The Gift of Holiness

By Carolina Hermida

Tlaxcala, Mexico

Scriptures:

• Hebrews 2:17
• Hebrews 10:5-14
• 1 Corinthians 1:2
• John 17:16-19
• Psalm 27:4

At this time of year, Christians celebrate the coming of Christ. What does this mean? We actually celebrate His incarnation. The one true God took on the nature of a man, the nature of a servant. The Eternal One burst into this world to be born of a woman.

In the Gospel narratives, there is an element that emphasizes that the coming of Jesus is an earth-shaking event of immeasurable proportions. It had to be this way, because He did not come to add something extra to our lives, but to deal with our spiritual bankruptcy and the debt caused by our sin. 

Why did God become man? Among the reasons that Hebrews gives us is the atonement of our sins. Atonement was impossible without the incarnation. Hebrews explains why the Son of God “had to be made like [his brothers], fully human in every way.” It had to be this way so “that he might make atonement for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17). 

Only human flesh and blood could be a suitable sacrifice and substitute for our sins. Therefore, the author of Hebrews writes:

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: 

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
Then I said, “Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.”
Hebrews 10:5-7 (NIV)

The author of Hebrews cites Psalm 40:6-8, where he finds a prophetic exclamation about the incarnation of the Son of God.

And in that regard, the author of Hebrews explains:

“...we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10).

Jesus offered himself as the substitutionary atonement! Let us pause here for a moment, on this wonderful truth, on this most beautiful act of love, and let us worship and praise our Lord for it! Can you see it? Without the incarnation there could be no atonement.

Dear sister, Christ took our nature so as to bear our punishment. Only then can we be at peace with God. Christ, with His coming, has given us the gift of holiness: we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ.

We live in a society that does not stop. We are trapped in the maelstrom of work and speed. Everything is urgent. We are deluged. We can even be very busy in the ministry. However, today we have the opportunity to step away from the chaos and contemplate.

This is a countercultural act, even within the church; however, dear sister, we need to spend more time contemplating the amazing beauty of our Lord and to exclaim like the psalmist:

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord…
Psalm 27:4

We become what we behold. Whether passively or actively, we come to conform to the pattern to which we dedicate most of our time.

I love visiting museums and art galleries. In some of the venues there is a bench for you to sit and to contemplate – to look closely, appreciate the details, take in the aesthetic elements; and without rushing, stop and contemplate. And what is more worthy of contemplation than the beauty and perfection of our God!

The month of December is a perfect opportunity for us to meditate and contemplate the work and person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And where can we do this? How can we do it? Our diligent and eager study of the Scriptures is the answer.

This year I have studied Johannine literature – the gospel of John, the three epistles, and Revelation. Theologian John Calvin commented that while the Synoptic Gospels show us the body of Christ, John shows us His soul. This study has transformed my heart, as I contemplate the heart of Christ – His meek and humble heart. His Word is the instrument of sanctification which transforms us. Christ, in priestly prayer, intercedes for us: “Sanctify them in your truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

There are only two possibilities in this life: to be conformed to the image of God or to be conformed to the pattern of this world. May we choose holiness.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What is your focus on?

2. What are you contemplating?

“To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place…”

1 Corinthians 1:2

Today I Will:

This year-end, let us have a time of gratitude because we have received the gift of holiness. We are called sanctified and holy, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice in Him!

About the Author:

My name is Carolina Hermida, I was saved by Christ in 1988, in my first year of university in Mexico City. I married my husband, Oscar Figueroa, on the mission field in 2008. We have been missionaries in the cities of Mérida, Cancún and Culiacán. We were named Bible teachers in Mexico City in 2018 and since 2019 we have served in the Church of Tlaxcala, Mexico.