Understanding Holiness

[Minister Monardo]

Holiness is best understood by the word separate,
separation.
Gen 1:
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided (separated) the light from the darkness.

John 1:
4 In Him was life, and His life is the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 3:
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

Numbers 8:14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.

2 Corinthians 6:
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore “Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”

Matthew 25:32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

Another important expression is "set apart"
[H6395] palah
Psalm 4:
3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

 

[Minister Monardo]

H6395 - pālâ - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)

Exodus 11:7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

Exodus 13:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
[H6942] qadas=sanctify, consecrate, dedicate, hallow
set apart for a special use or function.
H6942 - qāḏaš - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)

2 Timothy 2:
19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

 

[JAL]

Holiness is best understood by the word separate,
separation.

That seems to be the worldwide consensus but I myself am not yet convinced of it. I mean, even if it is true that the term holy is sometimes used to convey "separate", I don't think that's the primary significance of the term in Scripture. For example an atheist could separate himself from all venues of immorality (places, people, and things) and yet that alone would not qualify him to be considered holy.

God alone is holy (Rev 15:4). Human holiness is derivative, therefore. We are holy only to the extent that we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Similarly the Tent was holy to the extent filled with the Shekinah Glory (compare Exodus 29:43 with Exodus 40:34).

In this view, the term holy refers to the sum total of God's perfections. That's the primary significance of the term in Scripture, in my opinion.

Of course my opinion could be mistaken.

 

[Minister Monardo]

That seems to be the worldwide consensus but I myself am not yet convinced of it. I mean, even if it is true that the term holy is sometimes used to convey "separate", I don't think that's the primary significance of the term in Scripture. For example an atheist could separate himself from all venues of immorality (places, people, and things) and yet that alone would not qualify him to be considered holy.

Of course not. You are replying to the opening statement, not the full study. To be kodesh YHVH requires one to be separated for His Purpose.

 

[Clare73]

Holiness is best understood by the word separate, separation.

Yes, "sanctify" means "to set apart". . .from sin, and to God.

Gen 1:
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided (separated) the light from the darkness.

John 1:
4 In Him was life, and His life is the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 3:
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

Numbers 8:14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.

2 Corinthians 6:
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore “Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”

Matthew 25:32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

Another important expression is "set apart"
[H6395] palah
Psalm 4:
3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

 

[JAL]

Of course not. You are replying to the opening statement, not the full study. To be kodesh YHVH requires one to be separated for His Purpose.

My assumption was that the "full study" - the subsequent statements - were intended to backup your opening statement which, again, was:

"Holiness is best understood by the word separate, separation."

Was your "full study" intended to support that claim? Or contradict it?

I assumed it was intended to reinforce that claim. If that is the case, I feel warranted in expressing disagreement.

Not sure what I'm missing here.

 

[JAL]

My point being, again, you can separate yourself all you want - that is NOT holiness (i.e. the primary usage of the term in Scripture).

 

[Minister Monardo]

I assumed it was intended to reinforce that claim. If that is the case, I feel warranted in expressing disagreement.

Not sure what I'm missing here.

If you think the scriptures quoted supports the possibility of applying the teaching to atheists,
okay. I don't see it.

Numbers 8:14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.

17 Therefore “Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”

Another important expression is "set apart"
[H6395] palah
Psalm 4:
3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.

 

[JAL]

If you think the scriptures quoted supports the possibility of applying the teaching to atheists,
okay. I don't see it.

An atheist will not be holy.

It's just a pet peeve of mine. Andrew Murray influenced me when he stated that all churches are still steeped in the Galatian error. Like the Galatians, the churches still think that holiness is something accomplished via acts of obedience (such as separation). Andrew Murray believed that holiness is something RECEIVED as a (reviving) outpouring of the Spirit. In my opinion, then, revival is everything, and the church still hasn't grasped this point.

 

[Clare73]

An atheist will not be holy.

It's just a pet peeve of mine. Andrew Murray influenced me when he stated that all churches are still steeped in the Galatian error. Like the Galatians, the churches still think that holiness is something accomplished via acts of obedience (such as separation). Andrew Murray believed that holiness is something RECEIVED as a (reviving) outpouring of the Spirit. In my opinion, then, revival is everything, and the church still hasn't grasped this point.

Can revival by the Holy Spirit not occur on an individual basis?
It does in every re-birth.

