The Meaning of Holiness

Scripture:  1 Peter 1:13-16

Outline:

I.                    The CHARACTERISTICS of holiness

II.                  The CONSTRAINTS of holiness

III.                The COMMAND to be holy.

Let’s get it settled at the beginning:

·         No one’s perfect  (incapable of improving)

·         We’re only human  (limited and frail)

It is to imperfect, limited, frail humans that God commands:  “Be ye holy.”   When God issues a command He also supplies the grace and power to obey!

I.      The CHARACTERISTICS of Holiness:

What does it mean to be holy like God is? 

Peter is writing to people who were familiar with the Old Testament.  The command is from Leviticus 11:44 – in the context of the food laws.

From both the Old Testament and the New Testament we are taught that holiness has three irreducible, essential, elements.

A.      The Source of Holiness:   “To be holy I must be CONNECTED  to the SOURCE  of holiness—God Himself.”

·         All holiness finds its origin and source in God.  God alone is holy (Rev. 15:4 – “for thou only art holy”; see also Exod. 15:11; Psa. 99:5).

·         Nothing is holy until it is connected to the origin and source of holiness—God himself.  All holiness proceeds from God.  The holiness of persons, things, days, and places is predicated and sustained only by being in a special relationship with the holy God.

·         All born-again Christians are connected to the SOURCE of holiness–God–through the new birth. 
  Colossians 3:3:  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

·         If you are born again, you are “in Christ” (Rom. 8:1).
Because of this connection, we become holy at the moment of our new birth, our conversion!

·         God now calls us “saints” = “holy ones.”  The normal word to describe Christians in the New Testament is “saints” – literally meaning “holy ones.” This term occurs 60 times in the New Testament.

·         Holiness begins at the new birth.

B.       Separation –Set Apart Unto God:  To be holy I must be set apart unto God.

·         “The basic idea of holiness is separation—being set apart.”

1.       To be holy, I am SET APART or SEPARATED TO God as His possession – His special treasure.

·        Exodus 19:5,6  -  “ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people … a holy nation.”  What is holy is claimed by God as his treasure, His possession.

·        Leviticus 20:24-26: -  ‘I have separated you from other people … ye shall be holy unto unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you ( separated you) from other people, that ye should be mine.

·        1 Corinthians 6:19,20 -  you are not your own – you are bought with a price – glorify God in your body and spirit.

·        When a person gets saved, he or she becomes the property of God.
God has a right to do what He wants with His property! He has the right to tell us how to live. 

2.       To be holy I must be SEPARATED FROM the common, the ordinary.

·  Exodus 3:5 – Illustration of Moses at the burning bush. 
A common, ordinary bush, rooted in common, ordinary ground is changed into a holy bush, and holy ground, because:

The bush and the ground became connected to the source of holiness – God Himself appears to Moses.

God claimed that ground as His own – He separated it unto Himself.

God separated that ground from the common, ordinary ground around about, and made it “holy” ground. It was no longer common, ordinary ground.  (The same is true about us if we are saved!)

·  Leviticus 10:10  - Priests were to teach the people to discern between the holy and the common.  NIV Leviticus 10:10:  “You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean.”

·  I Samuel 21:4  “And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common (lx – hol, ordinary) bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed (kodesh) bread; (Ezek 22:26; 42:20; 44:23; 48:15   -“profane” use = “common” use)

·   This aspect of holiness means there does not have to be something “wrong” or sinful with an attitude or action before God tells you to stop it.

Ø  God has the right to separate His holy people, His personal possession, from common or ordinary things that He knows will not be good for them spiritually.

3.       To be holy I must be SEPARATED FROM that which is sinful or that which defiles me in God’s eyes.

·         1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

·         1 Thessalonians 4:3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified [holy]: that you should avoid sexual immorality.”

·         a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. ¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

·         God expects moral purity in your life. Holiness requires us to stop doing everything and anything that God says is sinful.

Summary:  The basic idea of holiness is separation—being set apart to God as His personal possession.

This means we are no longer common/ ordinary, and He has the right to ask us to stop doing anything that will not help us to grow spiritually. 
As His possession He requires us to be separated from anything that is sinful or defiles.” 

[Transition and summary:  We have been examining the CHARACTERISTICS of holiness –

·         To be holy I must be connected to the source of holiness – God himself.

·         To be holy I am set apart to God as His possession and separated from the common, and separated from that which is sinful or defiles.

We now come to the third characteristic of holiness.

C.       To be holy means I SHARE in the life & nature of our holy God – I become Christlike.

·         ^NKJ 2 Peter 1:3-4:  His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 
(4) by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

·         2  Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1:

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? ¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, ¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

7:1 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.

I.                    The CHARACTERISTICS of holiness

II.                  The CONSTRAINTS of holiness.

1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

A.       A holy person is an obedient person – he / she obeys God’s Word & walks in the Spirit.     – “as obedient children”

B.        A holy person is a separated, transformed person – “not fashing yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.

Lusts = values, motivations, goals, lifestyle you had before you learned what it meant to be holy.

Peter tells us, a holy person will have a passion to do the will of God.

A passion is more than willingness. 

Because we are holy and now share in the life and nature of our holy God, we will purpose to be like Jesus in His passion to do the will of God.

Listen to Jesus:

·         John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

·         John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

III.                The COMMAND to be holy

I opened my message with the statement:

Let’s get it settled at the beginning:

·         No one’s perfect  (incapable of improving)

·         We’re only human  (limited and frail)

It is to imperfect, limited, frail humans that God commands:  “Be ye holy.”  

 When God issues a command He also supplies the grace and power to obey!

“What oxygen is to the physical life, holiness is to the spiritual life.”

Conclusion:

   God Created us to be holy – Eph. 1:4.  – “He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” 

    God Calls us to be holy – 2 Tim. 1:9  - “who has saved us and called us to a holy life”

  God Commands us to be holy  - 1 Peter 1:15,16 -  “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

God Requires holiness for entry into heaven  --  Hebrew 12:14  - “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

REPENTANCE AND HOLINESS

Repentance and Holiness is an end time messages that returns the Church back to our Lord Jesus Christ, this means there is no other way for the Church to be reconciled with Jehovah except through repentance leading to transformation of individuals life.

Check this space