Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts (Isa. 6:3). Jesus is the Holy One of God (Lk. 4:34). People know the Spirit of God as the Holy Spirit. The Bible emphasizes that God is holy and perfect in every way. 

We are very different. Job asked, What is man, that he could be pure? Man is abominable, filthy, and drinks iniquity like water! (Job 15:14-16). No one does not sin (Ecc. 7:20) and the hearts of the sons of men are filled with evil and madness is in their hearts (Ecc. 9:3). 

At Mt. Sinai, God told Israel, “You shall be holy; for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44–45). Repeated commands include “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2),  “Be holy, for I am the Lord your God” (Lev 20:7), “You shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy” (Lev. 20:26).   God is making a point. If we are going to be His people, we must be holy.

Many churches are not doing well today. Why is that?  There is no one simple answer, but has the world become more wicked than it used to be? Are people more careless and indifferent? Has the gospel lost its appeal? Or could it be that as the Lord walks among the candlesticks, sometimes He sees so much sin He can’t open doors for us? (Deut. 23:14, Rev. 3:8) Like old Israel going up to fight against a small town like Ai, we fall when there is sin in the camp (Jos. 7:11-12).

Peter quoted Leviticus to remind Christians that our God is holy and we must be holy (1Pe. 1:15–16). That truth will never change. The purpose of God choosing us before the foundation of the world was that we should be holy (Eph. 1:4). God has reconciled us so that He can present us holy before Him (Col. 1:21–22). We must pursue holiness or we will not be allowed to see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). To be faithful, we must grow in our love for each other and our hearts must be blameless in holiness 3:12-13). 

God begins our transformation into His holiness by cleansing us of our sins. Baptism into the death of Jesus frees us from sin (Rom. 6:3-7). Once God cleanses us of our sin, then the Holy Spirit can dwell in us and we become living temples of the Spirit (Acts 2:38, Rom. 8:9, 1Co. 6:19). As living temples of the Holy Spirit, we begin a life-long journey of learning to be holy as God is holy. 

God dwelling with His people in the Tabernacle and Temple foreshadowed the church. After Moses built the Tabernacle "the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle" (Exo. 40:34–35). This was a one-time miraculous event to let Israel know God's presence was with them in the Tabernacle. 

After the Israelites settled in their land, Solomon constructed a Temple to replace the Tabernacle. At the dedication ceremony, the glory of the Lord filled the Temple (2Chr. 7:1–2). This second miracle also testified to God's presence with Israel. 

Both the Tabernacle and the Temple's completion foreshadowed Jesus saying, "It is finished!" After Jesus offered Himself as our sacrifice, the Holy Spirit moved into His new Temple, the church (Acts 2:2-4). Miracles proved God's presence in the Tabernacle and Temple. The miracles at Pentecost proved that God now dwells in His new Temple, the church. Instead of dwelling in a tent or a building, God now dwells in His people. Our purpose as a church is to be a holy temple that is a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph. 2:20–22).

Do you not know that you are the temple of God 
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 

1Cor. 3:16

Do you not know that your body 
is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, 
whom you have from God?

1Cor. 6:19

The Purpose of the Indwelling of the Spirit

Salvation begins with the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5). In baptism we are washed clean of our sin (Act. 22:16, Eph. 5:25-26). We are regenerated (born again) when we are baptized. We then receive the Holy Spirit to strengthen us (Jn. 3:3, 5, Act. 2:38).  

We begin as spiritual infants. We look to Jesus (Heb. 12:2) to learn how to become like Him. As we behold His glory (Joh. 1:14), we should become filled with grace and truth like Jesus. The ESV says we are "beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18). 

Being transformed into the same image, from one glory to another, is the same as the renewing of the Holy Spirit (Ti. 3:5). The Spirit works in our lives to complete the work God began in us. The Holy Spirit helps transform us into His holy children in His image (Php. 1:6).  

We need to be praying like Paul "to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16). Not only does the strengthening of the Spirit help us overcome sin (Rom. 8:13), but His strength helps us know Christ's love, which is beyond knowledge (Eph. 3:19). 

The Spirit's strength enables us to be filled with all of God's fullness. It's one thing to think about Jesus being the fullness of God (Col. 2:9). We know when we see Jesus it is like seeing the Father (Joh. 14:9). What about us being the fullness of God? Can people see God when they look at us? (Eph. 1:22-23, 3:19, 4:13).

Biblical Standard of Soundness

1. We are to be perfect as God is perfect – Matt. 5:48 (Context: complete, perfect love of God)

2. We are to forgive as God in Christ forgave us – Eph. 4:32, Col. 3:13

3. We must learn to love as Christ loved us – Eph. 5:2

4. We are to be holy as He is holy – 1Pe. 1:15-16

5. We are to walk as Jesus walked – 1Jo. 2:6

6. We are to be as pure as Jesus – 1Jo. 3:3

7. We must become like Jesus – 1Jo. 4:17

Many debates have raged over many doctrinal issues. People argue about what it means to be faithful to God. Doctrine can make the difference between heaven and hell (1Ti. 4:16). The doctrine we must be teaching is the doctrine that results in godliness (1Ti. 6:3).

The life of faithful children of God begins when we put on Christ in baptism (Gal. 3:27). From that beginning, we continue to put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14). We continue to grow closer to the image of God (2Co. 3:18) as we put on the new man in God's image (Col. 3:10); until we become like Him when we see Him as He is (1Jo. 3:2). 

Until then, the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God (Rom. 8:19).

Do you know of any better news than this? 

Love has been perfected among us in this: 
that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; 
because as He is, so are we in this world. 

1 John 4:17

Questions? Comments?