The Holiness God Desires

 

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1–2 ESV).

 

Almost every time I speak or write about the grace of God, I am asked something like “But what do I have to do?” My answer is always the same: “We don’t have to do anything; however, we get to do everything.” In our reading today the Apostle John says Jesus is the “propitiation” for our sin. That word, “propitiation,” in the original language is ἱλασμός (pronounced hē-läs-mos'). It means an offering to appease (satisfy) an angry, offended party. Hhilasmós is only used twice (cf. 1 Jn 2:2, 4:10) in the New Testament. Both times it speaks of Christ's atoning blood that appeases God's wrath, on all sin. By the sacrifice of Himself, Jesus Christ provided the ultimate hilasmós ("propitiation").

 

Rober Murray M’Cheyne wrote the following in his Memoir and Remains: “Lord, make me as holy as a pardoned sinner can be made.” God’s desire for our holiness burns through the Scriptures like a purifying fire. Paul would have us think so: “This is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Peter would have us think so: “As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:15–16). Hebrews would have us think so: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). There can be no doubt that God’s desire is the holiness of all His children. Since we had no mean by which we could accomplish that, the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to do so on our behalf.

 

We must understand what this holiness truly looks like. It is breathtakingly beautiful. It participates in God’s own glory — a glory bursting with life and majesty. It is not religious ritual: food laws and temple sacrifices, perhaps, or a devotion to churchly routines. Such was the mistake of many Pharisees — those punctual, precise, “worshiping” bundles of corruption (cf. Matthew 23:25–28). True holiness pierces to the deepest parts of a person; it touches and transforms “spirit and soul and body” (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:23). Holiness is a hand that plucks the heart’s hidden strings, filling all of life with heavenly melody. It is not smoke arising from the altar, but faith and love arising from the soul that has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

 

God desires one thing only… that is our relationship to Him through the blood of Jesus! We are holy because Jesus is holy. Trust in Him and Him alone. Then we are set free to do what is holy!

 

 

The Delight of God

 

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. [30] And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:27–31 ESV).

 

Having come to the end of our exploration of the Apostles, I decided to look at the “good” of God. Our reading today is taken from the end of the Creation story as God surveys His handiwork and pronounces it as “very good” (v. 30). The Hebrew word is טוֹב (pronounced “tove”). It is used throughout the Old Testament and means beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, fair (word), (be in) favor, fine, glad, good, graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, loving, merry, most, pleasant, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well-favored), and delight. It could be translated that God saw His creation and was “delighted by its goodness.”

 

Knowing the rest of the story we might scoff at this reaction. There is very little “good” or delightful in the world we know in its now fallen state. Yet, we so often forget that is not what it first was; and we fail to understand that, even now, God is working His purpose and will through Jesus to finally return us to that creation (cf. Revelation 21:1-4).

 

Recently I listened to a podcast by John Piper that reminded me of this truth. I struck me as an important and often overlooked truth. In the podcast, John Piper said:

 

“Human beings are created for joy in God, for admiring God, for being amazed at God, for standing in awe of God, and wondering at God.”

 

I think we become so bent toward doing things that might somehow impress God, or at least satisfy God, that we fail to recognize that He needs nothing from us, but desires us to simply be “good”… delighted in Him.

 

Listen to the prophet Zephaniah: “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV).

 

Read that again and shout the word “he”… it is the Great God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth who stands in our midst. He is rejoicing over us with delight! He is quietening the storm that rages around us by His love! He is singing praise and exaltation over us with loud singing! All of this because of who He is, not what we do or don’t do. Ponder that and think of the incredible gift Jesus is in making us God’s children!

 

The Last Apostle, One as Untimely Born - Paul

 

For I [Paul] delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:3–10 ESV).

 

The Apostle Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus, is widely regarded as the most influential figure in the history of Christianity after Jesus Christ. Born a devout Jew and a Roman citizen in Cilicia (modern-day Turkey), he initially worked as a zealous Pharisee who actively persecuted early followers of Jesus. His life took a radical turn during a dramatic encounter with the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. Following this pivotal event, he transformed into the premier "Apostle to the Gentiles," dedicating the rest of his life to spreading the gospel across the Roman Empire.

 

It is worth noting the stages in his life. Born around 5 AD in Tarsus, he inherited prestigious Roman citizenship. He later moved to Jerusalem to study Jewish law under the highly respected rabbi Gamaliel. There he was a witness to the martyrdom of Stephen and ultimately became one of the most feared individuals in the early church. Armed with authority to arrest Christians, Saul was struck blind by a brilliant heavenly light while traveling to Damascus. Jesus spoke to him directly, a moment that completely redefined his purpose and identity. It was through that experiences that he launched three major missionary campaigns through Asia Minor, Greece, and Macedonia. He successfully established numerous local churches and argued that non-Jewish converts did not need to follow traditional Mosaic laws. He set the tone of inclusivity for the church. However, since his teachings caused civil unrest, Roman authorities arrested Paul in Jerusalem. He spent his final years under house arrest in Rome before being executed, traditionally by beheading under Emperor Nero around 64–67 AD.

