Holy Salvation

But there's good news: God is completely holy. He is absolute moral goodness! And so, he does not leave us in our wretched state. Rather, he gets personally involved in our lives so that we might become holy.

Richard Lints writes, "The Holy Spirit brought holiness where there was none, and he was and is the means by which believers participated in the holiness of God personally."

Further, this is not just an individual salvation. Lints explains, "God's driving passion from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation is to make the universe a holy dwelling place for himself."

As he puts it, "When God brings a final defeat to evil, there will no longer be a need for a temple with a 'holy of holies' for the Holy God will dwell in the midst of his people forever and ever."

God sends his Holy Spirit into our lives. As a holy God, he bridges the gap of holiness between himself and us, and he enables us to participate in his own holy life.

As men and women who know God by his Holy Spirit, we are called to participate in his holy work.

While we are in rebellion and sin, God's holiness is a terrifying reality. But then God the Holy Spirit comes to us. And we find that God's holiness is our salvation.

And how is it that the Holy Spirit can bring holiness where there was none before?

Clearly, it is not going to be because of our good ideas, good deeds, family connections, religious observances, or our participation in the First Love course.

We are going to need God himself to do the work of saving us.

As we are taught in 1 Timothy 2:

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time."

And how did Jesus serve as a mediator? Galatians 3:13 says:

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."

The theologian Michael Reeves puts it beautifully:

"Christ is salvation: in him is all righteousness and knowing him is the heart of holiness. Martin Luther put it perfectly: 'Through faith in Christ,' he wrote, 'Christ's righteousness becomes our righteousness and all that he has becomes ours; rather, He Himself becomes ours.' That is the only reason we have his righteousness: because we have him. And knowing him is the only life and liberty for which we are freely saved….Nothing is more holy than a heartfelt delight in Christ. Nothing is so powerful to transform lives."