God’s Bible School’s Symphonic Wind and String Ensemble blessed the community with a worship sequence with instruments and vocals last Saturday evening in the Mt Zion School’s gym, and experiencing it was a pleasure to the senses and spirit. Behind the symphony in large letters was written “Holiness Unto the LORD”.
The following day at Dogwood Nazarene Church, “Holy, Holy, Holy” was sung before dismissal to Sunday school and a phrase in this beautiful hymn came to my attention. “Only thou art holy” (from Rev 15:4) and I pondered how the phrase in this beautiful worship hymn harmonized with “Be ye holy for I am holy” in 1 Peter Ch 1. There have been some misconceptions about what it means to be holy, but this will focus on what the bible teaches. The bible was translated from the original Hebrew/Chaldean and Greek languages, and learning the definition of the English words in the original languages will help our understanding. In Strong’s Concordance, the word holy in Rev 15:4 is no. 3741 and in Greek means; 1) undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure holy, pious. In 1 Peter 1:15-16, the word holy is no. 40 and in Greek means; 1) Its highest application is to God himself, in his purity, majesty and glory. 1a) Of things and places which have a claim to reverence as sacred to God, e.g. the Temple: 1b) Of persons employed by him, as angels: prophets, apostles, 2) Applied to persons as separated to God’s service: 2a) Of Christ: 2b) Of Christians: 3) In the moral sense of sharing God’s purity: 4) Of pure, clean sacrifices and offerings:
The command to be holy applies to Christians today, and in last weeks column, 2 Cor 3:18 shows the Holy Spirit is who changes the believer into his image. God loves you, and wants a close relationship with you, and the closer you get to Jesus, and the closer you get to your Heavenly Father, through the love and power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you, the more you become like him. As you spend time with God and read his bible, your mind will be renewed, and you learn about God. Being holy is about sharing God’s purity though the presence of the Holy Spirit within each believer. One cannot make themselves holy in their heart without the ministry of the Holy Spirit, because being holy as God commands is a matter of the heart. When God commands us to “be ye holy, for I am holy”, know that it is possible with God, because the Holy Spirit loves us into his image. Until next week, God bless you and your loved ones.