 

Paul shaped Christian doctrine more than any other early church leader. Out of the 27 books in the New Testament, 13 epistles (letters) are traditionally attributed to him. These theological texts—including Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians—laid the groundwork for core Christian tenets such as salvation by faith through grace rather than by keeping strict religious laws. His writings represent some of the earliest surviving Christian literature ever recorded.

 

Of all the many things we may learn from Paul, it is that grace is never late, but always on time! His life serves as a testimony to what God can do in the life of anyone placing their faith in Him!

 

 

The Replacement of Judas Iscariot - Matthias

 

In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’” So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:15–26 ESV).

 

When Jesus began his public ministry, he chose twelve disciples to follow him for three years (cf. Luke 6:12-16). However, when Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus and thereafter killed himself (cf. Matthew 27:1-10), the disciples needed to find a twelfth man to replace Judas. They’d narrowed down the candidates to two people: Joseph (also known as Justus) and a man named Matthias. Both of these men had followed Jesus during his public ministry – since John the Baptist baptized Jesus and witnessed his resurrection. They just didn’t have the title of the original twelve. After praying and doing a practice known as casting lots, the lots landed on Matthias. He was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. We can learn a very important principle from this disciple.

 

Our timetable doesn’t always match God’s timetable. Perhaps Matthias was disappointed when Jesus hadn’t chosen him as one of the original twelve, though there is no indication of that in the Scripture. He seems to have been both willing and happy to be paired off in the 72 followers who ministered to the Jews and stayed long after Jesus’ resurrection, even after several followers deserted Jesus throughout his time on earth.

 

He certainly fit all the qualifications. So, it is natural for us to ask why did it seem like Jesus had overlooked him? First, we simply must understand it was not his time. We may feel the same way. Maybe we were perfect for a role on our church’s worship team or someone else got a position we felt we deserved. After all, Judas Iscariot didn’t seem like a great candidate. At least, not a candidate as good as Matthias. Second, our path is not chosen based on what we believe; rather it is based on the will and purpose of God.

 

We must, like Matthias, defer to God’s timing. God may have a surprise in store for us in the future, but we must trust his decisions. That timing is always correct!

 

The Call of the Apostles - Judas Iscariot

 

And he [Jesus] went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mark 3:13–19 ESV).

 

Today we come to the last of the Twelve Apostles, Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot is a name that many people know, even if they have never opened a Bible. The betrayal he represents is akin to men like Benedict Arnold, Brutus, and Aldrich Ames. As with many figures in the Bible, the early life of Judas Iscariot is not well known. Reviewing the Greek of his name, Ioudas Iskariōth, we can deduce a couple things about this infamous traitor. The first is that he held a common name used in first-century Judaism. Ioudas is the Greek form of Judah, which means “praised.” However, his last name, Iskariōth, is a little more complicated to place. The most common explanation is that it refers to his origins, identifying him as a man from Kerioth. When we look at sites with that name in the Bible, this could put him as being from a town in Moab or a location known as Kerioth-Hezron. Another possible explanation for his last name is that it could have been added later to describe his actions, as the Greek word for assassin or bandit is sikarios.

 

Though the origins of “Iscariot” may be disputed, Judas’ role as the disciple who betrayed Jesus is not. All four Gospels make clear that he is Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Christ (cf. Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:13-19, Luke 6:12-16, and John 12:4). John goes on to highlight another of Judas’s evil characteristics:

 

“He [Judas] said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.”  (John 12:6, ESV).

 

Judas’s greed played a part in the betrayal, as Judas would go on to hand Jesus over in exchange for silver. However, this verse also highlights Judas’s role as one of the disciples. He oversaw the group’s finances.

 

It is easy to wonder why Jesus would pick such a man to be one of the original Twelve Apostles. The simple answer is that this was what God had already determined. For the longest time, only Christ knew about that identification. Judas’s story ends tragically (cf. Matthew 27:3-10). Filled with the remorse of sending an innocent man to His death, Judas returns the money to the religious leaders and goes and hangs himself from a tree. We also see how the story concludes and what happens to him; putting together the Matthew account and the Luke account, it seems that his body decays as apparently no one ever removed him from the tree, and it falls, smashing onto rocks (cf. Acts 1:18).

 

There is a very sad thought that often runs through my mind when I think of the tragedy of Judas Iscariot. His sin was no different than that of Peter. Both denied and betrayed Jesus. However, the path after the betrayal was significantly different. One was remorse and the other was repentence. Most orthodox scholars maintain that Judas was not saved. This argument rests on several points. Jesus refers to Judas as the "Son of Perdition" (cf. John 17:12), and noted that he was "doomed to destruction" so that Scripture would be fulfilled. While Judas felt extreme guilt and returned the thirty pieces of silver (cf. Matthew 27:3-5), theologians argue he felt worldly remorse rather than true, godly repentance, ultimately leading him to despair and suicide rather than seeking God's grace.

