But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.
Acts 3:14
Holy One! What a powerful name to preach to those who had just crucified their Messiah. Peter preached this name at Pentecost, quoting from Old Testament prophesy: “For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Acts 2:27, Psalms 16:10). The apostles saw how awful it was to trade the most Holy One for a murderer, and the listeners were convicted of their sin. Three thousand converted at Peter’s first sermon on Pentecost and another five thousand after his preaching in chapter three.
To take that which is holy and desecrate it is an offense and attack on God who is the source of holiness. Our present unholy society uses the name of Christ as a swear word and defiles His image in perverted art forms. Christ is not their Lord and certainly they don’t acknowledge Him as the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24).
When many first century Jewish people realized what they had done, they repented with fear and trembling. They realized the seriousness of rejecting Christ. Those who would dare to profane the Holy One can only expect the full wrath of God to fall on them. In this context, Hebrews 10:28-29 is understood: “Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”
Unfortunately even believers fail to keep this title fresh in their minds. They live in open or hypocritical sin, but wear the title Christian (i.e. Christ One) for the unsaved world to see. They make the sacred profane, because they’ve lost sight that their Lord is also the Holy One.
May 10
