Focus: The Way of Holiness

Text: Isa.35:8

"And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein."

The way of holiness is the way of life approved by the God of holiness. The Scripture talks about the ways of the Lord, of which the way of holiness is the main way. Holiness is God's major or main road. It is the way that leads to every other way of the Lord.

The psalmist declares that "the LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works" (Ps.145:17). Jeremiah says, "I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the WORDS of his holiness" (Jer.23:9). You can see that the ways of the Lord are righteous, His words and works are holy - holy ways, holy works, and holy words. In Jeremiah 2:3, Israel is described as "holiness unto the LORD."

Holiness is sweet. Holiness is beautiful to behold in the persons who believe in God, and as far as this world of sin is concerned, holiness is extremely costly. Holiness is the nature of God imparted to the believer in Christ. The believer in Jesus Christ radiates and reflects God's holiness on earth.

Holiness and wholeness belong together. Holiness and happiness are eternally connected. True happiness is not possible in this world without holiness. The truth is: you can be happy on the surface without being holy, but you can't be holy without being deeply happy.

A wise man said, "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death" (Prov.12:28). The way of holiness is the way of life and peace. The way of holiness is God's main highway.

The way of holiness is the way to go. We find the holy God in this path. God wants you to think holy thoughts, speak holy words, walk in holiness, and do holy works. He wants you to LOVE righteousness and HATE iniquity. You can't do one and not do the other.

God has from the beginning constructed the way of holiness, and roads are built to be used or followed. Therefore God wants us to use the road He has designed for us. It's the way of holiness. He calls on us to take this holy path, regardless of any price that we have to pay.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter