The sixth identifying sign of the true church is that of the state of holiness which is a unique quality of divinity, spiritual purity, and for this reason the Lord says; “Her priests have violated My laws and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and the unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26).
No foreigners, uncircumcised in heart should be allowed to enter the sanctuary of the Lord. For thus says the Lord; “When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it, My house: and when you offered My food, the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of your abominations” (Ezekiel 44:7-9).
Believers are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, because righteousness and lawlessness has no fellowship together, light and darkness has no communion, and a believer has no part with an unbeliever (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
The church has the God given responsibility to judge its members, in order to avoid the defilement of the Lord’s temple. For it is written; “I have written to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters.
In that case you would have to leave the world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.”
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you” (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).
Holiness is a prerequisite for worship and true fellowship, for this is what Moses said to Aaron, " "This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ' By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified" (Leviticus 10:3).
Now the way one regards the Lord holy is by being holy him/herself, for we have been admonished saying, "as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but 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" (1 Peter 1:14-16).
We have been duly admonished saying; "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:" It is imperative that we be holy if we are to have fellowship with the Father and the Son: Because, the message which the original apostles heard from Him and declared to us is that, God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:5-7).
This is why it is so vitally important to offer the Lord the food for His offerings whenever we appear before Him, because it is at this juncture that the blood of Jesus Christ in the form of the wine cleanses us from all sin and presents us holy and blameless before Him.
These times of ignorance God has overlooked and now commands all men everywhere to repent and stop worshiping the Lord in vain.
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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