Leviticus 11:44
“For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
Christianity has become a hodgepodge of every type of lifestyle. We live in times when so-called preachers are lowering Christianity to such depths that you can’t tell a difference between the Christian and the lost. Their purpose for such low expectations is that they don’t want to run off the world. They often say that if you become more like the world that you will attract the world. This may sound good on the surface, but the fact is that this type of Christianity has destroyed holiness.
Holiness is a command from God. Leviticus 20:7 commands, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.” Holiness is not a choice; it is a command. Holiness is not just how we live privately, but it is also how we live publicly. God defines holiness in the verse above when He says, “…ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves,…” To sanctify yourself is to set yourself apart for a purpose or a person. In other words, God wants you to be set apart for Him. So, what is the purpose of holiness? Let me show you four purposes of holiness.
First, the purpose of holiness is to remind you from whence you came. In verse 45, God told Israel He wanted them holy so they would remember that He brought them out of the land of Egypt. Holiness has a way of reminding the Christian from whence they were saved. Too many times we forget that we were saved out of a filthy world. Holiness reminds you that salvation brought you out of the world.
Second, the purpose of holiness is to show the world from whence you came. Everyone knew that Israel came out of Egypt. Their holy lifestyle showed the rest of the world why God brought them out. Friend, when you live like the world, then the world has no idea why they should get saved. They don’t understand everything you do about Heaven and Hell, and when you live like them, then they don’t think you are any different. Holiness has a way of showing the world that you belong to God and that He saved you from a worldly lifestyle.
Third, the purpose of holiness is to make a difference between God’s people and the world. Verse 47 shows us that God wants His people to be different from the world. Christian, God wants you to be different. Sadly, because I’m writing about holiness, there will be people who will never read these devotionals again because they don’t like it when a man of God talks about holiness. They feel it’s too stringent on their lifestyle. What you must understand is that it’s not the preacher who wants you to be holy, it is your God Who wants you to be holy so that you will be different from the world. God wants people to look at you and know that you are different.
Finally, the purpose of holiness is to be God’s alone. Leviticus 20:26 says, “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” If there is any reason you should strive to be holy it is so that God knows you belong to Him. Yes, you are saved, but God wants your whole being. Are you living such a holy life that God does not feel that He is fighting for your attention? When you are holy, God will feel and know that He has your whole attention and that you belong completely to Him. What could be better than that?