Holiness is the Work of God in the Submitted Saint [podcast]

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” Psalms 29:2

Holiness – What it is and what it’s not.

Holiness comes from the word wholeness. We cannot possibly be made whole and live whole without Christ’s grace enabling His holiness in us as we submit to the crucified life He mandates for all who would follow Him (Luke 9:23-24; Romans 6, etc.).

One source notes from the following:

“Holiness and wholeness, while related, are distinct concepts. Holiness, in a religious context, refers to being set apart for God and living in accordance with His will, often described as sacred or sanctified. Wholeness, on the other hand, encompasses the complete well-being of a person, including physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual health. While holiness is a God-given quality, wholeness is often seen as a state of being achieved through a restored relationship with God.”

Another writer notes the following concerning holiness and wholeness:

“I remember when it dawned on me that the doctrine of holiness was not some experience for a small group of “spiritual elites.” Holiness is who God is. We can never have a proper, complete or satisfying relationship with God and miss His essence. …

This wholeness appears everywhere in scripture. Take, for example, Moses’ challenge to Israel in Deuteronomy 7. In order to take the Promised Land, Moses reminds them to maintain an intimate relationship with God, the Holy One (7:1-5). Why? Because they are a holy people (v. 6). He has chosen them for a unique relationship no one else has. This calling is based upon His love for them (vv. 7-8). This love, however, is a whole love which means that it is fiercely protective of them. He will not allow any idolatry or tendency to sin (v. 9). He wants to produce a whole people with healthy hearts and lives of pure love. So, they are delivered in order to “keep” His covenant of love and its unchanging standards (vv. 10-11). You can summarize the whole gospel with the terms “holy” and “love” (John 15:9-17).”

“O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.” Psalms 96:9

Holiness is the work of God in the submitted saint.

Holiness and the cross – the crucified life – cannot be separated. They are divinely, eternally intertwined, married together, inseparable. One cannot exist without the other!

One writer defined holiness this way:

“To say you are holy means that you have been set apart by God’s grace for God’s purpose. Your allegiance is no longer to the kingdom of your success and happiness, but to the progress of his kingdom of glory and grace. And where do you do this? You do this wherever you are, whomever you’re with and in whatever you’re doing.”

The Bible says God’s people are a “holy nation” which means a holy people unto the LORD:

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation (people), a peculiar (special) people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” 1 Peter 2:9

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14

Being holy before the LORD is simply being born again and abiding in vital union with Christ. Read John 15:1-6.

So to be born again and presently abiding in Christ is essential to having the assurance of salvation. Read 1 John 3. Pray to the LORD for His understanding and for your heart to be filled with His holy fear  (Psalms 86:11; Proverbs 14:27).

“And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” 1 John 3:5-6

As we abide in Christ we do not live in sin. So anyone living in sin is not abiding in Christ.

“Though the blood of his cross” Jesus redeemed us from our sins, forgave them and gave us the way of holiness, the way of His cross – in order to remain free from the defilement of the sins He initially washed away from our lives (Luke 9:23-24; Romans 6; 2 Corinthians  1:9; 4:10-12;  Galatians 2:20; 5:24; 6:14; Colossians 1:12-23, etc.).

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

It’s only as the born again disciple walks with Christ, in His light, abiding in Him, that his sins are continually washed away.

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

“True holiness” vs False Holiness

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:23-24

“True holiness” is brought about by GOD, as His disciple humbles himself, consenting to his own death that Christ might reign. The crucified life is the only way to be holy as God is holy.  The flesh is source of all sin and must be crucified daily or there will be sin. Read Romans 6 daily in prayer.

“But now being made free from sin (through the daily cross), and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Romans 6:22

“Being made free from sin” by way of the cross. The “fruit” of the cross life is “holiness.” Read that verse above again.

The crucified life Jesus calls us to is the original Gospel key to your victory!

“For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Romans 6:7

When the disciple is dead and buried, God is raising him upward into His victory over all sin.

