HOLINESS OF GOD

WHAT IS HOLINESS 

WHAT IS HOLINESS 

Holiness is about the most important of God’s characteristics, as He has revealed to us in the scriptures (see Lev. 11:44–45; 19:2; 20:7). The scriptures speak more about the holiness of God than any other attribute. Because of which God is not able to tolerate our sin. As Habakkuk 1:13 says, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.” Christ saved us from our sin, so that we might become holy (Eph. 1:3-4). “The Bible could not be any clearer, “The reason for your entire salvation, the design behind our deliverance, the purpose for which God chose us in the first place is holiness.”

HOW TO BECOME HOLY 

The Bible tells us we are called to be holy "even as God is holy." Yet, how are we made holy in the sight of God? He hasn't called us to salvation just to receive his pardon or simply to make heaven even though these are the benefits of our one true call. Our true call is to be holy as the Father is holy. Every believer in the church of Jesus Christ is called to be holy as Christ is holy. Simply put, this means to be pure and blameless in God's sight. "But that's impossible," you say. "Am I really supposed to be as holy as Jesus was? He was spotless, blameless, perfect. How could anyone live up to that standard? Besides, doesn't the Bible say, 'There is none holy as the Lord'?" That was the very purpose of the law — to show how impossible it is for us to measure up to God's standard of holiness. Our human willpower, strength or ability could never make anyone holy. So, if there is none holy but the Lord, how do we truly become a holy people? The answer is, Christ's holiness has to become our holiness. God recognizes only one person as holy: and that is Jesus Christ, our Saviour. He stands alone in perfect holiness. And because Jesus alone is holy and perfect, God won't recognize any other person as holy. Therefore, if we are ever to be received by the heavenly Father, we must be in Christ. Because of Christ's work on the cross, man could no longer attempt to be holy by keeping God's law. He couldn't become holy by good works, righteous deeds or any human effort. Instead, the Father would accept only one man as holy: the new, resurrected man. And when this new man presented to his Father all who believe in him, the Father shall respond: "I receive them all as holy, because they are in my holy Son. "He hath made us accepted in the beloved" (1:6). Now, this one holy, blameless man has a body. And we comprise that body. "Ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (1 Corinthians 12:27). We are made bone of Christ's bone and flesh of his flesh. And we are adopted into his family: "We, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Romans 12:5). God accepts us as holy only as we have faith in Christ and abide in him by the Holy Spirit. I repeat: The only path to holiness is through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has accomplished all for us. Holiness is not only being separated from sin and worldliness but also being set apart for God’s purposes. Is being holy even possible, since only God is holy? Holiness is not only a possibility for the Christian; holiness is a requirement. “Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). We only become holy in relationship to Christ and we only increase in practical holiness as we mature spiritually. The New Testament emphasizes the pursuit of holiness in this world and the final attainment of holiness in the world to come. To be “holy” means that we are, first of all, “set apart for honourable use.” Whereas we were “once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures . . . God our Saviour . . . saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:3-5; 1 Corinthians 6:11). The Lord took the initiative to pull us out of our former lifestyles. He saved us, cleansed us, and set us apart for righteousness. If we have believed in Christ for salvation, we have been washed by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit and set apart from the world for godliness (see Romans 12:2) Therefore, I will urge everyone of us to immerse ourselves more and more in the Scriptures and learn for ourselves how to preach or practice the practical holiness. And from this one very typical passage in 1 Thessalonians I believe you will find at least that we should: We should endeavour to know God. We should exhort ourselves and our people to practical holiness. We should see all our life in relation to God. And be warned and warn the people of God's vengeance. 

WHAT IS TRUE PRACTICAL HOLINESS?

“Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb 12:14), let us stand still for a few minutes and consider the matter of practical holiness. A man may go to great lengths, and yet never reach true holiness. It is not knowledge – Balaam had that; nor great profession – Judas Iscariot had that; nor doing many things – Herod had that; nor zeal for religious matters – Jehu had that; nor morality and outward respectability of conduct – the young ruler had that; nor finding pleasure hearing preachers – the Jews in Ezekiel’s time had that; nor keeping company with godly people – Joab, Gehazi and Demas had that. Yet none of these were holy! These things alone are not holiness. A man may have any one of them, and yet never see the Lord. What then is true practical holiness?  

1. Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, as He has revealed Himself in Scripture. A holy man agrees with God’s judgment: hates what He hates, loves what He loves, and measures everything in this world by the standard of His Word. He has a heartfelt desire to do God’s will, a greater fear of displeasing Him than of displeasing the world, and a love to all God’s ways, as expressed by Paul “I delight in the law of God after the inward man” (Rom 7:32), and David “I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way” (Ps 119:128). A holy man will thus strive to shun every sin, and to keep every commandment. 2. A holy man will strive to be like Christ. “He that saith he abideth in [Christ] ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked” (1 John 2:6). “Christ … suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). He will not only live a life of faith in Christ, and draw from Him all his daily peace and strength, but he will also labour to have the mind of Christ, to be conformed to His image (Rom 8:29). It will be his aim to forgive others, even as Christ forgave us (Col 3:13); to be unselfish even as Christ pleased not Himself (Rom 15:3); to love others even as Christ loved us (Eph 5:2); to be humble even as Christ made Himself of no reputation and humbled Himself (Phil 2:7). He will remember that Christ was a faithful witness for the truth (John 18:37); that He came not to do His own will but the will of God the Father who sent Him (John 6:38; 4:34); that he would continually deny Himself in order to serve others (Mt 16:24; Mk 8:34; Lk 9:23); that He was meek and patient under undeserved insults; that he was full of love and compassion to sinners; that He was bold and uncompromising in denouncing sin; that He sought not the praise of men; that He continued instant in prayer and was separate from worldly people. Much sin would be prevented if men would often ask themselves “what would Christ have said and done, if He were in my place?” 

