[b]THE DOCTRINE OF HOLINESS[/b]

“Be ye holy.” (1Peter 1:15)

- What is holiness?

- What is it to be unholy?

- What are the attributes of holiness?

- What is not holiness?

- What is the necessity of holiness?

- How is holiness obtained?


[b]WHAT IS HOLINESS?[/b]

Holiness = ἁγιασμός (pronounced “hagiasmos”)

Thayer Definition:

1) consecration, purification
2) the effect of consecration
2a) sanctification of heart and life

Holiness defined: Holiness is a moral state which is the result of the consecration of the whole being to the will of God; it is a moral quality resulting from entire obedience to the Law of love. It is the state of the moral character of one seeking to promote the highest well-being of God and neighbor. It is the state or condition of the heart which motive is love towards God and man; a heart and life that is pure from all sin.

[b]The extent of holiness:[/b]

The bible speaks of:

- The Holy Scriptures (Romans 1:2, 2Tim 3:15).

- Holy places and holy ground. (Matt 24:15, Acts 6:13, Acts 7:33, Heb 9:12, Heb 9:25)

- Holy mountains. (2Peter 1:18)

- The Holy Spirit. (Luke 11:13, Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30, 1Thes 4:8)

- Holy Angels. (Matt 25:31, Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26, Rev 14:10)

- The Holy Ghost. (Mat 1:18, Mat 1:20, Mat 3:11, Mat 12:31, Mat 12:32, Mat 28:19, Mar 1:8, Mar 3:29, Mar 12:36, Mar 13:11, Luk 1:15, Luk 1:35, Luk 1:41, Luk 1:67, Luk 2:25, Luk 2:26, Luk 3:16, Luk 3:22, Luk 4:1, Luk 12:10, Luk 12:12, Joh 1:33, Joh 7:39, Joh 14:26, Joh 20:22, Act 1:2, Act 1:5, Act 1:8, Act 1:16, Act 2:4, Act 2:33, Act 2:38, Act 4:8, Act 4:31, Act 5:3, Act 5:32, Act 6:3, Act 6:5, Act 7:51, Act 7:55, Act 8:15, Act 8:17, Act 8:18, Act 8:19, Act 9:17, Act 9:31, Act 10:38, Act 10:44, Act 10:45, Act 10:47, Act 11:15, Act 11:16, Act 11:24, Act 13:2, Act 13:4, Act 13:9, Act 13:52, Act 15:8, Act 15:28, Act 16:6, Act 19:2, Act 19:6, Act 20:23, Act 20:28, Act 21:11, Act 28:25, Rom 5:5, Rom 9:1, Rom 14:17, Rom 15:13, Rom 15:16, 1Co 2:13, 1Co 6:19, 1Co 12:3, 2Co 6:6, 2Co 13:14, 1Th 1:5, 1Th 1:6, 2Ti 1:14, Tit 3:5, Heb 2:4, Heb 3:7, Heb 6:4, Heb 9:8, Heb 10:15, 1Pe 1:12, 2Pe 1:21, 1Jn 5:7, Jud 1:20)

- Jesus is spoken of as a Holy Child and as the Holy One. (Acts 4:27, Acts 4:30)

- The Law and Commandments are called Holy. (Rom 7:12, 2Pet 2:21)

- There are days which are considered holy. (Col 2:16)

- The bible speaks of lifting up holy hands. (1Tim 2:8)

- The bible speaks of having a holy calling. (2Tim 1:9)

- The bible speaks of the most holy faith. (Jude 1:20)

- The bible speaks of the holy city Jerusalem. (Matt 4:5, Matt 27:53, Rev 11:2, Rev 21:2, Rev 21:10, Rev 22:19)

- The bible even speaks of a holy kiss. (Rom 16:16, 1Cor 16:20, 2Cor 13:12, 1Thes 5:26)

In these instances, “holy” is synonymous with “pure”; pure hands, pure faith, pure city, pure kiss, etc.

