Fundamentals
“You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:2
Holy – The bottom line of God’s requirements for men is this single word: qadosh – holy
Jesus thought it was so important that he quoted this verse (Matthew 5:48) when He summarized His discussion of the law. If your translation says, “be perfect,” it reflects the Greek word, not the Hebrew word. So, if the Father and the Son both agree that holiness is the absolute fundamental, what does this mean in action?
Qadosh describes something (a person, place or thing) that is inherently sacred or that has been designated sacred by a ceremonial act. It is exactly the opposite of profane; something that is used commonly, without special attribute of quality. For example, profanity is using language that should have a holy, sacred quality in a common, base way. Profanity strips language of its divinity. Likewise, whenever we act in ways that strip divinity from its rightful place in our lives, we become profane.
Step back a bit and reflect on this. Life, all life, is sacred. God brought life into being and life reflects Him. God designated Life sacred, blessed it and put His stamp on it. If you go back to the Genesis account, you will discover that every step of the creative process is saturated with God’s holiness. God is holy and all that He does reflects that holiness. Therefore, in obedience to Him and in recognition of the true character of Life, we are asked to deliberately reflect the same holy attribute. That means that every act, every thought, every word of our lives is judged by the fundamental structure of the universe – holiness!
Hold the mirror of holiness up to your life. Is the reflection clear and bright? Is every part of your life a testimony to the holiness inherent in God’s creation? Do you live and move and exist in the fabric of the sacred quality of Life? Or are there some things that you allow to be profaned? Are there some things where your actions, thoughts and attitudes are just like the fallen world, filled with reducing the sacred to the common?
If you are going to be a Christian, you must remove the profane from your life. You have been designated holy by the Son’s ceremonial act on the cross. Now you need to live up to the high calling.
God wants holiness. We want forgiveness. There’s a big difference. We need forgiveness in order to pursue holiness, but we often want forgiveness in order to pursue our own agendas. It’s time to return to the fundamentals. Profane nothing God has given. Be holy because He is holy.
