HOLINESS PART I.
God, in His written Word, demands holiness.
1. Holiness is an Attribute of God
“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”(Exodus 15:11).
“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”(Isa. 6:3).
“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”(Rev. 4:8).
Man was made in the image of God—holy. But man fell by choice and sinned away his glory, the image of God. God so loves man that He gave man a second chance so as not to be lost. So God made a way for man to be created anew through Jesus Christ so that man may be returned to his initial – primitive- holiness. Every individual is freely offered this chance by God.
2. God Must Be Worshiped in Holiness
“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (I Chronicles 16:29).
“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”(Psa. 30:4).
God hates sin and will not dwell in the hearts of a people who are even slightly tainted with sin. He will only dwell and work in a people who are holy (2 Cor. 6:18-18). He only accepts worship from such. He therefore wants a church congregation that is holy, one made up of a people who have been created a new through the blood of His Dear son, Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13, John 3:16). Such have the name of God and assemble with Him in church to worship, praise, and thank Him (Mat. 18:20). Such people live for the glory of God individually in their private lives, and collectively as a church congregation.
The holy individuals scattered all over the world must accept the will of God and let Him melt them together in unity (John 17:21-24). We are prayerfully waiting to see this church, aggregately, here on earth. A church of God that is made up of such a people effuses Godliness to the world. God says it in His bible and we believe it. Please, do not harden your heart. Let God make you such as He wills. “While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation” (Heb 3:15). Amen.
3. God’s Throne and Dwelling Place are unpoluted.
.“God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.” (Psalm 47:8).
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.”(Isaiah 57:15).
“Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.”(Zechariah 2:13).
“Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and thy glory.” (Isaiah 63:15).
Amen. We must let God rule in His holy congregation collectively. We can only do this if each individual is totally obedient to God.
4. Holiness Becomes God’s House.
“Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, forever.” (Psalm 93:5).
“The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness.” (Titus 2:3).
If we have allowed Jesus to build us together into His Holy house (Eph. 2:21-22; Heb. 3:6), He will finish His work. It is going on now and we must humbly fit where He will have us be as the lively stones He uses (1 Pet. 2:5).
5. The Church of God Is Called a Mountain of Holiness
“The Lord bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.” (Jeremiah 31:23).
“Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.” (Zechariah 8:3).
“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and the dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain saith the Lord.”(Isaiah 65:25)
6. God Speaks in Holiness
“God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice.”(Psalm 60:6).
“Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.”(Jeremiah 23:9).
7. The Way of Holiness
“And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”(Isaiah 35:8-10)
8. The Courts of Holiness
“But they that have gathered it shall cut it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.”(Isaiah 62:9)
9. The People of God Are Holy
“The people of thy holiness have possessed but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.”(Isaiah 63:18).
“And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.”(Isaiah 62:12).
“And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to he his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; and to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honor; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.”(Deuteronomy 26:18-19).
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:9).
10. We Are Called unto Holiness
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14).
“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.”(I Peter 1:15-16)
“For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”(I Thessalonians 4:7)
“That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.” (Luke 1:74-75).
“For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.”(Hebrews 12:10).
11. A Perfect Holiness Attainable
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1.)
“For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11: 45).
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”.(Mat. 5:48).
12. Fruit unto Holiness
“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” (Rom.6:22). This is the fruit we are after in every person who professes salvation..
CONCLUSION: In the paragraphs, above, ,we have given but a few out of the many plain texts from the word of God teaching us the glorious doctrine of holiness. Some professing Christians look upon this doctrine as unscriptural and impracticable, but in the light of the gospel of Christ there is no other doctrine taught than holiness. The very fact that God, and Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the word of God, and heaven, and all the celestial hosts are holy, at once suggests to every reasonable mind the utter necessity of holiness in the heart and life of man. The apostle says that “we are his workmanship, created in Jesus Christ unto good works.” (Eph. 2:10).
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