HOLINESS TO THE LORD

Our Separation is Settled in His Holiness

 

The Lord is holy. He is set apart from sin and from sinners. “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) The Bible proclaims our Lord as thrice holy: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” (Is. 6:3; Rev. 4:8) God's holiness demands that He be separate from all that is not pure, from everything unclean. Furthermore, we must recognize the difference between that which is holy and that which is not. “And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.” (Leviticus 10:10)

Yet, God wants people to recognize and give reverence to His holiness. “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 29:2 How then can the trusting Christian worship the Lord in holiness?

Holy, sanctified, set apart, separate, and saint all mean about the same thing. We find the Lord has made the believer holy. Holiness for the Christian became a reality the very moment he placed his trust in the death of Christ for his sins, at the time of his salvation. The Christian became holy IN CHRIST. The Christian is holy because Christ his Saviour is holy.   Notice, the following verses show the Christian as one who is set apart because he has been cleansed by the Lord.

"Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." (1 Corinthians 1:2)

"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11)

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10)

"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." (Hebrews 3:1)

Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:." (Philippians 1:1 - see also Col. 1:2; Rom. 1:7)

The Lord had already made the believer holy, because God's Son is holy.  And, the believer is holy because of his new position IN CHRIST.

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification [holiness], and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30)

The Lord Jesus Christ himself is the Christian's holiness.  Therefore, the Christian does not do things in order to become holy.  As a new creature in Christ, the Christian is now able to do good things because he is holy.  We are to trust that what Christ has done for us is enough.  He is our holiness.  We are to consider this true because the Bible says it is true (as in 1 Cor. 1:30).

Holy means set apart, or separate. Our Bible is called the Holy Bible because it is set apart from all other books on the Earth. It is a set apart book, a holy book. The Bible is separate from all other books because it is God's book. The same is true for a Christian. The Christian is set apart from the one who does not trust Christ as saviour. The Christian is separate from all other people because he is In Christ. Only those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins is a Christian. The Christian is holy because his saviour is holy. The Christian then had the duty to act set apart from the sinful world. The Christian is to be separate from sin. The Lord shows we are to be separate unto the Lord and from worldly things. These are the two aspects of separation. The believer is set apart UNTO the Lord and the believer is set apart FROM sin.  The following chart will show these two aspects of the believer's separation.

  

HOLY IN OUR POSITION

HOLY IN OUR PRACTICE

For I am Holy

Be ye holy

But as he which hath called you is holy

So be ye holy in all manner of conversation

 "Because we are legitimate sons, we are chastened"

That we might be partakers of his holiness

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness 

But unto holiness.

Which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness

And that ye put on the new man

 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved

 let us cleanse ourselves ... perfecting holiness in the fear of God

Verses for the chart: 1 Peter 1:16; 1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:10; I Thessalonians 4:7; Ephesians 4:24; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Leviticus 10:10.

 

Separated Unto

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. Romans 1:1

 

Separated From

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 2 Corinthians 6:17

 

James Utter  9/2012

 

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