 | Pastor Dave grew up in northern New Jersey in a very diverse cultural area. He attended Central College in Pella, Iowa received a BA in sociology and psychology. He was an offensive guard for their NCAA Div III National Championship team in 1974. In speaking for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he sensed a call to full time ministry. Meeting is future wife Sandy at Central, went to Michigan to finish her college while Dave started Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Dave married Sandy in 77 and completed his Masters of Divinity degree in 78. Pastor Dave’s first church was in Fort Lee, New Jersey, home of the George Washington Bridge. Their three children were born there and he also served as a Police and Fire Chaplain for the city. In February 1991, they came to Wichita to start Harvest Community Church. In 2006, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological (Presbyterian) Seminary in St Louis. During that year he gained a daughter-in-law with now 2 grandsons of 3 years and 6 months old. Besides Pastoring at HCC for the past 20 years, he has been Director of the SCSD & WPD Police Chaplains for 11.
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Religion
2009-08-01 13:52:00
Did He die to make us holy?
Question: I heard a Protestant preacher say that our Lord Jesus died on the cross for us: to make us holy. He added: the fact that we can now get into heaven, as the result of his dying on the cross, is a side-benefit. I thought this is most interesting. Can you comment how your particular faith regards that statement?
Answer: The preacher is right. Holiness is very much a part of God in fact, everything that God does and His number one attribute (characteristic) of His being, is that He is holy. It comes from the word Hebrew word “kedushah,” which means separate and totally other or different than what we know. The Lord God was constantly calling Israel to Holiness and being a holy assembly (ex Ex 12:16), a holy people (Deut 7:6), a holy nation (Ex 19:6) and just plain holy. The Levitical system of law was the constant reminder of that as we read in Exodus 30:29,“You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy.” Things were also set apart like the place where God met His priest in the Tabernacle and then in the Temple was called the “Holy of Holies” (Ex 26:34) at which the priest would only meet with God once a year on the day of Atonement to wash away the sins of the people.
God called Israel in Leviticus 11:44 to be consecrated and Holy because God’s own character was holy as we read, ‘For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth” In that same vain we see Peter quoting those same words in speaking of God’s called out people, the church, in the New Testament where Peter says, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” (1 Peter 1:15-16) Notice with a very practical emphasis of exhibiting it!
Now Paul in the book of Ephesians in a very challenging chapter that separates denominations and Christians in its interpretation declares the whole process of God’s work in His salvation history to us before the world began. He tells us God’s purpose was in laying it out the way He did; (Ephesians 1:4a) “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” Then He goes on to explain His attitude when He did it; (1:4b) “In love.” Then he explains how God did it, (1:5a) “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself,” and then he goes on to explain whose will it comes through, (5b)“according to the kind intention of His will,” and then the avenue it is dispersed, (6) “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” Then Paul goes further on explaining the tremendous benefits and blessings that are ours because of this super great mysterious plan that a wonderful loving and gracious God has let us in on.
I guess the question that this brings us to is have you experienced this in your life? Have you heard God’s call to be holy that comes through Jesus Christ and accepted this marvelous gift of change in being a different and set apart, adopted child of His choosing? Have you let His Holy Spirit work in you and change those rebellious ways as you move forward in your life in the sanctification process of salvation where the old rebellious ways that go against God are no longer your desire but now you have a passion for God and a desire to please Him in living a life of holiness?
Many in our generation are looking for happiness which does not last and often is elusive. God wants us to be Holy, because it is the infusion of His holiness in our lives through Jesus Christ. It becomes the Fruit of the Holy Spirit which is “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22–24) How many people and the people around them benefit and love to live with those traits in their lives? In God’s sanctification process, Pastor Dave.