[b]Holiness In Relation to Mankind[/b]

- The bible speaks of holy women (1Pet 3:5), holy men (2Peter 1:21), holy apostles (Eph 3:5, Rev 18:20), and holy prophets (Eph 3:5, 2Peter 3:2, Rev 18:20).

- When holiness is pertaining to men it speaks of moral purity.

- Morality belongs to the heart (Gen 6:5, 1Sam 16:7, Joel 2:12-13, Isaiah 29:13, Matt 5:8, Matt 7:17, Matt 12:35, Matt 15:11, Matt 15:17-20, Mark 7:15-23, Heb 4:12, 1Tim 1:5, Titus 1:15) or to the motive of the heart. (Prov 23:7, Matt 5:28, Matt 6:5, Matt 15:7-8, Matt 23:5-28, Mark 7:6, 1John 3:15)

- So holiness is a description of the moral quality or state of the heart and life.

- Holiness is a virtuous state or morally upright quality.

- Love is the essence of all virtue. (Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:8, Romans 13:10, Gal 5:14, James 2:8). Nothing but love can be virtue. Virtue and love are synonymous. Holiness is simply a descriptive word to describe the moral quality of love.

- There is no virtue at all without love. (1Cor 13:1-3)

- Love is the root of all virtue which all that is virtue proceeds from. (Matt 7:17, Matt 12:35, Luke 6:45, Romans 11:16, Titus 1:15) If your motive is right, your conduct will be right.

- Love obeys the law (John 14:15, John 14:23, 1John 5:2, 1John 5:3), because love is the law (Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27), love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8, Romans 13:10, Gal 5:14, James 2:8)

- Love is an inner motive of the heart, a committal of the will, to promote the highest well-being of all (Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:8, Romans 13:10, Gal 5:14, James 2:8), which of necessity manifests itself into outward action. (Matt 7:17, Matt 12:35, Luke 6:45, Romans 11:16, Titus 1:15)

- Holiness (love) is a moral obligation required of all capable beings. (Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:8, Romans 13:10, Gal 5:14, James 2:8, 1Peter 1:15, 2Peter 3:11)

- Being holy, or loving, was God’s intention for His creation. (Gen 6:5-6, Eph 1:4, Eph 2:10)

- Being holy, or loving, is a voluntary choice. (Romans 6:19, 2Cor 7:1)

- Love is an intelligent choice: the choice to live according to your reason or in submission to the demands of your conscience. (Matt 7:24, Rom 12:1, James 3:13)

- Love is the moral state God chooses to live in. (1John 4:8, 1John 4:16)

- Love is the moral state, or holiness is the moral quality, of all those who follow Jesus. (Mark 6:20, Luke 1:70, Acts 3:21, 1Thes 5:27, 1Cor 3:17, Eph 2:21, Eph 2:22, Eph 3:5, Col 3:12, 1Thes 2:8, Titus 1:8, Heb 3:1, 1Peter 2:5, 1Peter 2:9, 1John 2:3, 1John 2:4, 1John 3:3, 1John 3:24, 1John 4:7, 1John 5:2-3)

- And so the bible addresses Christians, in this life, as sanctified (Acts 20:32, Acts 26:18, 1Cor 1:2, Heb 2:11, Heb 10:10, Heb 10:14, Jude 1:1) and as Saints (Matt 27:52, Acts 9:13, Acts 9:32, Acts 9:41, Acts 26:10, Rom 1:7, Rom 8:27, Rom 12:13, Rom 15:25, Rom 15:26, Rom 15:31, Rom 16:2, Rom 16:15, 1Cor 1:2, 1Cor 6:1, 1Cor 6:2, 1Cor 14:33, 1Cor 16:1, 1Cor 16:15, 2Cor 1:1, 2Cor 8:4, 2Cor 9:1, 2Cor 9:12, 2Cor 13:13, Eph 1:1, Eph 1:15, Eph 1:18, Eph 2:19, Eph 3:8, Eph 3:18, Eph 4:12, Eph 5:3, Eph 6:18, Php 1:1, Php 4:22, Col 1:2, Col 1:4, Col 1:12, Col 1:26, 1Thes 3:13, 2Thes 1:10, 1Tim 5:10, Phm 1:15, Phm 1:7, Heb 6:10, Heb 13:24, Jude 1:3, Jude 1:14, Rev 5:8, Rev 8:3, Rev 8:4, Rev 11:18, Rev 13:7, Rev 13:10, Rev 14:12, Rev 15:3, Rev 16:6, Rev 17:6, Rev 18:24, Rev 19:8, Rev 20:9).

