Holiness:

I've recently finished reading through the Old Testament book of Leviticus and the Bible Student's Commentary (English translation of Korte Verklaring) of the same book by A. Noordtzij. While there are some issues in Noordtzij's perspective that I disagree with (see the publisher's note) I found the study worth while. Many of us neglect the reading of the Pentateuch except to gain a sense of the history of the people of Israel. We get lost in the varied regulations of the law that we deem inappropriate to our Protestant ears as being far too legalistic and regulated to a immature time in the life of the people of God (Gal. 4:1-4).

There are at least two things that stand out in the reading of Leviticus that I think are helpful to us as believers in Jesus Christ. The first seven chapters outline the regulations of the various required offerings in the old covenant. I would encourage you to read this section. You can gain a deeper understanding of the significance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His offering of himself means much to us as believers. Seeing Jesus as the focus and fulfillment of the Old Testament law (Luke 24:27) reveals not only the complete work of Jesus Christ but also our sin and the sin damaged relationship we have with God, our creator. It helps us to take our sin more seriously.

This leads me to the second point. If we come to take our sin before God (Psalm 51) more seriously we understand his covenant of grace in love toward us more too. We also come to understand the characteristic of God's holiness more. All too often we take God less seriously than we ought. A father in the faith, Dr. Arnold Frank, wrote a fascinating book, The Fear of God: A Forgotten Doctrine (http://www.amazon.com/The-Fear-God-Forgotten-Doctrine/dp/0979673658). Part of the right fear of God, reverence, is related to understanding holiness. We as sinners understandably don't understand holiness. Our lack is not excusable. In fact the law of the Old Testament is written for us to gain an understanding of God's holiness and thus true reverence (Proverbs 1:7).

Our lack of reverence and godly fear has seeped into our worship. I am not suggesting a ritual oriented worship. I do think how we think of God affects our worship of Him. A good reading of the Old Testament help us. God is same forever. He doesn't change. And a good reading of the Old Testament reminds us that we as those transformed by the gospel ought to be a holy people (I Peter 1:13-19). That has been the challenge to me. Rethinking holiness and desiring to really glorify God by being holy; only by grace yet really in life that I live in Jesus Christ.