The other morning while lying there in bed with my wife, she whispered ever so softly to me, these words: “I threw another one of your socks away yesterday. It had three holes in it. I think we are doing well enough financially where you don’t have to wear holey socks.” 

 To which I responded: “Maybe the reason we are doing financially better these days is because...I don’t go out and purchase new socks every time a hole appears.” 

She was not buying it. She does that with my underwear as well, so I am told. I started to make some silly comment about having ‘holy feet’ as I walk on ‘holy ground’ but spared her the eye rolling response to my holey socks. But she only tossed one out...leaving an orphan sock! Now what will I do?

 We are probably more familiar and comfortable with understanding what is means to have ‘holey socks’ or a pair of pants with holes in them (that people pay good money for) than we are with being able to explain what a ‘holy bride’ might look like. 

 “Holy Bride”, you say? Well, I didn't say it, but scripture sure has a few things to say about it. 

 That’s what Jesus is coming back for...a bride who is ‘holy’. And not just holy, but pure (without stain, wrinkle, or blemish). A bride who is ‘blameless’. 

 Paul was writing to the Ephesians and giving some helpful advice to married couples on how to have a harmonious marriage, blessed by God. And sandwiched right in the middle of this talk he brings up this picture of how husbands should love their wives in the same way that Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her...that He might sanctify and cleans her with the washing of water by the word..” (5:25-26) 

 I touched on this the other day, how in the parable of the Ten Virgins, (Matt. 25) we are told the bridegroom ‘delayed his coming’, speculating on some reasons as to why that was. It seems that some of the virgins were ‘ready’ while others (foolish ones) were not, and missed out in the most horrific way. (11-12). I also hinted that one of the reasons his return was delayed was because it is the very nature and heart of God that ‘all would come to repentance’ and that ‘none would perish’. (2 Pet. 3:9) 

 He will only keep that door open for so long, before it gets shut, just like in the days of Noah. (Gen. 7:16; Matt. 24:37-39). Oh, and look what got ‘shut’ there on those foolish virgins who were not ‘ready’ there in Matt. 25:10-11. We also cited Rev. 19 where there is gladness and rejoicing...’for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready.” (7) 

 So what exactly is it that the bride/church is doing to ‘make herself ready’? Well, since we saw there in Eph. 5:27 that Jesus is coming back for a church that is ‘holy’, it might be good if we know what that actually means...or looks like, yes? And also make note that for those who are ‘not ready’, they don’t get to attend the wedding if I read Matt. 25:11 correctly. 

 So when was the last time you heard considerable attention given to this subject of what it means to be ‘holy’? Seems like if we all believe that the coming of the Lord is as close as we all say it is, what on earth could possibly be more important than making sure we are ‘ready’ to meet Him? I mean, if it was all a ‘done deal’, why such a sobering warning to the church at Sardis there in Rev. 3:2 where they seemed to be lacking...and were told to ‘repent or else’.  Think about it...it's one thing to have an invitation to a wedding with the full understanding a place is reserved for you.  It's another thing to get ready to attend and to be properly dressed, is it not? (Matt. 22:11-13)

 Granted, I’m sure many have been taught that we can do absolutely nothing to make ourselves holy, and that the only holiness we are partakers of is the ‘holiness of Christ’ that is bestowed upon us merely by our ‘profession of faith’. If we were to suggest otherwise, we are quickly reminded that our own holiness or righteousness is like ‘filthy rags’, according to Isaiah 64:6. 

 Yes, there are those in other ‘camps’ that are confident that they were made ‘holy’ because they were filled with the ...’Holy Ghost’, therefore sealed and made ready. They even can speak in tongues to prove it. I would simply suggest that 1 Cor. 13:1-3 offers a word of caution before we get too excited about all those external things we like to remind God of. (Matt. 7:21-23) 

 Whatever it is, there is no getting around the fact, Christ is coming back for a bride who is holy. And before you kick back in complacent ease or a false security that this ‘holiness’ comes about simply because you are on some local church roll, or because you got baptized years ago and sing regularly in the choir, I want to again, offer up more passages for you to consider. I am fully confident that if you read the word with an open heart, that God can surely bear witness with your spirit that there is some truth to be gleaned and some more freedom for you to experience. 