Only once does the bible refer to a Christian as a sinner and it is speaking of a Christian who backslides. (James 5:19-20) The bible makes a distinction between the righteous and sinners. (1Peter 4:18)

- One of the purposes of Christ’s death was to turn sinners into saints, to make men holy. (Eph 2:10, Eph 5:25-27, Col 1:21-23, Titus 2:14)


[b]WHAT IS IT TO BE UNHOLY?[/b]

- Holiness is a descriptive word for moral quality, describing the moral state of love or of one who is in total obedience to the Law of love.

- Love is a choice of the will to live benevolently, seeking to promote the well-being of God and neighbor. (Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:8, Romans 13:10, Gal 5:14, James 2:8, 1Peter 1:15, 2Peter 3:11)

- To be unholy then is to be unloving. It is to be selfish. Unholy is a descriptive word to describe the moral quality or condition of a selfish choice or of a selfish individual.

- Selfishness is a motive or choice of the will to live supremely for self, when one’s ultimate aim – purpose – or pursuit is to secure their own self interest. (Matt 6:5, Matt 23:5)

- Selfishness is the religion of the devil (Isaiah 14:13-14) and all those who follow him. (John 8:41-44)

- The Law was made for the lawless, disobedient, ungodly, unholy sinners so that they might know how to properly and rightly conduct themselves. (1Tim 1:9-10)

[img]http://openairoutreach.com/albums/adobe/SanctificationDepravity3.jpg[/img]

[b]WHAT ARE THE ATTRIBUTES OF HOLINESS?[/b]

1Corinthian 13:4-8

- Patience (cares about others)
- Kindness (cares about others)
- Is not jealous (cares about others)
- Does not show off (cares about others)
- Is not proud (does not regard self)
- Is not rude (cares about others)
- Is not selfish (does not regard self)
- Is not easily provoked (cares about others)
- Thinks no evil (cares about others)
- Does not rejoice in sin (cares about others)
- Rejoices in the truth (cares about others)
- Endures all things (does not regard self)
- Believes all things (lives according to reality)
- Hopes all things (wills the best)
- Endures all things (does not regard self)
- Never fails (a remarkably powerful thing)


[b]WHAT IS NOT HOLINESS?[/b]

- It is not an optional luxury of a later decision one makes after conversion. (Matt 5:8, 1Cor 6:11, Heb 10:22, Heb 12:14, 1Pet 1:15, 1Peter 1:22) Holiness must be chosen in this life (Titus 2:12, Eph 2:1-7, 1John 4:17) because the moral condition you die in will be the moral state you remain forever in. (Rev 22:11)

- It is not something that is impossible in this life. (2Cor 1:12, Titus 2:12, Eph 2:1-7, Col 3:7, 1John 5:3, 1John 4:17)

- It is not obeying some God implanted desire (Gen 3:6, 2Cor 10:2, James 1:15) but is rather living according to your God given intelligence or conscience. (Acts 23:1, Acts 24:16, Rom 7:12-13, Rom 7:23, Rom 12:1, 2Cor 1:12, 1Tim 1:5, 1Tim 1:19, 1Tim 3:9, 2Tim 1:3, Heb 13:18, 1Pet 2:19, 1Pet 3:21)

- Holiness (love) is not an emotion but a committal of the will (John 15:13, Matt 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23) in accordance with the Intelligence (conscience) to promote the highest well being of all. (Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:8, Romans 13:10, Gal 5:14, James 2:8)

