When we come to church we are standing on Holy Ground. The ground is holy, NOT because of it's geographical location, and not because the sign outside indicates it's a church. The place is Holy Ground because the presence of God is there.
While it is not necessary for us to take off our shoes when we enter into the sanctuary, it IS necessary that we take some things off. We must "cast off the works of darkness," according to Paul in Romans 13:12. It is also necessary that we "put off and discard [our] old, unrenewed self," (Ephesians 4:22, AMP). And Paul informs us in Colossians 2:11 that it is necessary that we put off "the sins of the flesh", and then he identified them in Colossians 3:8 - "anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth and lying."
Every time I come to church, it is imperative that I understand I am entering a holy place and standing on holy ground. And, recognizing this, it is equally important that I "take off" the things in my life that disqualify me in His presence.
Moses shoes were contaminated with the grime and filth of the earth, and had to be removed; and, because I live and walk in this world, I am contaminated by the sins of this world, and that which contaminates me must be removed. Just as Moses knelt down to remove his shoes, so must I kneel down; but when I kneel down, it is to repent.
The act of repentance is accomplished when I have stripped myself of my former nature. My old self is discarded, and I am renewed in the spirit of my mind. However, it is not enough just to put off some things. If I am to obtain the right to stand in the presence of God, I must put something on...
I am to "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness," (Ephesians 4:24). I am to "put on the armor of light," (Romans 13:12). But most importantly, I am (or WE are) to put on "the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof," (Romans 13:14).
It is important to remember that our part is repentance, which, in this context, is the act of "putting off" those things that are not pleasing to the Lord and the "putting on" of those things that are. However, the rest is up to God. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast," (Ephesians 2:8-9).
As the beneficiaries of grace, not only am I allowed to stand on holy ground, but because I am in Christ, I am "a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new," (II Corinthians 5:17)!
