Holiness
=Holiness 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?"--Ex. 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.
=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."--1 Chron. 16:29. "Sing unto the Lord, O ye
saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his
holiness."--Psa. 30:4.
=God's throne and dwelling-place.= "God reigneth over the heathen: God
sitteth upon the throne of his holiness."--Psa. 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."--Isa. 57:15. "Be silent, O all flesh, before the
Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation."--Zech. 2:13.
"Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness
and thy glory."--Isa. 63:15.
=Holiness becomes God's house.= "Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness
becometh thine house, O Lord, forever."--Psa. 93:5. "The aged women
likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness."--Titus 2:3.
=The church of God is called a mountain of holiness.= "The Lord bless
thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness."--Jer. 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."--Zech. 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."--Isa. 65:25.
=God speaks in holiness.= "God hath spoken in his holiness; I will
rejoice."--Psa. 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."--Jer. 23:9.
=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."--Isa. 35:8-10.
=The courts of holiness.= "But they that have gathered it shall eat it,
and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink
it in the courts of my holiness."--Isa. 62:9.
=The people of God are holy.= "The people of thy holiness have possessed
but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy
sanctuary."--Isa. 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."--Isa. 62:12. "And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be
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."--Deut.
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."--1 Pet.
2:9.
=We are called unto holiness.= "Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall see the Lord."--Heb. 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."--1 Pet. 1:15, 16.
"For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."--1
Thess. 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."--Heb. 12:10.
=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.
=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.
The foregoing scriptures are 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 (Eph. 2:10) that "we are his workmanship, created in Jesus Christ
unto good works."
Were we to look upon depraved humanity in the image of Adam, we would
see nothing but sin and unholiness; but God has brought into existence a
new order of creation in Christ Jesus. The first Adam is a sad and
irreparable failure, and in him we see nothing good. All who are living
according to the flesh are dead in trespasses and sins, and of course
are unholy; but the second Adam, which is Christ has brought redemption
and life, in whom there is purity and holiness. The old man is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, which =must be put off=. The new man is
created in righteousness and true holiness, which =must be put on=. The
reason some do not comprehend the doctrine of holiness is, they are yet
living in the old creation, hence their nature and mind are corrupt. It
is utterly impossible for such to be holy in this condition. The
command, "Be ye holy," does not apply to them. They are not God's
people. The first step for such to take is to repent, which if they obey
they will be brought into the kingdom of God's holiness; into the new
creation, the workmanship of God in Christ Jesus. Bless the Lord, O my
soul, for this new creation of purity and holiness. All the living
creatures of heaven bow before him that sitteth upon the throne, saying,
Holy, holy, holy! and every sanctified heart on earth can join the
blessed anthem of praise and adoration with the consciousness that the
all-cleansing blood of Christ has reached its inmost depth and purified
it for the habitation of the heavenly guest, the Holy Spirit. The pure
heart is God's dwelling-place on earth. Jesus says (John 14:23) "If a
man love me, he will keep my words and my Father will love him, and we
will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
* * * * *
Thus we see that God not only dwells in the high and holy heaven, but
also upon earth in the hearts of his obedient people. Who could
consistently believe that God would dwell in a corrupt heart? "He shall
be in you," is the promise of Jesus. "At that day [the day when the Holy
Spirit comes into the heart], ye shall know that I am in my Father, and
ye in me, and I in you." Oh, the depths of the riches of this wonderful
redemption, that God would forgive the guilty sinner, then purify his
heart and make it his earthly abode. This is his will toward every son
and daughter of Adam's race. He will create us in the image of Christ,
so that we may truly serve him without fear, in holiness and
righteousness before him all the days of our life. This can be called
none other than the way of holiness. It is God's own way, and is truly a
highway too high for anything unclean to pass over. It is on a perfect
level with heaven itself, and yet it is a highway here upon earth for
all the ransomed of the Lord to travel upon. It is so plain and simple
that no one need be led astray. The wayfaring men though fools, shall
not err therein. A wayfaring man means one who is on the way, one who
lives on the way. A seafaring man is one who lives on the sea. This way
is so safe that though a man may be simple in the estimation of the
world, and may be called a fool, yet if he keeps obedient to God he
shall not be led astray. "No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast
shall go up thereon." This indicates a very safe way, where we need not
fear any evil. Everything of the flesh or the old man is ruled out, and
none but the redeemed shall walk there. We see therefore from the
description of the prophet that this is a highway, a clean way, a simple
way, a safe way, a way of songs and everlasting joy, which necessarily
constitutes a way of holiness.
This is the way upon which the people of God are truly returning to
Zion. This Zion is the scriptural name of the church of God. The people
of God have been led into captivity of ecclesiastical bondage (Babylon),
and the pure light of the gospel of holiness has been darkened by the
creeds and doctrines of men, but God is revealing to his own that
sanctification is a Bible doctrine; they seek for, and obtain it, and
thereby every sectarian yoke is broken, his people find themselves upon
this highway of holiness and at home in Zion, the church, free from the
bondage of sectism. This is the work of God himself, and will not cease
until every one of his people are brought home to Zion, upon the way of
holiness. This is the highway that is left for the remnant of his
people. Isa. 11:16. This remnant shall be gathered out of all the creeds
of men into the one fold, into the true unity of Christ. "For both he
that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one."
The prophet foresaw this blessed return of the people of God and tells
us "they shall call them, The holy people." There are some who call
themselves holiness people, but the prophet says we shall be called,
"The holy people." Holiness factions and sects have actually sprung into
existence, which declare that sectism and division is necessary. This
class of holiness is not that described in the foregoing scriptures.
Bible holiness will in every individual instance destroy everything out
of men's hearts that separates or divides. Divisions are the outgrowth
of carnality and not of the Spirit of God. Every profession of holiness,
therefore, which sanctions division and sectism cannot possibly be the
holiness of the Bible. This may seem to some a strong assertion, but it
will stand the test of the word of God.
No scriptural unity will ever be effected among the people of God
outside the experience of sanctification. Men have repeatedly laid other
foundations, but all to no avail. It is a source of great satisfaction
to know that wherever the Holy Spirit has the right of way in the hearts
of men, there is found true apostolic unity, both in spirit and in
doctrine. This is a well authenticated fact which is demonstrated in
thousands of hearts today. The holy people are one people, and all are
willing to be measured by all of the word of God, which proves to the
"profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works." The apostle teaches us, in Heb. 12:10,
that God imparts unto us his holiness: we are partakers of it. It is not
an experience which we by our efforts can attain to, but upon the
clearly defined conditions of his word we come into possession of his
holiness. It is all wrought within us by himself. "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved
us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
Bible holiness is truly an imported article directly from God out of
heaven. Some imported goods in this country are much more expensive and
of better quality than those of home manufacture. Many of our people
prefer to pay the extra expense in order to obtain the better quality,
and usually are abundantly satisfied with their purchase. This may serve
to illustrate this blessed holiness of the Bible. Men's professions are
sometimes like an inferior homemade piece of goods. It soon wears
threadbare and betrays its quality, but the genuine imported article of
Bible holiness proves satisfactory in every respect, and the more it is
worn the better it becomes. It has cost us everything, but it proves to
be worth more than everything to us. The reason why some people have
failed to get it is, they are unwilling to pay the price. They are
deceived by the false doctrine that they do not need to consecrate their
all, and hence have accepted a holiness manufactured by man, a homemade
article which will never stand the test. A definite, absolute
consecration to the loss of all things will never fail to procure the
genuine article of true Bible holiness, which will stand the wear of
every trial of life and the test of the judgment.