Holiness Can Only Be Given to Man By God's Imputation!
It's absurd nonsense to say that a certain race or a certain culture is holy. The reason has to be because of man's fall which man is tainted with sin, the total depravity of man. Am I holy just because I'm related to a pastor? No! Am I holy because I'm born in a certain race? No! The idea of man being born holy or basically good is in direct contradiction with the Holy Scriptures to which we read of man's total depravity as we go by. My brother in Christ Atty. Zigfred Diaz had written a similar article in this blog, though I hope he will write more soon after he is done with his Masteral course. 1 Peter 1:6 declares, "Be ye holy for I am holy." but what holiness does man have apart from God? None at all. As you read through this entry, you'll see how holiness from God is needed from man as man has no holiness apart from God.
In Isaiah 64:6 we read that our righteousness is like filthy rags. The fall of man cannot be denied and original sin cannot be denied. In Genesis 3, you can read how Adam and Eve sinned and sin contaminated the world. To disagree with original sin is to disagree with the real even that the moment Adam and Eve both sinned, man fell. Cain wasn't certainly going to accept that- he thought he could have his way and Abel who had God's way, was persecuted. It's the same why the works salvationist persecutes the one who is saved by grace- it's a matter of pride. Cain thought his works could please God but it didn't. Later, this kind of thinking polluted the Earth to wickedness, since they refused to abide by God's righteousness going with their own righteousness which bore wickedness instead. After all, man apart from God cannot truly know real righteousness and righteousness cannot be earned by man's effort.
We have no holiness of their own apart from God's imputation. When we think of God's holiness, it's a frightful thing for the sinner to behold it. We think of how God separated the people from the Levites back then, to show how sin has separated man from God and that only by the blood sacrifice of His Son later can make be truly reconciled with God. Exodus 32:32-34 writes that whoever violates the Law, that person is blot out of the book. No matter how hard we try to live sinless, man is condemned. Human beings are born sinners both male and female alike. In the context of the verse, it was during the time Moses returned from Mt. Sinai and found the people with the golden calf incident. Exodus 20:4-5 already warned about worshiping graven images and there they were, worshiping the golden calf. God had to clean the camp and those who rejected God, died as a result. In Deuteronomy 31:36 we read that the Book of the Law is a witness against sinners. Whenever I read the Law, I can only thank God that only He can set the sinner from sinning to service, and that it was through Christ that I was spared from being stoned and that He gave me new life.
We can read in Romans 3 the summary of man's sinfulness and justification. Man is sinful as demonstrated that there is none righteous, no not one. Verse 19-20 shows the helplessness of man before the Law, the Law was not created for moral people but for immoral people (1 Timothy 1:9). In fact thinking of the Law, one can see in James 2:10-11 you don't need to be as bad as so and so to be condemned, you're just as condemned as every other more wicked people. We read that men regardless of race are not holy by nature, they have to be imputed with holiness. In fact the Pharisees were made to understand that aside from them violating proper procedures in stoning the adulterous woman, they were just as sinful as she was. To be honest, reading through the Old Testament laws, I should have been stoned to death already years ago for dishonoring my parents and stealing! Achan didn't need to steal millions, he was stoned to death anyway!
Holiness in the believer is God-given, not man-earned. In 1 Corinthians 6:11 we read about how God changes the man from unrighteousness (none is righteous) to righteousness being sanctified and justified, set apart for God by the Holy Spirit. Titus 2:11-14 shows how God's grace gives holiness to the believer, manifested by a life zealous of good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 shows holiness for man is by God's grace which changes them for the better. Philippians 2:13 shows God's holiness works in the believer, not them and that holiness in the new man is the work of God. In fact, I cannot say I am holy but rather God has made me holy by His grace. I was not born holy, I needed His Holiness!