ATTRIBUTES—-
HOLY
WHO IS GOD? HOLY
God is holy. This means that God is “other than” and completely different from us. It also means that He is perfect. There is no wrong in His character or in how He thinks or acts. The fact that God is holy draws a very distinct line between Him and us: Because of our sin, we are not naturally holy.
God’s holiness has never been and never will be compromised. He did not earn His perfection—He has always had it. He is perfect, full of right character and living. He defines what is good and hates what is evil. Jesus displayed this on earth as God shows it in heaven. Jesus was the only human being to be holy, never giving in to temptation or falling into sin.
WHO AM I? BEING MADE HOLY
We are born unholy. In our very nature, we love ourselves most, not God or others. The examples of this in our lives are endless. But God wants us to be holy again.
In Hebrews 12:5-13, we read that God desires to make us holy again—like He originally intended us to be—and will work with us to make it happen. The first step is for us to receive Jesus’ holiness through forgiveness. This is salvation. Second, after being saved, we will go through the process of growing in Christlike character, guided by God’s fatherly discipline and love. This is sanctification. Because of Christ, we can be made holy.
WHAT DO I DO? SUBMIT TO GOD’S DISCIPLINE
We are like clay in God’s hands. He knows how to work with us and turn us into holy people. Hebrews 12 compares God to a father loving and disciplining his kids. The writer stresses that God is a perfect Father who knows exactly how to grow us. And His intention is clear: He wants us to share in a peace-filled life full of His goodness and right living. God knows what is best for us and will even use the sometimes-unenjoyable process of discipline to bring about holiness in us. Our response should be to go back to Him over and over and submit to His Word, His Spirit, and Christian community. Are you allowing God to mold you in this season of your life?