Date: May 13, 2024

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, power, and dominion forever and ever, and to the Holy Ghost, who still abides in us. This week, we delve into a crucial topic, “Holiness.” This message will expound on biblical teachings concerning the Highway of Holiness, guiding our spiritual journey. 

Let’s explore the concept of holiness. It’s not just a word but a powerful idea that can transform our lives. Holiness is the opposite of sin, characterized by goodness, love, and wisdom. It’s a path we all can walk, but one often misunderstood and overlooked by human nature.

To illustrate the concept of holiness, God chose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be a holy nation. This was a title and a responsibility to show the world what it meant to live for God. He gave them the law, a guide to right and wrong, to help them stay pure. He said, “For I am the Lord your God: you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” (Leviticus 11:44).

Of course, Jesus later clarified that what someone brings into their body does not defile them and make them unrighteous; instead, it is what comes out of the mouth and the heart. Today, striving for holiness means having a relationship with God defined by obedience to His will and being shaped to have His character. “For God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Being holy sets the believer apart from the world’s evils and is valid for God’s Kingdom.

In closing, the Highway of Holiness is only for the clean. The unclean can’t go on it. Jesus says in John 15:1-3, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” The Greek word for prune means clean. Therefore, the Father cleans those already clean, which is the Highway of Holiness. He makes those who are already clean even cleaner because God’s word has been spoken to them.

Until next week, remember, “…with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

In His Service,

Bishop Dr. Calvin Worthem

General Chief Overseer/Senior Bishop