Day #233 - Without Holiness
The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder
“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:”
Hebrews 12:14 NKJV
Have you ever been denied entry somewhere because you were wearing the wrong clothes?
When I was a little boy, probably around three or four years old, my parents got blessed with a vacation to an upscale resort. We went to the restaurant at the resort for dinner one night and they wouldn’t let my Dad in to eat. Why? Because he was not wearing a blazer. He had to have a suit coat on and so they gave him one that totally clashed with his shorts and t-shirt. At least we got into the place. It was a little bit embarrassing, but there was no getting a table without the right clothes.
There is no getting to see Jesus without holiness. Holiness is not optional for Christians. This is why we must welcome His discipline as we looked at yesterday. We need Him to correct us in His love so that we might be holy. If we want to be a person that gets near enough to see Him in “the Presence,” we must realize that holiness is not optional.
Some people interpret this Scripture more metaphorically that you can’t see Jesus or have a close relationship with Him if you don’t live a holy life. Others see it more literally, like you can never get to see Jesus in heaven if you don’t live a holy life. The Eastern Orthodox believe that the soul goes on a spiritual journey after death and is continually purified until holy enough to see Jesus. The Roman Catholics believe in purgatory, where those who are believers but not yet holy go to continually be purified enough to see Jesus. While I don’t hold to either of these positions, I respect that they take the idea of being holy as a serious prerequisite to see Jesus.
We must live a holy life to see Jesus. We should take this literally. To be holy is to be set apart. The way we live matters. Its not just our confession of faith but the living out of our faith that matters to the Lord. If we want to sustain a life in “the Presence” here and now we must continue in holiness. To see Him on that day at the end, we must continue in holiness. Our holiness comes through the blood of Jesus. This is not about sinless perfection, but a pursuit of holiness by the grace that Christ has given us.
If seeing Jesus is the greatest gift and holiness is the way to see Him, then we ought not see this as only an obligation but also an invitation.
Lord Jesus, thank you for the way into Your presence by Your blood. I love You Lord. I want to see You. I welcome Your search, Your conviction and Your discipline that I may endure in holiness. Deliver me and cleanse me from sin, mixture and uncleanness that I may be set apart unto You. In Your holy name, amen.
Thank you, Pastor John, for writing that our holiness comes through Jesus Christ's shed blood. God has chosen us in Christ to be holy. "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord""(1 Corinthians 1:30-31 NIV). "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ once for all....because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (Hebrews 10:10,14 NIV). How I understand these Scriptures is that God has placed us who believe in Christ in the position of His holiness, though He is still making us holy in our practical living. Praise the Lord!