 I would submit to you that this ‘being made holy’ is not ‘automatic’, nor comes by osmosis. And, you cannot go out and ‘make yourself holy’ either by ‘trying harder to live right’. 

 But it was Peter who opened up his letter reminding us that we no longer live the way we did prior to coming to Christ as sons of disobedience. Rather he refers to us as ‘obedient children...not conforming ourselves to the former lust’... (1:14) exhorting us with “as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “be holy, for I am holy.” (15) 

 “Be holy in ALL our...conduct”? (gonna take a moment here and pause and allow the Holy Spirit to bring to your attention...anything He might want to spotlight for you now) 

 [still pausing...no rush today] This is the place where you ask God to show you areas in your life ...or conduct that He would not deem 'holy'.

 Oh, here’s another reason why this holiness deal is kind of important. Paul wrote that without it, no one will see the Lord. Says so right there in Hebrews 12:14. Interestingly, for all this common thinking that we have nothing to do with being made holy and that it is all ‘automatic’ or by ‘faith’, you have to wonder what Paul was trying to say there in Romans 6 where he’s rambling about being dead to sin and no longer living in it as we now become ‘obedient’ which ‘leads to righteousness’. (16). Then as you read further down, it talks about how this ‘righteousness’ leads to ‘holiness’. (19-22) 

 For anyone not quite clear as to what ‘righteousness’ is...I can simplify it for you: It’s doing what is right in God’s eyes. Now a lot of people are not too keen on that so instead of submitting to God’s righteousness, they seek to establish their own righteousness. (Rom. 10:2-3). A good example would be how if we really don’t like this idea of surrendering our whole heart to Jesus and taking up our cross and following Him, and being willing to lay our life down and forsake all, then we can sign on with ‘another gospel’ that says we just have to do ‘Step 1, Step 2, & Step 3’ and then we are saved. That is a pretty common practice today and it sure does avoid all that ‘whole-hearted’ selling out that Jesus seemed to preach. (2 Cor. 11:2-4; Matt. 7:21; Luke 14:25-33; Matt. 19:21-22) 

 Here's a good verse to underline in your bible: “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.” (1 John 3:7). Seem like there might be some ‘doing’ involved here, which usually makes ‘people of faith’ nervous...to suggest there is something we might be asked to ‘do’. (Matt. 7:21) 

 A couple of more verses to familiarize yourself with: “Having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1). Did he just say ‘perfecting holiness’? And that we should be ‘cleansing ourselves’? 

 Then there is what John wrote: “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:3) So once again, it sounds as if there is something we are being encouraged to do? Who are the recipients of ‘salvation’ according to Hebrews 5:9? And what did Jesus ask some folks there in Luke 6:46? 

 So let’s connect a few dots here- we read there in Hebrews that ‘without holiness, no one will see the Lord’. According to Jesus, the ones who will ‘see God’ are the ones who are ‘pure in heart’. (Matt. 5:8). Holiness = Pure Heart. 

 We know that prior to coming to Jesus, our hearts are wicked and defiled. (Jer. 17:9; Mark 7:21-23). Sooo....just maybe this ‘walk of faith/salvation’ and being ‘sanctified’ requires obedience to Christ so He can lead us in the same way Joshua led the Israelites in to the Promised land to ‘clear the land’ of evil nations. And as ‘we decrease so that He increases’, we are conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29) which then makes it possible to fulfill the great command of loving others - as He loved us given we receive a new nature...and this new nature will be quite evident to all. (John 13:35; Matt. 12:33-37) 

 Tomorrow...how about we take a look at this process and see how it actually ‘shakes out’. And no, I’m not talking about that kind of ‘shaking’. I promise ;-)