Many years ago, I was able to spend some time in Mexico City. One of the places I visited was a shrine of Guadeloupe. We went to study the architecture and history. However, these were not the characteristics of this place that I found most interesting. What did catch my attention was a ritual which takes place each year. Religious pilgrims come from all over for an opportunity (at least in their thinking) to be made holy.
The process is difficult. They must write a list of their sins on a piece of paper. Then they crawl across a large courtyard toward the church. I don’t remember the dimensions of this courtyard, but it was huge. They would crawl on hands and knees over rough concrete paving stones. Most would have bloody hands and knees by the time they reached their destination. These people would then crawl into a room with a large wall on which they would pin their papers containing their list of sins. They believed that when they stood to leave, they were absolved of the guilt of their sin and were now holy.
These people believed that their physical pain and sacrifice was what was needed to purify their lives. Although they were devout, they were also wrong. Please understand, the outcome they were seeking is correct. 1 Peter 1:14-16, As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” This is a tall order. Peter is quoting a command God gave to the Israelites in Leviticus. It is still an expectation today.
We can’t become holy by physical sacrifice. And we know just trying really hard to be holy often ends in disappointment. So, what hope do we have of meeting God’s expectation? We need to understand, it is impossible in our own ability, but is exactly what God offers us through faith in Jesus. Ephesians 1:3-4, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. He has not only offered us the opportunity to be holy, but we are also made blameless. This means we have the promise of purity moving forward with the assurance that our past sin has no eternal consequence.
This blessing is only possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. As Jesus hung on the cross, our sin with all its eternal punishment was taken from us and placed on Jesus. Jesus paid for it in full with his life. The only part left for us is to appropriate that holiness through an act of faith. By admitting we are sinners from birth and asking Jesus to take that sin from us, we are freed from it and become holy in the eyes of God.
But the blessing doesn’t stop there. We are offered the opportunity to improve our situation in this life, by learning to live in the holiness God has already provided through Jesus. We will never reach perfection until we stand before Christ in eternity. However, we can grow in the grace of Jesus toward a holy lifestyle. This is the work of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives. Scripture has a lot to say about purity and sinlessness in this life. Avoiding sin is not a means of earning God’s favor, this was accomplished through faith in Jesus. Holy living is an opportunity God offers us to demonstrate our love and gratitude for what he has done in our lives. It is also a means of taking advantage of God’s safety net.
Sin is destructive. Satan tempts us because he knows our falling to sin will cause us pain and our pain causes the Father pain. So, as we learn more of God’s will and become more obedient to that will, our lives become more joyful because there is less pain. The Holy Spirit will open our minds to the truth of Scripture and will prick our conscience when we stray. These are gifts God offers so we can take full advantage of the holiness we enjoy through Jesus.