Holiness has
always been part of God's purpose for creating
man. God created man in His own image, though
not in the state of being but in holiness
(Gen.1:26; Ephesians 4:22-24, TEV)
Although man has fallen into sin and failed to
live up to God's design that he be the image of
God in holiness, God nevertheless want
man to become holy, for holiness is required to
serve God and to be allowed entry to His kingdom
in heaven.
But many people do not
understand God's plan for the creation of man,
so they perform various acts of piety—such acts
of confession, acts of humiliation, fasting,
penitence, works of charity, and host of other
religious observances—acts they believe can
sanctify them or make them holy. They do these
things, thinking that God does give importance
to such pious acts, especially when these are
done sincerely and wholeheartedly. They assume
that these works really make them pure and holy
before God.10E.1
Can man by his own
(personal) efforts, make himself holy so as to be saved and
enter the kingdom of God?
In the
following verses the answer is given:
he saved us, not because of any works of
righteousness that we had done, but
according to his mercy, through the
water {Gk [washing]} of rebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus
3:5, RSV)
For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God-- not the result
of works, so that no one may boast.
(Ephesians 2:8-9, NRSV)
Man by
himself cannot change what become of him as
a result of his sin, because salvation
(which is the reward of being holy) is
given as God's mercy. It is not given for
any reason or works of righteousness done by
a man, but it is given to man as a "gift
from God" so no one may boast about it. (Topic 10c)
10E.2
What is the only means by
which man who has been sullied by sin can become
clean and holy so he can serve the living God?
In Hebrews
9:22, God's law is made clear:
Indeed, under the law almost
everything is purified with blood, and
without the shedding of blood there is
no forgiveness of sins. (NRSV)
The same
verse in another version of the bible:
In fact, according to the Law,
practically every purification takes
place by means of blood; and if
there is no shedding of blood, there
is no remission. (NJB)
According
to God's law, Man can only be made holy or
purified with blood, and without the
shedding of blood, man's sin cannot be
forgiven.
10E.3
What did God do to give man a chance to
regain holiness in His sight?
In I John 4: 9-10 ,
Apostle John explains, thus:
God's love was revealed
among us in this way: God sent
his only Son into the world so
that we might live through him.
In this is love, not that we
loved God but that he loved us
and sent his Son to be the
atoning sacrifice for our sins.
(New Revised Standard)
The same verse in
another version of the Bible;
God showed how much he loved us
by sending his only Son into the
world so that we might have
eternal life through him.
This is real love. It is not
that we loved God, but that he
loved us and sent his Son as a
sacrifice to take away our sins.
(NLT)
God send His only Son into the world
to become the atoning sacrifice for
man's sin, or in simpler term as a
"sacrifice to take away man's sins".
Thus through Christ, man may become
holy or sanctified—freed from sin,
and thus regain his rightful duty as
God's creation—that is to serve God
on the basis of love.
Note: How Christ sacrificial death
will take away man's sins will be
clarified in succeeding
lessons/topics.
__________________
Although
man has fallen into sin and failed to live up to
God's design, that he be the image of God in
holiness. God nevertheless want man to become
holy, for holiness is required to serve God and
to be allowed entry to His kingdom in heaven.
But, man by
himself cannot change what become of him as a
result of his sin, because, salvation (which is the
reward of being holy) is given as God's mercy ((Titus
3:5).
It is not given for any reason or works of
righteousness done by a man, but it is given to
man as a "gift from God" so no one may boast
about it ((Ephesians 2:8-9) But God's law
also requires that man can only be made holy or
purified with blood, and without the shedding of
blood, man's sin cannot be forgiven ((Hebrews
9:22). Since there is no other way for man
to be made holy or purified without the shedding
of blood ((Hebrews 9:22), God plan was to send
His only Son into the world to become the
atoning sacrifice for man's sin, or in simpler
term as a "sacrifice to take away man's sins" (I
John 4: 9-10) .
____________________________________________________