Friday, August 12, 2022

Be Holy by Warren Wiersbe

"What health is to the body, holiness is to the soul."

I always appreciate Warren Wiersbe for putting theology into layman’s terms without dumbing it down. Of the almost twenty “Be” studies that I have done, Be Holy may be one of the most helpful so far.

Leviticus is a daunting book to modern readers, but Wiersbe does a wonderful job of showing its relevance to our faith.

Almost everything in Leviticus anticipates the life and death of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The sacrifices, festivals, rituals, and laws foreshadow God’s redemptive plan. Jesus becomes the means to remove the guilt and penalty for sin through his substitutionary death on the cross. His death provides the final atonement for all sin. (p. 8)

Wiersbe is quick to point out that this is not just positional holiness (what God does for us) but practical as well (what God does in us): “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” (1 Thess 4:7, p. 9) He laments that the chief pursuit of most people today (including Christians) is happiness, not holiness. They want Jesus to solve their problems and carry their burdens, but they don’t want Him to control their lives and change their character.

Much confusion surrounds the idea of “law-keeping” for the redeemed Christian and Wiersbe responds: While obedience to the the law isn’t God’s way of salvation (see Romans 3:19-20, Galatians 3:21-29), a love for holiness and a desire to obey and please God are certainly evidences that we are the children of God. After we are saved, our obedience to the will of God, as revealed in the Word of God, is the basis for fellowshipping with God and enjoying the abundant life He wants us to have. (p. 15)

He concludes the book with the reminder that “Eight times in Scripture, God said, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.'  Since God’s commandments are God’s enablements, this commandment assures us that it is possible to live a holy life.

I highly recommend this accessible, insightful commentary on a frequently avoided book of the Bible.

Blessings, 

1 comment:

Barbara Harper said...

I've read several of Wiersbe's "Be" commentaries, and this is one of the best. I think I got more from this trip through Leviticus than I ever have before.