Tag Archives: Holiness

WYWIWYB

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“we all… are being transformed
into the same image from one degree of glory to another”
(2 Cor 3:18 (ESV))

There is, in computer programming jargon, the following phrase “WYSIWYG,” pronounced “whiziwhig.”  It is an acronym for the term, “What You See is What You Get.”  I use a website program in WYSIWYG.  Rather than having to learn the website programing code HTML, I can simply place objects, pictures, text and links onto a page, and the program converts what I’ve done into the appropriate code, and it gets posted online exactly as I designed it (usually).  WYSIWYG is a great help, I figure knowing Biblical Greek and Hebrew and a few words in broken Spanish is all the language  training I need.

There is a Biblical truth that lies at the heart of the idea of WYSIWYG.  We might call it WYWIWIB – What You Worship is What You Become.  Think about this with me for a minute.

That which is most important to you, that which is at the center of your life, that which you worship (whether you call it worship or not), will shape and define who and what you become. 

If the most important thing in your life is finding financial security, wealth, and the accumulation of power, that will shape the decisions you make, the goals you set, and the way your treat others.  Your essential question in every situation will be along the lines of, “How does this benefit me; what can I can from this relationship?”

If you believe that the greatest truth in this life is found in the teachings of science, and particularly, evolutionary science, that will shape the decisions you make and how you treat those around you.  If we are all here by chance, and only the strongest survive and thrive, then compassion for the weak is only a luxury, self-preservation is the greatest good, and, since there is no afterlife (since there is no God who created life) all that matters in life is what you experience here and now.

But if we believe that we are created by a holy, sovereign, and gracious God, that too will shape who and what we become.  If we believe that there is a God at the center of the universe, a God who is the foundation of all life, then that God will also be the center of our lives, the foundation of our ethic and our experience.  Hughes Oliphant Old, dean of the Institute for Worship at Erskine College, once wrote “Those who worship the holy God become through that worship holy themselves.  When we worship, having our minds enlightened by the Spirit, our lives cleansed by the Spirit, our wills moved by the Spirit, and our hearts warmed by the Spirit, then our worship is transformed from being a mere human work into being a divine work.”  Worship is the workshop where we are transformed into the image of God.

I think this is at the heart of what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled face, 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.”

Who are you becoming?  Are you growing in the likeness of Christ, being transformed into his image, maturing in the work of the Spirit?  Or are you becoming more and more like the world around you, blending in with the tone and temper of the fallen world?  Answering this question will begin to show you who or what is at the heart of your worship.

May you become more like Him who has made you!

SDG

I Am the Lord Your God

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“I am the Lord your God…”
(Leviticus 19:3)

I’m reading through the book of Leviticus, again, in my Bible reading program.  Sometimes it is hard to read Leviticus, the demands for holiness, all the blood and sacrifice codes, all the rules and regulations – it’s tempting to just gloss over or skip the whole thing.  Still, it is God’s word, it serves a vital role in demonstrating the necessity for holiness in our approach to God, our absolute inability to live up to such a standard, and thus, our need for a perfect and holy Savior.

In my reading for today (Leviticus 19-27) I was particularly struck by the repetition of the phrase “I am the Lord your God.”  In those 8 chapters alone, the phrase is used 41 times – you can’t miss it even if you are just skimming through.  Eventually you start asking, “Why would God keep repeating that?” 

One explanation might be that God is swearing an oath, and since there is no higher source of authority or power by which to swear, God swears by His own name: “I am the Lord.”  Because God is the Lord, and because He has made a promise in His own name, 1) we can trust His word is true, and 2) we are to obey His word.

Still, there seems to be some distinct ways in which this phrase, “I am the Lord” is used to punctuate the text.  Consider these with me for a moment:

  1. He will Judge our actions – Frequently “I am the Lord” is paired with the call to be holy, because the Lord is Holy.  Leviticus 18-27 is renowned (and for some, infamous) for its call to moral and ethical holiness.  God defines holiness in terms of our treatment of the poor, our relationships (sexual and otherwise) with those around us, and our fair and honest practice in business.  God’s people are to be marked by holiness, because we serve a God who is holy.  For those who disregard God’s commands, who blatantly and willfully defy His holy word, who trample on the poor for the sake of personal gain – God reminds us that He is the Lord and He will judge our actions by the standard of His holiness and righteousness.  (Praise be to God, for He has provided our righteousness in Christ Jesus His Son.)
  2. He will provide – Sometimes, “I am the Lord,” follows God’s command to do something that makes little sense.  God commanded a Sabbath year for the land, in which no crops would be planted, property would be returned to its original owners, slaves would be set free, etc.  Financially, practically, we would think this is economic suicide.  What would happen today if every farmer in America (or just Iowa alone) decided to take a year off from planting and harvesting?  But God seems to say, “I know this doesn’t make any sense, but I am the Lord your God, and I will provide – trust in me.”  What are you doing right now that requires you to trust that God will provide?  Remember, He is the Lord, He will provide.
  3. God alone will be worshiped – Within Leviticus there are several prohibitions against consulting “mediums and necromancers,” in others words, seeking guidance and instruction from the dead or from other gods.  In turning to these false gods, we are giving our worship and placing our trust in something or someone other than the one true God.  It saddens me how many friends and church members I see who consult horoscopes, or give their time and attention to “spirit guides” who communicate with the dead.  But it is even more painful to watch as Christians are deluded into following the false gods of prosperity, beauty, politics, sex – thinking that in these things they will find fulfillment and peace in their lives.  We serve the living God, who alone can satisfy the desires of our hearts, who alone will be worshiped.

Next time you read through the book of Leviticus, take a moment and underline all the times you see the phrase, “I am the Lord,” it will really open your eyes.  As you go through your day today, remember, He is the Lord our God, calling us to a life of holiness in Christ our Lord, encouraging us to trust in His almighty hand to provide; and may we live to worship and honor Him alone.

SDG