God calls us to be holy, but what does that mean? The word “holy” means to be clean and set apart for something special.
A life of holiness is not something you stumble into. It doesn’t just happen on it’s own once you become a believer. It requires choice, intentionality, and effort.
Leviticus chapters 11 and 12 are not the most exciting section of God’s Word to read. These chapters cover God’s laws on cleanness and uncleanness, and they can be a little boring to read. But these chapters remind us that we are to strive to be clean and set apart for God’s purposes…holy.
Though it is God Who works in us giving us the desire and power to do what pleases Him (Phil. 2:13 NLT), we still have a part to play. Leviticus 11:44 tells us to consecrate ourselves. Think of it like washing your hands. It’s the soap that actually cleanses our hands, but we must be active in the process. Holiness comes with effort and obedience. As believers, we are owned by God (1 Cor. 6:20), and we are to intentionally and decisively participate in a life of obedience that draws us closer to Him and His holiness.
So, we must examine our life to see whether we’re increasingly striving to become the person God wants us to be, or the person we want to be.
We are to intentionally become more and more holy. The question is…are we?
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.