Holiness, the Result of Grace

This morning I finished the book of Leviticus on my study through the Bible looking for God. At the beginning I made the comment that in Leviticus God is teaching His people how to worship Him. Now that I've finished it this time through I've seen it in the light of holiness. Close to a dozen times in the book God calls His people to be holy because He is holy. In Leviticus we see God's standard for His people to follow and live by.

As I read through the book I was overwhelmed by all of it. There are so many rules and guidelines, so many standards that God's people are specifically called to follow. All of the details are laid out. As I read it I wondered how anyone could remember all of it. There are so many things that must be done in an exact way. As I read I began to think, how could anyone do this? How could anyone keep all of these rules? How could anyone be holy?

I think in this we see the grace and power of God. We see the character of God, holy and perfect. To be God's people we are called to live at the same standard that He does. We are called to the standard of holiness that God lives at. And that standard is one that we are unable to reach on our own. Leviticus is complicated. I think it's that way to show us a glimpse of how holy God is. It shows us that we could never live at His standard on our own. And because of His grace, we don't have to.

We just celebrated Easter a few days ago. Jesus came to earth to die and pay the price for sin and to rise victoriously from the dead as Lord over sin, death, and Hell. But more than that Jesus came to show us how to live God's way. Jesus came to show us how to be holy as God is. Jesus set an example for us to follow.

Leviticus is full of laws, and Jesus says that the greatest commandments are to love God and love others. That on these two hang every other one. Jesus simplifies holiness so that we can grasp it. It's much easier to remember two things than twenty-seven chapters of complicated, and I'll be honest, dry, boring and repetitive, rules. Jesus says love God and love others. He sums it up, but that doesn't take away from the need of holiness. It doesn't change the impossibility of it. Holiness is still only possible through the grace and power of God.

And so when Jesus left this world He sent another, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is here with us now, cleansing us of the desire for sin, and empowering us to be holy. Holiness is possible through the grace of God. Holiness is the result of Grace. It is only in God's grace that we can become holy. God is holy, and He invites us to share in His holiness. God, through the power of His Holy Spirit, makes us holy.

To God alone be the glory!

Peace be with you