 

What we can know is that God makes that determination unltimately and finally. Whatever grace we receive comes from Him. The most important note for us is that while we yet have breath there is opportunity to respond to His grace. He is a forgiving God who desires our repentence. Trust in Jesus today!

 

The Call of the Apostles - Simon the Zealot

 

And he [Jesus] went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mark 3:13–19 ESV).

 

Today we come to the next to last apostle mentioned in the lists found in the gospels, Simon the Zealot. He is one of the most obscure and mysterious figures in the New Testament, mentioned strictly by name only in the biblical lists of the disciples (cf. Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, and Acts 1:13). There is no recorded dialogue or personal narratives. He was given this name by the Gospel writers to differentiate him from Simon Peter. The Greek word for “zealot” has sometimes been confused as a geographical reference to Canaan, which would make him a Canaanite (Matthew 10:4 and Mark 3:18 use Kananaios. This is, however, not a geographical reference to the land of Canaan or the town of Cana, but rather a transliteration of the Aramaic word qan'an, which also translates to "zealous one".

 

Scholars generally hold two main perspectives regarding his title. It may refer to a political affiliation: He may have belonged to the Zealots, a radical Jewish nationalist faction fiercely opposed to the Roman occupation. The movement sought the programmatic liberation of Judea, often by utilizing armed force or targeted assassinations. We will see that Judas Iscariot alos belonged to this sect. Alternatively, the title could simply describe his temperament before or after converting. It may signify that he was a man possessing exceptional, rigid zeal for the Mosaic Law and the honor of God. The latter seems more likely and favored by most scholars.

 

It is very encouraging that Simon's inclusion in the twelve highlights the unifying nature of Jesus’ ministry. He sat at the same table as Matthew the tax collector. Matthew worked under the employment of the occupying Roman government, representing the exact system that political Zealots dedicated their lives to actively overthrowing. Their shared allegiance to Christ required both men to transcend extreme political divides.

 

Because the Bible does not record Simon’s life after the day of Pentecost, his subsequent ministry relies entirely on Christian tradition. Various accounts track his evangelism through Egypt, Mauritania, North Africa, and potentially as far as Britain. Likely he was partnered with Jude. The Western church tradition frequently pairs him with the apostle Jude Thaddaeus, stating that they preached together throughout Mesopotamia and Persia. Accounts of his martyrdom vary wildly. Eastern traditions state that he passed away peacefully of old age in Edessa. Conversely, prominent Western accounts record that he was martyred in Persia by being cut in half with a saw—which is why he is traditionally depicted holding a saw in Christian iconography.

 

We can be encouraged that Jesus saw purpose and ministry in Simon. Our past does not determine our future. God holds that in His hands and directs us through the indwellin of the Holy Spirit!

 

The Call of the Apostles - Thaddeus

 

And he [Jesus] went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mark 3:13–19 ESV).

 

Thaddeus is also known as Jude, Judas, not Iscariot, or Lebbaeus. He is best known for his single recorded question in the Gospel of John, asking Jesus why He would reveal Himself only to the disciples and not to the world. (cf. John 14:22). Because the name Judas was incredibly common in first-century Judea, early translators and Gospel writers used alternate names to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus. Both Matthew and Mark refer to him as Thaddeus (or Lebbaeus); while Luke lists him as "Judas son of James". John simply identifies him as "Judas (not Iscariot)".

 

As I wrote, Thaddeus appears in the Bible during the Last Supper in the Upper Room Discourse. After Jesus says that He will manifest Himself to those who love Him, Thaddeus asks: "Lord, why is it that You will disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answers him by explaining that anyone who loves Him will keep His word, and the Father and Son will make their home with that person.

 

While scriptural mentions of Thaddeus are brief, early Christian tradition and historical writings expand significantly on his life. In fact, many scholars identify him as the author of the Epistle of Jude (often referred to as Jude Thaddeus), though I must say I differ in that opinion. I believe it was James, the Just, who was the brother of Jesus. Tradition holds that after Pentecost, Thaddeus evangelized across Mesopotamia, Libya, and Armenia alongside Simon the Zealot. Church accounts claim he was martyred for his faith in Persia or Armenia, often said to have been beaten to death with an axe or a club. In Catholic tradition, he is recognized as the patron saint of lost causes.

 

From the life of Thaddeus it is easy to see the value we gain when we learn that God values quiet faithfulness, honest curiosity, and a heart that cares for the world. Though he is rarely mentioned in the Gospels, Thaddeus’ single recorded question and life tradition offer profound spiritual lessons.