Why must we be holy?

[arunangelo]

We must be holy because God calls us to be holy and perfect, just like Him (Leviticus 19:1-2; Matthew 5: 48). The holiness of God is revealed in Jesus who sacrificed His life in order to compensate for the sins we committed against Him. In other words, He the victim compensated for the offenses we committed against Him. We must therefore, love our enemies; pray for our persecutors; offer the other cheek if slapped on one; walk two miles if forced to walk one; not ask back what others have borrowed from us (Matthew 5:38-47); not take revenge; and love others as we love our self (Lev. 19:18). The world may think we are foolish to follow such teachings; however we must remember that the wisdom of the world is folly to God. Furthermore, we may think that it is impossible to follow such teachings; however we must remember that because God’s spirit dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16) with His help we can do it. All we need to do is to sincerely desire His holiness.

 

[David777]

Holiness

In essence Holiness means "seperated". One with Jesus Christ, a royal priesthood of believers. Seperated from sin and death.

In the light of Jesus Christ's death. Through eternity Christ reached out His hand in pure love for us. For each one of us.

We already are destined for eternal glory with Jesus in Heaven.

In the Spirit we have eternal life already.

Seen from this perspective, love grows.

God's Love conquers all.

If someone asks me to walk a mile, no problem.

We are already seperated from death, already seperated from sin.

Sin is selfishness, the opposite of love.

Love considers others above ourselves.

Joined to Jesus, we cannot be seperated. Everything else you spoke of comes from this relationship.

It is a natural result of Love.

 

[stephen]

We must be holy because God calls us to be holy and perfect, just like Him (Leviticus 19:1-2; Matthew 5: 48). The holiness of God is revealed in Jesus who sacrificed His life in order to compensate for the sins we committed against Him. In other words, He the victim compensated for the offenses we committed against Him. We must therefore, love our enemies; pray for our persecutors; offer the other cheek if slapped on one; walk two miles if forced to walk one; not ask back what others have borrowed from us (Matthew 5:38-47); not take revenge; and love others as we love our self (Lev. 19:18). The world may think we are foolish to follow such teachings; however we must remember that the wisdom of the world is folly to God. Furthermore, we may think that it is impossible to follow such teachings; however we must remember that because God’s spirit dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16) with His help we can do it. All we need to do is to sincerely desire His holiness.

We must be holy because God calls us to be holy and perfect, just like Him (Leviticus 19:1-2; Matthew 5: 48).

Good thoughts but holiness is beyond the reach of all humanity.

We are "born in sin and shapen in iniquity" Ps.51.5. and there is no hope for us, for "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Rom.3.23. There are none righteous, No Not One. Rom.3.10.

So what can we do?

"Salvation is of the Lord" Jo.2.9. Ps.27.1. John Baptist cried out "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world".

Jn.3.16. You know it. Our trust is in the shedding of his blood for us. Heb.9.22.

Ex.12,13. The passover was given by God. The spotless lamb in those verses are type of Jesus.

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus Name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.

In Christ alone our Hope is found.

Be blessed, and happy in the Salvation Jesuis has brought to you.

He cried as He died "It is finished" Salvations work is done for you and I. Hallelujah.

 

[Iceman]

Interesting...But Jesus actually attacks the Levitical holiness idea. "You shall be Holy for the Lord your God is Holy." Leviticus and Deuteronomy also instruct in what holiness is. And basically the model of the temple is the best analogy.

For anyone to enter within the sanctuary of the temple, the place where God dwells, that person must go through purity rituals to make themselves holy. These rituals wash away the sins of the person and allow them in. Anyone who doesn't do so, according to Scripture, is killed.

Jesus fundamentally upturns this idea. He hangs out with the very people who by definition are unholy. They are not pure, they are not clean, and with Jesus interacting with him, Levitical Holy Law would condemn Jesus as unclean himself.

Jesus however reveals a Truth about God. That God cannot be contaminated. Holiness isn't cleanliness, purity or seperation. Jesus changes the Levitical "You must be Holy because the Lord your God is Holy" to "Be Merciful, because the Lord your God is Merciful" through the use of Hosea 6:6. God doesn't desire sacrifices, things to make you Holy. He wants people to be Merciful, to take Holiness and Forgiveness to people who don't deserve it, just as every human does not deserve it.

 

[stephen]

Interesting...But Jesus actually attacks the Levitical holiness idea. "You shall be Holy for the Lord your God is Holy." Leviticus and Deuteronomy also instruct in what holiness is. And basically the model of the temple is the best analogy.

For anyone to enter within the sanctuary of the temple, the place where God dwells, that person must go through purity rituals to make themselves holy. These rituals wash away the sins of the person and allow them in. Anyone who doesn't do so, according to Scripture, is killed.

Jesus fundamentally upturns this idea. He hangs out with the very people who by definition are unholy. They are not pure, they are not clean, and with Jesus interacting with him, Levitical Holy Law would condemn Jesus as unclean himself.

Jesus however reveals a Truth about God. That God cannot be contaminated. Holiness isn't cleanliness, purity or seperation. Jesus changes the Levitical "You must be Holy because the Lord your God is Holy" to "Be Merciful, because the Lord your God is Merciful" through the use of Hosea 6:6. God doesn't desire sacrifices, things to make you Holy. He wants people to be Merciful, to take Holiness and Forgiveness to people who don't deserve it, just as every human does not deserve it.

If you give the scripture ref. to what you say I will be more able to reply to your post.
lol

 

[Iceman]

If you give the scripture ref. to what you say I will be more able to reply to your post.
lol

Well I'm not in the habit of proof texting. Just providing a scriptural reference alone, especially on the internet, and even more so on these forums, usually equates to a type of eisegesis. Such referencing is a poor way to establish any form of context and I'm not particularly interested in a Scripture War.

But you don't need to go looking far in the Gospels to see how Jesus does abandon the ideas of Holiness presented in Levitical texts.

For example, when Jesus touches a leper (or any sick person - or women on their menstral cycle, dead bodies ect ect.) he should be made unclean. If you look at the way the temple functioned, and the function and restrictions of purity codes in Leviticus and Deuteronomy you'll see that.

Instead the opposite is true of the Gospel account. Jesus makes the unclean (in this case the afflicted person) clean. The definition of holiness presented within the Levitical codes cannot apply in this case. Holiness takes on a dramatic change and Jesus uses Hosea 6:6 (that is the Gospels accounts have Jesus using it) to re-establish an idea of Holiness away from "You must be Holy for the Lord your God is Holy" (Leviticus) to "Be Merciful for the Lord your God is Merciful" (a midrash combination of Leviticus and Hosea 6:6)

All I'm talking about is basic theological principles. There shouldn't really be a need to go into an indepth exegetical analysis of multiple scripture to discuss this idea.