1st Corinthians 1:30-31 says this: “Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” This tells us that we are in Christ Jesus. Through him, we have been redeemed and given righteousness, sanctification, and wisdom. To sum it up, Jesus has made us holy. But what does it mean to be holy?
To be holy means to be sacred or set apart. The Lutheran Study Bible puts it this way: “God, uncreated and unique, is the only source of holiness. He hallows time, place, people, and the things and rituals that belong to them. In other words, these things belong to God because He selects them, not because of their own qualities.” We are holy only because of what God has done for us, not because of what we have done for God.
We are holy. We are set apart – but for what? We find the answer in Psalm 19. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (verses 1-2). If nature is made to proclaim the glory of God, then that must be our purpose as well. We are set apart to share the holiness we have been given, and we can take our cue from the heavens and the earth. We are here to declare, proclaim, speak, and reveal knowledge. As we share this through our actions and words, our neighbors will discover that they, too, have been chosen and set apart by God.