truth as not being just a set of negative values. Our young people, in particular, must use their senses to discern between good and evil, to be alert to danger, not rationalizing away the danger, and have the courage to flee from entanglement with the world. That avoidance of every appearance of evil is important, but it is only half the story. We determine to avoid the evil and with the same degree of determination we pursue those fruits of the Spirit with others who share allegiance to God out of a pure heart. This is positive peer pressure. Here is a company of people who combine their hearts and energies in seeking God with a pure and contrite heart—pure, heartfelt devotion and praise. That’s holiness to Yahweh and He can dwell in their midst.
It is a privilege to be at the memorial table of our Lord; in a sense, to be on holy ground where we can worship Yahweh in the beauty of holiness. We can mix with fellow saints, people who have gladly come out from the world and all its folly to fellowship with the called, the chosen and the faithful. Let us treasure this company more than any other, for here we mix with people who are the “temple of God”, who are trying, sincerely trying to be holy and without blame before God. By mutual encouragement they, together, walk worthy of their high and holy calling.