"Holiness" 8/18/26

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Consider the following Scripture,

[1] O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? [2] He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; [3] who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; [4] in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; [5] who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. (Psalm 15:1-5)

Question: Who are the people who sojourn in God's tent? Who are the people who live with God on His holy hill?

Answer: the people Psalm 15 describes. People with a pure heart and righteous deeds to match. This is so, because God is holy. He is absolute goodness. Therefore, evil has no place in His presence, either on earth or in heaven.

Question: How do we reconcile this with the gospel of grace? 

Answer: Only in and through Christ are sinners made holy. Only by faith in Christ, because of his grace, are sinners now saints. This is true positionally of the believer. We are saints in Christ Jesus, granted access to the throne of God in heaven, made a sanctuary for the Holy Spirit to dwell within. But God does not merely make people holy in principle, he calls us to be holy in practice, to live in holiness by the empowering grace of God that has been given to us (1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, Philippians 2:12-13). This outworking of grace does not bring us merit before God. All praise belongs to Christ who gives us the strength to live a life holy and pleasing in the sight of God.

Are you known as one who trusts in Christ alone, one who is growing in the beauty of holiness, seeking always to put on Christ, and to live a pure and blameless life? 

Pursue holiness, brothers, by faith in Christ for there is no true happiness apart from God.

A prayer for holiness: 

Holy One of Israel make me holy is my cry. Purify us that we shall be made fit for heaven by Christ our High Priest, for He ascended Your Holy Mountain offering up his holy life that we unclean and helpless might be cleansed to live with you, Amen.

In Christ's Service,

Matt