«Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘If you return, then I will bring you back; you shall stand before Me’” (Jeremiah 15:19).
I GREW UP in a church in which those who were not deacons could not touch a fan, because it was sacred equipment; and if a woman had her period, she could not go up on the church platform, because the platform was sacred. After I became a pastor, I once asked a church member why they buried the bread that was left over from the Lord’s Supper, and she told me she did that because the bread was holy. I suppose we have reached those «holy» conclusions by comparing our church with the ancient Jewish sanctuary, since it had holy oil, holy incense, holy fire. . . If the children of Israel had holy objects, we cannot be any less! I think it would be worth our while to take a look at the biblical concept of holiness, of sanctity.
The Scriptures certainly warn us not to mix what is holy and profane: Moses exhorts us to «distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean» (Leviticus 10:10), because if a person erred in this he or she would simply be «cut off from his people» (Leviticus 19:8). Nevertheless, we should understand that our lives are not centered on a physical tabernacle, as it was with the Israelites. Now the greatest emphasis is not on the object, but on the person. Although it was already thus in Old Testament times, the New Testament broached the subject with greater clarity.
For example, the apostle Paul wrote to «the saints. . . and the faithful» in Ephesus (Ephesians 1:1), «to the saints and faithful» in Colossae (Colossians 1:2),»to those who are… called to be saints» in Rome and Corinth (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2). In addition, he asked for his Letter to the Thessalonians to be read «to all the holy brethren» (1 Thessalonians 5:27). There is no doubt that Paul’s emphasis regarding holiness is on the person.
Instead of trying so hard to make sure objects are holy, what we ought to do is to strive to live according to what we are in Christ: holy people. Our greatest worry should not be the holiness of clothing, but the holiness of the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is each one of us.
I know that we don’t always live up to that calling to holiness, that more than once we have been unable to «take out the precious from the vile» (Jeremiah 15:19). If that is our case then here is a great and wonderful promise: «Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘If your turn, then I will bring you back; you shall stand before Me'»(ibid).
And when we stand before His presence, we will enjoy «the beauty of holiness» (Psalm 29:2).
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Angelica Cuate
