Someone once said:
There is no sacralism in the NT, there are no holy objects, places, times; only people are holy when the Holy Spirit indwells them.

To which someone else responded:
Exactly, Jesus desacralized religion, people alone are sacred - Sacred enough for Jesus to Live and Die for.

Let's just consider what is sacred and what is holy and why. Let us also consider the truth that God does not change.

First consider this fundamental truth.

Revelation 15.4
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

Truth — ONLY GOD IS TRULY HOLY!

Exodus 15.11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, GLORIOUS IN HOLINESS, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

Holiness is something that is in God alone. God alone can impart holiness. Wherever God is and whatever is dedicated to God or filled with His holiness can only have holiness. Nothing is holy without God.

Consider Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:5. The very ground was holy. Why? Was there anything about the ground that was different? No, it was not the ground itself that held anything holy — it became holy because the presence of God was there.

The earthly sanctuary was a symbol of Christ's presence with His people. It was God's presence that made it holy and terribly sacred.

Exodus 29.43-46
And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and THE TABERNACLE SHALL BE SANCTIFIED BY MY GLORY.
And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office.
And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
That I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.

That which is holy or sacred is that which belongs to God or has God's presence. Heaven is a holy, scared place because God is there. The New Jerusalem is the Holy City.

Now we have people saying that Christ desanctified or desacridized everything. Do you realize what they are saying — They are saying that the things that belong to God are no longer holy, the places where God is are no longer holy.

Then they have the presumption to say that people are all holy — even in their carnal, unrenewed state! One person tells us that people were holy enough for Christ to die for! WOW— talk about taking on the prerogatives of God! If people are already holy Christ need not of died!

Christ died for us because we are sinners — all people are sinners without hope as long as they are without Christ.

Here we see the great difference in interpretation between the new and true theology. People are not holy— people are sinners. No amount of works can make them holy. This is what Paul is talking about when he wrote in 2 Tim. 1.9

"Who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"

Without Christ there is no holiness! Christ is calling us with a holy calling — Why is He calling us if we are already holy (some claim we automatically become holy just because Christ died, yet here we see Christ calling us with a holy calling)

Romans 1:7 says we are called to be saints:

"Beloved of God, called to be saints:" The word "saints" is translated "his dedicated people".

"Come unto Me," Christ calls, "take My yoke" (Matt. 11:28)
"Come," Christ calls, "take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 10:21)

We can do nothing to erase the guilt of our sins, except come to Christ with a contrite and broken heart (in repentance) seeking His cleansing.

It's not by what we have accomplished on our own but by what we can accomplish through the indwelling Holy Spirit that imparts any holiness to us. It is only as we are connected to the Holy Vine of Christ and are in close, committed, totally dependant connection with His Holiness, that we can have any holiness at all.

HOLY THINGS AND DAYS

Now to the other implication put forth that everything was desacratized by Christ. The very concept is horrendously false!

But let's just look at the New Testament for evidence.

Romans 1.2
"Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures."
2 Tim. 3:15 "That from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

The Word of God — that is the Bible — is Holy. Why is it holy? Not because of it's binding or the paper upon which it is printed. It is holy because the Words within have come from God Himself, written there by men moved to write by His Holy Spirit.

Romans 7.12
"Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Paul is here speaking of the ten commandments - he quotes the tenth as an example. Paul says the commandments are HOLY.

The law is holy because it comes from God Himself. The stone upon which it was written was not holy in itself. Those tablets of stone became holy only because God wrote with His own finger His law upon them. The same way with us — our hearts only become HOLY when God's Holy Spirit writes His law upon our hearts. God's law is holy "set apart in holiness" because it is divinely originated, unquestionable, totally just, and "perfect" (Ps. 19:7) If we want to be free to enjoy life, we must learn to live in harmony with the laws of God (James 1:25,2:12) If we would be partakers of God's holiness, we must be partakers of God's holy law. God's presence in the life will crowd out sin, for His presence has no union with sin.

Hebrews 12.1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Yet many posters on this forum are doing exactly what Peter has warned against. He plainly tells us that God's commandments are STILL HOLY!

2 Peter 2.19-21
"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them."

A HOLY DAY

Holiness comes only when the presence of a Holy God is there. The Bible plainly tells us that God sanctified, or made holy, set apart for holy use, a specific day. (Gen 2:3) As God's presence makes places holy, so God's presence makes time holy.

The reason that it matters which day one keeps as the Sabbath is that God puts Himself in a special way into the hours that comprise the Sabbath.

Christ says "I am Lord of the Sabbath day" (Luke 6:5, Matt. 12:8, Mark 2:28)
John says "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day" Rev. 1:

What a testimony, God's holy day is a time to be in communication with the spiritual things of God in a special way.

"If you love Me," Christ said, "keep my commandments, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord you God with all you heart, soul and mind." (John 14:15, Matt. 22:37,38)

If you love Christ you will eagerly spend His Holy Day, made holy by His special presence, with HIM.

Holiness is a call to live differently from the way humans naturally live. It is a call to rise above a sin-dictated life. Above all, and of supreme importance, it is a call to walk with a Holy God, to be aware of His presence and commit to following His Will.

How can people keep holy a holy day? It is only when they themselves are holy. Yet, how can we be holy? Only if Christ dwells with us, for without Him there is no holiness.
Therefore the Sabbath is a sign that it is God who sanctifies us and makes us holy. Only then can we keep His Sabbath Holy.

It is not an act of works-- works cannot keep anything holy. But the people whom God sanctifies and makes holy, will keep His Sabbath day holy. There is no holiness outside of God.

1 Peter 1.14-17
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear."

Yes, there is a judgment coming — if we surrender our lives to Christ, seeking His forgiveness and cleansing, walking daily with Him in humble obedience, honouring His commandments, living in a vibrant, living relationship with Him, we need not fear the judgment. The fear is in the fact that we tend to pull away from Christ and seek to do our own things apart from His will. Apart from Him there is no holiness.

In the end the blessing is pronounce on those who
"Keep the commandments of God
and have the FAITH OF JESUS"
The two cannot be separated.