How can a Person be made Holy?

Holiness is what many religions promise their followers, but when we look at the father's of the faith or the prophets that represent them, fail to see holiness. If the source of the belief does not provide any sign or hope of holiness, how can the adherents ever attain redemption or holiness which is the desire of everyone who follows a belief as the way to a Holy God? Their reason for worship.

Even Christianity or Judaism if built on a false foundation [False vine] can be perverted and instead of people being holy become sexually immoral, involved in all kinds of perversions, greed and selfishness, lovers of self and haters of God.

In the Old Testament Scriptures, the Book of Leviticus chapters 1-7, list various sins and offerings that were to be offered for forgiveness. The animals were to be without defect, perfect offerings that were acceptable to God. Just reading leaves one with a feeling of helplessness.

Add to the offerings for sin were also animals to be offered to clean a person if with disease after a period of quarantine before being accepted back into the community.

I have read many times the instructions given to Moses by God but I have never failed to be moved when I think of the cost to humanity of keeping those commands.

#Witness of animal sacrifices

When I was young, before the villagers understood the reason God no longer required sacrifices and stopped, it was a common sight to see food or animal offerings the priest had made to 'God.' Those who had money took a cockerel or goat.

As I looked at the pigeon in my garden, it suddenly hit me that perhaps, I would if I was at that time, tried to catch a pigeon to take to the priest for sacrifice if unable to afford a goat or ram. It was a common sight those days to pass a home and witness a stone or a shade where a sacrifice had been made and blood had been sprinkled as described in the Scripture. Each household would have had to provide more than ten animals a week for the various offerings. What a heavy burden!

The offerings were among other things to make people clean and be forgiven of sin, and made holy. But as we know from Old Testament history, the offerings were God's way of seeking our obedience as the Scripture later explained, animal sacrifices where not enough to make people holy--Hebrews 10:4. The sacrifices served as a daily reminder of the sinful human nature. It could not remove guilt neither could it make anyone holy.

#How miserable

If a person's desire was to gain holiness but still live with the same sins and guilt, what a miserable people that must have made us? We sinned, because of our rebellion. Sin was not put in us by God. It was God's plan from the start that we be holy as the child takes the nature of the parent. A child that is of another nature, or is unholy does not belong to a Father who is Holy. In the Garden, Adam was created to be the son of God and therefore, was holy until sin entered the garden--temptation that led to rebellion.

#What changed?

God called the people through the prophet's to be holy--Leviticus 21:8, 1 Peter 1:15-17, 1 Peter 1:16. Despite all the instructions and appeal, the people continued to sin and even worshipped and sacrificed to idols. But God patiently waited for the day when as He promised Abraham He would provide His own Lamb that would be sacrificed for the sins of the whole world, not just the people of Israel--Genesis 22:8.

This was God's mysterious plan, to offer One sacrifice that removes sin, guilt, heal diseases and make people holy.

Moreover, God later expressed to the prophets how He detested the animal sacrifices as people began to do whatever pleased them.

#What was the final outcome?

What the many sacrifices could not do, two thousand years ago, one offering of Love, Jesus Christ, on the Cross of Calvary, took away the sins of the whole world. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life--John 3:16.

In my book, A Chosen Witness; chapter 20, Who Am I; there is an afternoon's manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Without my immediate knowledge, a colleague gave an account a few days later of what she saw. God manifested His Holiness during a clinical meeting at a GP surgery that sealed my believe and understanding of how the blood of Jesus washes us and makes a sinner Holy. All that is required is a believe in Jesus that His death and resurrection did what the animal sacrifices could not by reconciling us to our Heavenly Father--Romans 8:14-17.

We don't labour to be accepted in Christ, we are forgiven and accepted, given the free gift of His Holy Spirit. Christ touches all who believe by His death and resurrection that gives new life through His love and makes us Holy.

#Warning not to fall back

The law of Moses said that whatever touched a holy sacrifice was made holy. On the other hand, if what was made holy touched what was unholy became unholy. If we choose to walk away from God's path, grief the Holy Spirit, reject the power that makes us Holy, we fall back into sin. Also if our Christianity is based on a false foundation of human rules and regulations, it will lack the supernatural power that makes a person holy.

Reason we should make our choices carefully and once we come to Jesus avoid actions that grief the Holy Spirit by daily walking in Holiness--seeking the LORD through prayers, reading Scriptures and applying the teachings by walking in obedience.

Copyright--Ofonmbuk Ufot--2024