__________________*God’

s Treasure*
“W ha t , How & W hy To Be Hol y”
Philippians 2:13

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Many issues arise today in our generation (year 2010) about the issue of whether a Christian should be holy or not. Is
holiness a must in Christianity? Is holiness possible? Is it of God?

To answer these questions we must know first what holiness really means.
Holiness is an expression of God’s attribute. Since God is absolutely and terribly perfect in Himself (and cannot and has not
committed any mistake or evil ever since), God is holy.
The question is: “Yes we believe God is holy for He is God, but how about us?” The Bible evidently says that man is corrupt
and unholy.

The Metaphors of Holiness

Although the Word God explicitly includes the word “holy” or “holiness” yet there are some words that mean the same as
them.
1. Sacred – devoted or dedicated to God
2. Sanctified – made or declared to be holy
3. Perfect - Being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
4. Mature - Fully considered and perfected

Holiness is not sinlessness in the part of a Christian but dedication to God and His Word which requires obedience and faith
in Christ.

The Must of Holiness

Holiness is not option for a Christian. In fact it is a command from God Himself.
1. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.(Lev. 20:7)
2. 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)
3. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them
that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (2 Tim. 2:19)

Those who will heed to this command are those whose God is the LORD whom the Bible says is Holy. If you’re a Christian
this must be your aim.

The Means of Holiness

Holiness is possible in a Christian’s life. Many will say that a Christian since he is still in the flesh cannot be perfect and
therefore cannot be holy. Paul said that his flesh is sold to sin (Rom. 7:14). But this same Paul said that inwardly he was renewed
day by day (2 Cor. 4:16).
It must be known that holiness is not the work of man but the work of Almighty God which sinful man can avail at the
moment of Salvation. How does God make a man holy or sanctified?
If we trace back in the Old Testament, we can see that this is the whole duty of man (Ecc. 12:13) to God since God
created man and his life is in the hand of God (John 1:4, Job 12:10). Failure to do our duty is sin, disobedience to God (1 John
3:4). At the moment of regeneration, God’s Spirit makes a man born again and the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of the man
(John 3:8, Eph. 1:13). The Holy Spirit’s influence in a saved person will cause him to live a holy life. That’s why He is named as
the “HOLY” Spirit because His influence in a man is holiness. A Christian now has the means of living a holy life by submitting his
will to the will of the Holy Spirit. Not only that, once the Holy Spirit indwells a man, He will cause a man to bring forth fruits of
righteousness and holiness (Gal. 5:22, Eph. 5:9).
You may say, “Wait, what if a man decides not to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit because of his weakness? Then
what?” Yes, a Christian does have the ability to disobey the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit will be grieved in such a case (Eph. 4:30). Yet
if a Christian does this so (and, of a truth, will do for a time), God will lovingly discipline that man. Since a save person is a child
of God (John 1:12) and God is his spiritual Father, God will be obliged (will be forced and therefore will certainly do) to discipline
or chastise that person (Heb. 12:6-8). The Bible says that if a man is a child of God (saved) God will absolutely discipline Him. The
same verses tell us that all children of God are partakers of God’s chastisement.
 Chastisement is God’s way of spanking us (with pains spiritually or physically) in order to purge us from our stubbornness
and sin. This means that God will not only make us holy but is so determined so. A Christian therefore has no choice but to obey
God not because He is strict and harsh but because God is a loving Father that only wants what’s best for His children.
Not only God’s Spirit and God the Father is at work in sanctifying a saved man but also Christ, the Living Word. God uses
His Living Word in order to cleanse us and give us strength to obey Him (2 Pet. 1:3,4). Also, Christ’s resurrection from the grave
will give the saved person the victory over his own sins. Christ purchase the victory for us, we only have to take it by faith.
The question of holiness is not really a question of ability but of salvation. A genuinely saved person will be holy or be
conformed to the image of Christ (as one Evangelist said).

The Rationale of Holiness

So, what’s the reason why God works out holiness in us. Surely, it not easy to undergo chastisement or discipline from
God (Heb. 12:11).
Here are some of the reasons why God wants a person to be holy:
1. God is Holy and therefore His children should be holy.
It’s a moral obligation of a father to make sure his children will be led in the right way. God designed it that way. Nature or
conscience tells us that way. That’s why the saying “Like father, like son” has a significant truth.
A saved person is God’s child. Despite his sins against Him, God still accepts him in the family for the sake of the sacrifice that
Christ did on the cross for sin and because that man has repented of his sins and trusted Christ’s salvation. It is a shameful
thing for God, considering His holy character, to allow His children to live a life of sin. Since God is holy, and therefore, cannot
sin, He is obliged to discipline and sanctify those He accepted in His family. That’s why God’s command is:
“Be ye holy for I am holy.” (Lev. 20:7). The emphasis is in the I (God). God’s reputation and character is at stake. I
believe only a true saved person can respond such a command.

2. God uses and works through holy vessels.

Another issue is God saves a person with a plan to use that person to fulfill His will. That answers the question why a
saved person still lives on earth because God wants to use Him. God’s children have a desire to serve Him and to obey His will
because God will put that desire in their conscience and heart (Heb. 9:14).
The truth about serving God is somewhat a little off-course in our generation. We serve God thinking that it is through our
own abilities. We toil and labour in our own means. This is not what the Bible is telling us. The account in Acts 9:15 clearly
tells us how the famous apostle Paul became a servant and labourer of God. God called Paul a “chosen vessel unto me [God]”.
chosen – It is God’s decision to let us serve Him and not ours
vessel – A true servant of God is just a vessel or tool. A hammer is a tool. Yet even though how good the hammer is, it
cannot work on its own. In fact it is useless without someone to handle and use it. That is so true about serving God. All
labourers of God are useless on their own. God, Himself, has to use them. The power is in God and not in us (Rom. 1:16).
unto me – It means that all service rendered to God must be for God and for God alone. This means we cannot work the
works of God for our own selfish reasons or measure it in worldly terms. Servants of the Lord must never measure the
success of their work because servants are just commanded to obey. The joy of the Christian is His Lord and following His
commands whether there are visible results or not.
The last truth about service to God is connected to holiness. God cannot use a dirty vessel (and normally, neither will
you!). God’s exhortation in His word is if a man will submit himself to God (and thereby allow God’s working of holiness in his
life), God will make him a “vessel unto honor” (2 Tim. 2:21). In short God will manifest His greatness in the life of that man.
And I believe you will believe if I say that holiness is related to God’s power and God’s working of miracles. God will work
miracles thru a man if that man is holy or sanctified by God (Acts 3:12). Working for God is a miraculous task since no power
on earth can convict sin except God’s Holy Spirit (John 16:8), no power can change a man’s heart except Christ (2 Cor. 5:17),
no power can saved a person except God (Rom. 1:16). If God will not work, it is a useless work. But if God will work, it is a
great and mighty work (no matter how small it seems to be)!

3. Holiness is the whole duty of man.

You may up this point, “Yeah, holiness is important if you’re saved! What about if I am unsaved?” Don’t ever forget that
this is our whole duty as a man to God. There’s no way to live this life to the fullest but to it for God since He is owner and
care taker of this life. Surely, God knows what’s best for us. The problem is man doesn’t want God’s way but rather choose
to live a life of sin. My friend if you’re not saved today, you cannot deny that deep in your heart and soul is a longing to be
holy because God placed it in you in the form of your conscience (Rom. 2:14, Titus 2:11,12). You certainly know that
doing good is so good deep within your heart because that is what God is working out in you in more ways than you can
imagine. In short, there’s no way to live this life but to live it in holiness.

JDE