There is no other way to a holy life than the cross, the crucified life Jesus mandated, prescribed (Luke 9:23-24). You cannot obtain it. You must receive it as a gift from God – as He raises the crucified and buried saint upward into wholeness, victory, and holiness. Today is your day to fall into God, to let go and let God – to cry out with John the Baptist – “He must increase, but I must decrease!” (John 3:30; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12)

The only way to be “freed from sin” is via the crucified life which is a surrender of your will and life over to God every day.

“We are not to be slaves to sin. That leads to bondage and death. Sin is basically about ourselves! The cross is about Jesus and living for Him. We throw ourselves at the mercy of God to be dead and buried! So we can be resurrected by the power of Christ. And then Jesus becomes our Master not sin and self.” Karen Cochran

Declaring aloud verses like Galatians 2:20 instills in us the cross truth – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

“Dead and buried”

“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3

Holiness is the work of God in the heart of His children. He is moving on and sanctifying the abiding, cross-lifestyle born again disciple, causing him to walk in “the new man,” putting off “the old man” (Colossians 3:1-14).

If you had the choice to drink from a cup that was dirty on the inside or one that was dirty on the outside, which would you choose? Would the Almighty not do the same? Which type cup are you? Where are you clean? – Are you clean on the inside or outside, or both?

“TRUE HOLINESS” IS A BIBLICAL TERM (EPHESIANS 4:24). WHAT IS “TRUE HOLINESS” AND WHAT IS THE COUNTERFEIT?

As we just read, “true holiness” is a Bible phrase and so there must by deduction be a counterfeit, a false holiness.

WE’D BETTER MAKE SURE WE HAVE HOLINESS – AS DEFINED BY HOLY SCRIPTURE – AND NOT SOME FLESH-GLORIFYING, FABRICATED VERSION OF “HOLINESS” THAT COMES FROM SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS IN OUR OWN WICKED HEARTS ….. THE CROSS – CRUCIFIED LIFE – IS AT THE CENTER OF THE ONLY “TRUE HOLINESS” THAT GLORIFIES GOD …. AND ALL FALSE HOLINESS IS HEADED FOR AND GUARANTEED ETERNAL DAMNATION …..

Romans 6 Outlined

We have been saved by God’s grace and cannot continue in sin and remain in relationship with Christ who is holy. v1-2

If you live in sin you will be separated from God who is holy. And the only prescription He gave us to live holy, to live separated to Him and from sin – is the crucified life.

Irrefutably, the context of the book of Romans is that God saved us by His grace to be crucified and buried with Christ and raised up by Christ – into His victory over all sin.

The only way we can be raised up by Christ is to first be dead and buried with Him.

God will not raise up anyone who is not first dead and buried with Christ.

The cross precedes the transformation. We simply cannot ignore the essential cross in verse 1 and expect the real transformation in verse 2.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1-2

“And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” Romans 1:4

HAVE YOU ever struggled with sin? If so, you are not alone. It is through the “communion of the Holy Ghost” in relationship with our LORD, that the sinful nature is put under so that the life of Jesus is manifested in our lives (2 Cor. 4:10-11; 13:14, etc.). Please beware of the diabolical, cheap substitutes such as various forms of perfection by way of self – the flesh. These are deadly and cause many to fall from grace (Galatians 5:4). Memorize Galatians 3:3.

There is divine hope for us! God is able.

These temptations – the pull of them – is a test to see who it is we are truly going to choose to love – God or self (Romans 6:14; Hosea 10:12; Isaiah 58).

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Romans 6:13

“True holiness” is never merely a work of the flesh but rather the
work of God, raising up the crucified saint (2 Corinthians
4:10-12). Any surface holiness that doesn’t come out of the
cross life, is not according to the original Gospel, but is rather
a dead work of the flesh, vainly attempting to bring about a
self-manufactured holiness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please do Your ever-deepening work in my heart and life. Bless this vessel to be purified, cleansed of all iniquity and falsity, made authentic by You dear LORD. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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