God is Holy

We continue with our study of God's character. So far, we have covered his attributes of goodness, love, mercy, grace, and patience. Today, we learn what it means to be holy, as God is.

This understanding of God's attributes is prerequisite to learning how to forgive. This is a continuation of my series, Removing the Roadblocks to Forgiveness.

What does it mean to be holy?
Webster defines holy as: 1) belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; 2) worthy of worship; 3) living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system; and 4) set apart for a religious purpose. To be holy means that someone or something is separated from sin and seeks to bring glory to God.

Everything associated with God is holy.
Exodus 3:3 (NIV) describes how the Israelites were supposed to construct God's tabernacle, which included the Holy of Holies:

Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

God's Most Holy Place was a 15 x 15 x 15 foot cubicle where the Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandments. God himself had previously inscribed these laws in stone. This was one place in Israel that was to be kept most separated from sin and evil. It was fully devoted to God's service.

God himself is holy.
God's holiness means that he is completely separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor. God placed angels in his service who contantly call to one another:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
The whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3 NIV)

God calls us to be holy.
God directed Moses to tell his people: "Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy." (Exodus 19:2 NIV) This meant that the Israelites were supposed to keep themselves separate from anything evil or sinful and to devote themselves to glorifying God.

As New Testament believers, we are called to separate ourselves from the negative influence that comes from close association with unbelievers. As a survivor of abuse, this point came across clearly to me one day as I was struggling to understand why I could never seem to get along with my first husband or my parents. I read 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NIV), and a light bulb went on for me:

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.

As God has said: "I will live with them and walk aong them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from them and be separate," says the Lord, "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters."

These words brought such clarity and comfort to me that I was dumbstruck. Of course I couldn't get along with people who had abused me! They were not walking in the light of God's love, and I was trying to.

I imagined Jesus trying to walk hand in hand with Satan. The Lord would never do something so ridiculous, and yet I had been trying to do exactly that my entire life.

This Scripture passage set me free, because it gave me permission to separate myself from people whose lives were steeped in sin. I realized that people from within our own families may not be suitable companions for us.

And when we find ourselves emotionally without family, God steps in with the promise to be our Father. This passage alays brings me comfort, because no matter how my family members may treat me here on earth, God calls me his daughter.

Separated from sin and devoted to God
A few years ago, I spent some time in an Amish community. As I got to know the people, I began to understand why they felt so strongly about isolating themselves from the world. They reject alliances with businesses such as the energy company, a water supplier, and even bankers; because they view these groups as sinful. The Amish do not wish to be subject to the authority of businesses, but only to the authority of God.

While I think the Amish practice of such strict isolation is a bit extreme, it provides us with food for thought. What alliances have we forged which may not be pleasing to God or bringing him glory?

Sin is as contagious as influenza.
This week, Joe and I have been infected with influenza. We have been directed by our doctor to separate ourselves from others until we are free of fever for at least 24 hours. Our friends are wise to stay away from our home until we are well.

Sin is a lot like influenza. If we aren't careful, we can be 'infected' by the sinful influence of others around us. We may drift far from God without even realizing it if we are living with someone who does not live to glorify God.

If we are living with an abuser who does not glorify God or respect us, we are putting ourselves at great spiritual risk. Allowing ourselves to be abused does not honor God, who lives within us. If we are God's temple, we must separate ourselves from people who seek to harm us.

Today's Challenge
Look around yourself today and think about relationships that may be taking you far from God. What can you do to separate yourself from evil? How can you better devote yourself to glorifying God? Write down in your journal what you can do differently to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God.