- It is not obeying some of God’s laws, picking and choosing, (Titus 2:14, 1John 1:7, 1John 2:3, 1John 3:22, 1John 5:2-3) since God has only one Law, and that is the Law of love. (Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:8, Romans 13:10, Gal 5:14, James 2:8) So to break any of God’s Laws is to be guilty of breaking all of God’s Laws. (James 2:10)

[b]WHAT IS THE NECESSITY OF HOLINESS?[/b]

- The good of the universe requires it. (Deut 10:12-13, Luke 6:9)

- God cannot delight in anything but holiness. He separates himself from that which is unholy. (Isaiah 59:2, 1John 1:5). So only the holy will be saved and spend eternity with God. (Matt 5:8, Heb 12:14, 1Peter 4:18)

- The government of God cannot approve of anything but holiness. (Romans 1:18)

- Nothing but holiness can dwell in Heaven. (1Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:19-21, Rev 21:8, Rev 22:15). So one must persevere and be blameless unto the very end. (Matt 24:13, Mark 13:13, 1Cor 1:8, 1Thes 5:23)


[b]HOW IS HOLINESS OBTAINED?[/b]

- By being converted unto Christ and following Him. (Luke 14:26, Luke 14:27, Luke 14:33, Eph 4:24)

- By yielding your entire self to the service of God. (Romans 6:13, Romans 6:16, Romans 6:19)

I heard this illustration......2 men are talking one asks the other who is the worst man ever,hitler
Ok now who is the holiest human,motherteresa.
Now take a graphic line and place God mother teresa and hitler on it......And on the graph place God on the west coast. and hitler on the east coast.
the holiest man ever would only be about 50 ft from hitler.
Is the true question holiness or the Holy one living in me and conforming me to himself?
....David

Degrees of holiness have to do with degrees of knowledge.

The person with more knowledge, yet sins against that greater knowledge, has a greater sin.

But each individual is either obedient or disobedient. There is no partial disobedience. Partial disobedience is total disobedience.

A person, at any given moment, is either obedient or disobedient. There is no middle ground. It's black or white.

Winkie Pratney describes it this way:

A light dimmer represents knowledge. You can go from darker to lighter in degrees.

But obedience and disobedience is represented by a light switch that is either on or off.

I recommend reading Finney on "The Unity of Moral Action".

Are babies born into sin?

There is a difference in being tempted (by the devil) and being tempted. Not only are we born tempted but babies have no knowledge. God said my people are destroyed FOR A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Romans 7:7
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Romans 7:10
10And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.



The apostle Paul said the law is what convicts us that we have sin. A baby does not understand the requirements of God so therefore babies are born sinners. The unsaved cannot repent of their sins without the law convicting them that they have sin and the power of God working in their life. Are they convicted of every sin at once? No, gradually God deals with us as we are and we are changed into His image from glory to glory.

Eventually as alot of us here have learned we do not have to sin.God's grace is sufficient but if we do we have an advocate with the Father.

1 John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

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CHRISTIAN

Sidetracking here from the original post...

Very good videos I recommend all to take the time to watch.

[url=http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=4709281493391119654]SIN Part 1; its cause and consequence[/url]

[url=http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-2227882173254112774]Sin Part 2; its cure and conquest[/url]

_________________
CHRISTIAN

Babies are born into temptation. But sin is a freewill choice.

Babies inherit a body with lusts and passions which tempt their freewill to submit and thereby sin. But temptation is never stronger then freewill - 1Cor 10:13, so we are without excuse for sinning.

Babies are not capable of sin until they know right from wrong. James tells us that sin is only sin to him who knows to do good and chooses not to do it.

The bible uses the word "innocent" to describe young babies because babies have not yet sinned. Babies are not guilty until they reach the age of accountability when they know right from God, and choose to do what they know is wrong.

I believe that they inherit the sin nature but until they have knowledge (the law) that do not know they have sin therefore they are not yet accountable.

They have corruption because babies can die in the womb. Physical death is a physical sign of corruption.

They have sinned but are not accountable for that sin till they have knowledge of their sin.

The only thing I do not believe we can ever be sure of is the exact age a person can be accountable.