What does being a Christian have to do with being a human? If we don’t know the answer to that question, then there’s a hole in our understanding of holiness.

What does it mean to be truly holy? It’s to be like Christ: to belong, like Jesus, wholly to the Father, and so to be able, like Jesus, to bring cleansing to the world. Too often our idea of holiness falls short of Jesus’ example. The holiness we hear so much about is shrill and weak and unappealing.

The empire of Assyria was ascending; the king of Assyria’s holdings were growing. His armies were heading south. They had “come up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.” (36:1) Jerusalem was all that was left.

God calls His people to holiness. Is this intimidating? Sure. But then, after all, if God is holy, and we love God, perhaps there is a loveliness to holiness that we should consider. Even more so because Jesus embodies God’s holiness perfectly, and we sure love Jesus! Perhaps we’ve been working with an idea of holiness that is incomplete.

We have so-far observed that Scripture tells us to be holy. We have also observed that few of us are interested in holiness, but that perhaps we’re mistaken in this. (Of course we are!) After all, if God is holy, and God is glorious and wonderful and we like God, then perhaps holiness is a part of a kind of life that isn’t so bad. (Of course it is!)

What does it mean to be holy?
I'm not sure many of us are too worried about what it means to be holy. A little imprecision on this subject seems to benefit all involved. God gets to avoid being described as “too demanding” and we get to avoid being described as “worldy” or “sinful.” Hey! It’s a win-win!

Paul assumes that we will want to be holy, and are becoming holy. (1Cor 7:34; Eph 1:4, 5:27) He also says in those verses that Jesus is at work making us holy. Since that is happening, we ought to be holy. Not meaning, “push really hard and see if holy pops out,” but meaning that if Christ is at work in us doing this thing and it’s assuredly happening, then it ought to be.

I observed this week two conditions in which I or others feel negative feelings--E.g. anxiety, sadness, loneliness, anger, fear--or express negativity--E.g. sinful or pessimistic attitudes, actions, speech.

Psalm 23 contains the word “and” three times. Once, in v. 6, it means, “and then.” But twice it means “these two things together.” “Your rod and your staff… goodness and mercy…” One pair is an image, a picture of something else, something concrete; the second pair is that actual thing.

Comfort is not Deliverance
Many times when we say, “Lord, comfort me!” We mean, “Lord! Get me out of this!” We say comfort but mean deliverance. But this is not what the Lord offers.