Holiness (set apart--from sin, and to God); i.e., the righteousness of sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Peter 1:2) through obedience, is apostolic teaching in Romans 6:16, Romans 6:19.

 

[JAL]

Can revival by the Holy Spirit not occur on an individual basis?
It does in every re-birth.

Holiness (set apart--from sin, and to God); i.e., the righteousness of sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Peter 1:2) through obedience, is apostolic teaching in Romans 6:16, Romans 6:19.

Correct. Rebirth is the initial sprinkling of divine holiness - that's the problem, it's just a minimal sprinkling. It's a question of relative magnitude. For example if I mature one iota, I have finally matured! Wonderful! However, am I "really" mature - relative to someone like Paul?

Yes, to be technically precise, every Christian is (minimally) revived - just as he is minimally mature. Which means he is in desperate need of revival, to bring him up to divine standards of maturity, sanctification, and revival - Pauline standards.

 

[Clare73]

Correct. Rebirth is the initial sprinkling of divine holiness

Rebirth is from spiritual death in Adam into eternal life in Christ.

 

[JAL]

Rebirth is from spiritual death in Adam into eternal life in Christ.

Correct. But practically speaking, as far as daily life is concerned, rebirth has no known reification other than holiness.

I mean, it's not as though you were physically dead and raised to life. The transformation from being spiritually dead, to being spiritually alive, is a transformation from depravity to holiness.

Sounds like you're trying to excessively "spiritualize" and "mystify" something very practical and easily understood.

 

[Minister Monardo]

Like the Galatians, the churches still think that holiness is something accomplished via acts of obedience (such as separation).

Romans 6:
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

17 But God be thanked that you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

19 I speak as human because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness to lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

[Minister Monardo]

Rebirth is the initial sprinkling of divine holiness - that's the problem, it's just a minimal sprinkling.

Can you elaborate from the scriptures this idea of a "sprinkling of holiness"?

 

[JAL]

Romans 6:
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

17 But God be thanked that you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

19 I speak as human because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness to lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rebirth is the (minimal) implantation of holiness. A (minimal) measure of obedience is therefore inevitable. This is what conversion entails. That's the definition of conversion.

In Galatians 3, however, Paul isn't dealing principally with conversion but with MATURATION (sanctification) - gravitating us to Pauline standards of maturity. And the Galatian error was to imagine that acts of obedience bring you there. Paul had to remind them that (reviving) sprinklings of the outpoured Spirit constitute the only route to maturity.

This is not to say that you can get away with ignoring obedience. If you are constantly driving the Spirit out of your body by rebellions that grieve Him, you will never accumulate much holiness. But on the flipside, if you ignore Paul's summons to seek outpourings, you will never accumulate much obedience either!

 

[JAL]

Can you elaborate from the scriptures this idea of a "sprinkling of holiness"?

Sure. The rebirth makes us holy. 60 times the NT refers to believers as "the saints" where the word "saints" is the same Greek word for holy used 90 times in the phrase Holy Spirit. We are not only counted holy, therefore, we ARE holy.

This creates a problem. How then can we have a sinful nature? Solution: The human heart is volumetric. It is not an indivisible unity but a temple that needs to be gradually filled with the Spirit - those parts NOT yet sprinkled are the sinful nature.

How do I know it was a minimal sprinkling so far? Because holiness is passive. You don't engineer or architect your own regeneration. It is an instantaneous work of grace that made you holy. How holy has it made you so far? Anything comparable to Christ? Not even close. It was therefore a minimal sprinkling so far.

 

[Minister Monardo]

sanctification

Sanctification is by the word and work of God,
through the working of the Holy Spirit.
2 Thessonians 2:
13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,

14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,

17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

1 Thessalonians 4:
1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;

2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. (to obey)

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,

5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God.

 

[Minister Monardo]

Andrew Murray influenced me when he stated that all churches are still steeped in the Galatian error.

Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who is Andrew Murray? And why should I care to let his views affect my doctrine, especially if he intends to negate the obedience of faith to the Holy Spirit's leading?
Romans 1:
4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

 

[Minister Monardo]

Paul had to remind them that (reviving) sprinklings of the outpoured Spirit constitute the only route to maturity.

Still not familiar with this terminology.

But on the flipside, if you ignore Paul's summons to seek outpourings, you will never accumulate much obedience either!

How then do we seek outpourings?