Human Holiness - Hebrews 10:10

Hebrews 10:10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (NIV)

            Holiness is not something that human beings are known for, unless you ascribe it to Bible characters, New Testament saints, or noble historical people like Francis of Assisi, Father Damien of Molokai, or Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Holiness, however, is what we need if we are to eventually come into the sacred presence of God. Without it, we will be separated from our Creator forever.

            Thankfully, even though we cannot earn, produce, or obtain this holiness for ourselves, Jesus has enough holiness to cover our sins and make us sacred in God’s eyes. This process has a church word for it – it’s called Sanctification. Jesus sanctifies us through His own sacrifice and makes us holy with His Cross. This is unbelievably simple and something which a number of people will never understand. We are so used to accomplishing tasks for ourselves or getting what we want by working for it, that we find it difficult to accept Christ has already fulfilled what is eternally required. However, think about it this way: what more can we add to what Christ has done? Nothing – absolutely nada. If there was something we could add, then Christ’s sacrifice would be incomplete. If there was something else we could achieve to merit sanctification, His offering would be imperfect.

            So today, let’s celebrate our sanctification and cheerfully embrace Christ’s holiness as our own. By His sacrifice, we are reconnected to God and restored to His dream forever.

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, thank You for receiving us as human sinners and transforming us into holy children of God. Your sacrifice perfectly restored us to our Creator. Your death decidedly reconnected us to God. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Please feel free to send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest crayon drawings called ‘Moonlight Waves.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Waves.

Once and For All - Hebrews 9:14

Hebrews 9:14  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

            Sometimes when we disappoint people, they find it hard to trust us. We may try to make things better or show some remorse about what has occurred, but that cannot guarantee things will ever be the same again. People have feelings, so when they are hurt, injured, or disappointed, they feel vulnerable and unprotected, perhaps even gullible or stupid. We may regret causing some injury, but we cannot make others forgive us or forget what happened. The sad consequences of our actions may ruin relationships or fracture friendships. We cannot change the past, nor can we insist on mending the matter.

            With God, things are different. His Son has died for us in order to heal the breaches we have caused between ourselves and our Creator. When we disappoint God, He could punish us severely; instead, He chooses to forgive us completely. The death of Jesus, as bloody and as brutal as it was, paid the price for our sins, so our contaminated spirits can be cleansed once and for all. This is what it means to be washed in the blood of Jesus – His sacrifice makes us whole once more; His death deletes the disappointments; His crucifixion wipes out every sin we have ever committed.

            So today, let’s all rejoice in the wonderful fact that Jesus is our Savior and we are eternally restored to God’s grace and love.

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, thank You for deleting our sins and eliminating our faults forever. We are grateful that You cleanse us of our past mistakes, so we can joyfully serve God from this moment on. Be with us and bless our spirits this day. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.