- 64. The Way of Holiness
Isaiah 35:8 And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
Jesus fulfills the promise of a highway. So also says John the Baptist: there will be a highway in the desert. This highway is Jesus Christ. He has come and made a way where there is no way. He is the Way. He does not show the way; He is the Way. This way is the way of holiness: it is the strait and narrow way. There are many exit ramps along the way; don’t take them. But we do, because broad is the way that leads to destruction. We take these exit ramps because they entice us with a broad way that looks like good fun. We take the broad way because we are fools.
The way of holiness is for wayfaring men, who are fools. We must admit that we are fools. We are not wise; we do not know the way. But here is a promise for fools: they shall not err when they are on this narrow path. The path is Jesus, and He makes no mistakes. He is always good, right and holy. By faith in Christ we are on that Way, the way of holiness. We, as fools, do not always make wise choices; therefore, we pray “Thy will be done.” We repent of foolish choices and come back to the Way by believing in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Faith in the forgiveness of sins keeps us holy, for we are justified by grace through faith. We have this promise: Jesus puts us on the right way and the Holy Spirit keeps us there. We, as wayfarers, leave the road by ignoring Jesus and walking away from Him. But like the Prodigal, we come home again and again and the Father is always there to welcome us with a huge hug, and He rejoices and makes marry with us.
We recognize how foolish we are as born and bred sinners. Thank God that repentance and faith in the Gospel are always available, and when we get back on the way of holiness again and again we will not err. For foolish sinners like us this promise is comforting and joyous. We never take for granted the wonder of love and the amazement of grace. Remember: there is a way.