 3. A holy man will follow after meekness, longsuffering, patience, and kind tempers. He will bear much, forbear much, overlook much, and be slow to insist on his rights. We see holy examples of this in David when cursed by Shimei (2 Sam 16:10), and Moses when criticised by Aaron and Miriam (Num 12:3).

4. A holy man will discipline himself. He will labour to mortify the desires of his body, to crucify his flesh with his lusts, to curb and restrain his passions. Jesus reminded us in Luke 21:34 “take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life…” The apostle Paul showed us what a disciplined life looks like: “I keep under my body, and bring it unto subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor 9:27). 

5. A holy man will strive to be loving and kind. He will strive to observe the golden rule of doing as he would have men do to him, and speaking as he would have men speak to him. He will be full of affection towards his brethren, towards their property, their characters, their feelings, and their souls. “He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law” (Rom 13:8). He will hate all lying, slandering, backbiting, cheating, dishonesty, and unfair dealing even in the least things. He will strive to make his Christian faith lovely and beautiful in the eyes of all around him. 

 6. A holy man will be merciful and benevolent towards others. He will not be idle, but will do good, be useful and lessen the spiritual wants and misery around him as best as he can. Such was Dorcas “full of good works and alms deeds, which she did” (Acts 9:26) - not merely purposed, prayed or talked about, but did. Paul sacrificed himself for others, even when no one shows appreciation: “I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.” (2 Cor 12:15). 

7. A holy man will seek purity of heart. He will dread all filth and uncleanness, and avoid things that might draw him into it. He knows his own heart is like tinder, and will diligently keep clear of the sparks of temptation. Who dares to talk of strength when David can fall? The ceremonial law teaches us that one who touched a bone, a dead body, a grave or a diseased person is immediately unclean in the sight of God. These things are figures and metaphors. Few Christians are ever too watchful about this.

8. A holy man will fear God. I do not mean the fear of a slave, who only works because he is afraid of punishment. I mean rather the fear of a child who, out of love for his father, wishes to please him. 

 9. A holy man will strive to be humble. He will desire, in lowliness of mind, to esteem others better than himself. He will see more evil in his own heart than in any other. He will feel with Abraham “I am dust and ashes” and Jacob “I am less than the least of all Thy mercies”, and Job “I am vile”, and Paul “I am the chief of sinners.” 

 10. A holy man will strive to be faithful in the duties and relations in life. “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord”, “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” (Col 3:23; Rom 12:11). Aim to do everything well: be good husbands, good wives, good parents, good children, good masters, good servants, good neighbours, good subjects, good in private and in public, and good in the place of school and business. Holiness is worth little if it does not bear this fruit in life. 

 11. A holy man should be spiritually-minded. He will set his affections on things above, and to hold things on earth very loosely. He will not neglect the business of his present life; but his foremost thoughts will be focused on his future life. He will aim to live like one whose treasure is in heaven, and to pass through this world like a stranger and pilgrim traveling to his home. To commune with God in prayer, in the Bible, in the assembly of His people – these things will be the holy man’s chiefest enjoyments. He will value every opportunity that draws him nearer to God. “My soul followeth hard after Thee”; “Thou art my portion” (Ps 63:8; 119:57). I do not mean that a holy man is entirely free from sin. A holy man is often miserable because when he would do good ‘evil is present with him’, that the old man is drawing him back at every step he takes (Rom 7:21). He hates the sin within, mourns over it, and longs to be free from it. The work of sanctification within him is like the wall of Jerusalem – its construction continues even in difficult times (Dan 9:25). Neither do I mean that all these graces must be found in full bloom before you can call a Christian holy. Far from it. Sanctification is always a progressive work. Some Christians’ graces are in the blade, some in the ear, and some are like full corn in the ear. All must have a beginning. Never despise ‘the day of small things.’ Sanctification is at best an imperfect work. The holiest saints who ever lived will contain many a ‘but’ and ‘notwithstanding.’ The gold will never be without some dross, the light will never shine without some clouds, until we reach the heavenly Jerusalem. The holiest persons have many blemishes. Their life is a continual warfare with sin, the world and the devil. Sometimes you will see them not overcoming, but overcome. The flesh is ever lusting against the Spirit, and in many things they offend (Gal 5:17; Jas 3:2). While we should make allowance for backsliding and occasional deadness, we cannot be holy if we wilfully and habitually sin and yet are not ashamed because of it. John Owen says “I do not understand how a man can be a true believer unto whom sin is not the greatest burden, sorow and trouble.” It must be our heart’s desire and prayer to be holy. We press towards it, we may not attain it, but always aim at it. It is what we strive and labour to be, if it is not what we are. Contributions: John Piper (practical holiness).