October 4th, 2021
by Woody Jarrett
by Woody Jarrett
Holiness
I am sure we have heard this song played or sung. The title is “Holiness, holiness is what I long for; Holiness is what I need; Holiness is what You want for me.”[1]
The definition of holiness is “the state of being holy”. Holiness is intrinsically connected to God. God is the holy one par excellence, with the exclusive power to confer holiness unto others. Not only is God the source of all holiness, but human bodies require holiness in order to be in the proximity to the deity.”[2]
How do we live a life of holiness? To do this, we must look at the life of Jesus. The history of the church, in general, has missed the biblical definition of holiness. The church, as well as those outside of the church, attributed the definition of holiness to an outward appearance. Holiness is a lifestyle based on our relationship with the God, the Father. Jesus lived a holy life in honor of his relationship with the Father. Because of his security in the Father, Jesus was seen with the outcast. He dined with “sinners” and tax collectors. He touched the lepers and the dead. He validated women and the poor. And he interacted with people who the religious people deemed unworthy. Yet in all these things, He remained holy.
How did Jesus remain holy? By obedience. Our holiness is directly linked to our obedience. We read in 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As God’s obedient children, never again shape your lives by the desires that you followed when you didn’t know better. Instead, shape your lives to become like the Holy One who called you. For Scripture says: “You are to be holy, because I am holy.” Obedience shapes our life of holiness. We remain holy when we are in total obedience to the Lord.
Therefore, obedience calls us to be separate. Holiness is “set apart”; that is, we are a people set apart for God, even as God is “set apart” from all gods. To be holy is to be absolutely devoted to God in all that we do, demonstrating who he is to the world. Grace has imbedded holiness into our lives, yet we are to make right choices and to yield to Christ and God’s Word as the Holy Spirit lives in us. Holiness is not merely actions we perform, but what we absorb and manifest as we live our lives in God’s presence.[3] Go deeper, be holy!
[1] Jesus Army - Holiness is What I Long for Lyrics.
[2] J Ayodeji Adewuya, Holiness in the Letters of Paul: The Necessary Response to the Gospel (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2016), 3.
[3] Ben Simmons Revelation: The Unveiling of Jesus Christ (The Passion Translation (TPT)).
I am sure we have heard this song played or sung. The title is “Holiness, holiness is what I long for; Holiness is what I need; Holiness is what You want for me.”[1]
The definition of holiness is “the state of being holy”. Holiness is intrinsically connected to God. God is the holy one par excellence, with the exclusive power to confer holiness unto others. Not only is God the source of all holiness, but human bodies require holiness in order to be in the proximity to the deity.”[2]
How do we live a life of holiness? To do this, we must look at the life of Jesus. The history of the church, in general, has missed the biblical definition of holiness. The church, as well as those outside of the church, attributed the definition of holiness to an outward appearance. Holiness is a lifestyle based on our relationship with the God, the Father. Jesus lived a holy life in honor of his relationship with the Father. Because of his security in the Father, Jesus was seen with the outcast. He dined with “sinners” and tax collectors. He touched the lepers and the dead. He validated women and the poor. And he interacted with people who the religious people deemed unworthy. Yet in all these things, He remained holy.
How did Jesus remain holy? By obedience. Our holiness is directly linked to our obedience. We read in 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As God’s obedient children, never again shape your lives by the desires that you followed when you didn’t know better. Instead, shape your lives to become like the Holy One who called you. For Scripture says: “You are to be holy, because I am holy.” Obedience shapes our life of holiness. We remain holy when we are in total obedience to the Lord.
Therefore, obedience calls us to be separate. Holiness is “set apart”; that is, we are a people set apart for God, even as God is “set apart” from all gods. To be holy is to be absolutely devoted to God in all that we do, demonstrating who he is to the world. Grace has imbedded holiness into our lives, yet we are to make right choices and to yield to Christ and God’s Word as the Holy Spirit lives in us. Holiness is not merely actions we perform, but what we absorb and manifest as we live our lives in God’s presence.[3] Go deeper, be holy!
[1] Jesus Army - Holiness is What I Long for Lyrics.
[2] J Ayodeji Adewuya, Holiness in the Letters of Paul: The Necessary Response to the Gospel (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2016), 3.
[3] Ben Simmons Revelation: The Unveiling of Jesus Christ (The Passion Translation (TPT)).
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Please pray for me I am homeless