Lesson 11: Christian Holiness

(1) The student will be able to explain:

• Biblical uses of the term holy.

• The holiness of God as the basis for Christian holiness.

• The significance of holiness for worship and relationship with God.

• Biblical examples of experiences of sanctification.

• Practices for spiritual maturity.

• A statement of Christian beliefs about Christian holiness.

(2) The student will have faith that God’s grace will make him holy in the present world.

The Hebrew word translated holiness or sanctification occurs more than 600 times in the Old Testament. Both the Hebrew and Greek words for holy basically mean to be set apart, devoted to a purpose. Something sanctified is set apart from an earlier use for a new specific purpose. Note several things that were devoted and considered holy in the Old Testament:

• Holy Ground. God set aside ground as a meeting place with Moses (Exodus 3:5).

• Holy Tabernacle and Temple. Many holy things were associated with the Tabernacle and Temple, including the priest’s garments (Leviticus 16:32), the bread (Exodus 29:34), and the furniture (Exodus 40:9). These were set apart for the worship of God.

• Holy Days. The Sabbath day was set apart as holy (Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:8). Other Jewish holidays like the Day of Atonement were also special (Leviticus 23:26-29). These days were set apart for rest and reflection and worship.

• Holy God. The greatest example of holiness in the Bible is God himself. Everything about God is holy. His name is holy (Leviticus 22:2); his words are holy (Jeremiah 23:9); his ways are holy (Psalm 77:13). Holiness means God is totally set apart from anything sinful, unclean, common, ordinary or inappropriate for his divine person and position.

In the New Testament Jesus is referred to as holy (John 17:19; Acts 4:27, 30) and without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Angels (Mark 8:38) and the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:5) are described as being holy. All of these were set apart for a special purpose.

The Bible calls God’s people to be holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 1:15-16). This lesson will explain the holiness God expects of us.

► Read Psalm 119:33-40 together. What does this passage tell us about the way God transforms a believer?

When God began to reveal himself, his first purpose was to show what kind of God he is. God described himself primarily as holy. Isaiah often referred to God as “The Holy One of Israel.”

The holiness of God was the theme of worship:

Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! (Psalm 99:3, 5).

The holiness of God is the basis of his requirement for man. Because he is holy, he calls his worshippers to be holy. He said, “Be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:26, Leviticus 21:8).

The God of Israel was different from the false gods of the heathen and required a different kind of worship.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully (Psalm 24:3-4).

The question here is, “Whose worship does God accept?” Not everyone is accepted as a worshipper of God. God’s worshippers must be holy.

The holiness God expects is not just ceremonial or pretended; it is real holiness. The standard of holiness for God's worshippers is repeated in the New Testament:

But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Conduct refers to behavior and a person’s entire lifestyle. God does not ask only that his worshippers be ceremonially holy, or that they be called holy when they really are not. He expects his worshippers to live holy lives.

► What are some reasons that holiness is connected to worship?

Holiness is important to worship because

1. We love God and want to be like him. To worship God is to see that he is the most wonderful being that exists and to adore him as he is. To worship is to appreciate the characteristics of his nature. God’s nature is essentially holy, so if we really adore God’s nature, we will hate sin and impurity, even if we see it in ourselves.

2. We love God and want to please him. God’s requirement does not surprise us if we understand what worship really is. We do not worship him because of fear. We do not worship him only because he blesses us. We worship him because we love him.

The Bible uses the word sanctification to refer to what has happened in the life of every believer. Paul wrote “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Paul wrote, “…you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11). The Corinthians had already been sanctified though they had not grown to spiritual maturity and were still people of the flesh, as infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1).

The word sanctify, when referring to these Corinthians, is being used in its most general sense. The Corinthians had been called out of sin and the world and had been set apart unto God. They were certainly not mature in sanctification, but they had been set apart from the old life and were now part of God’s family.

[1]When we first encounter God, sin is the obstacle to our relationship with him. That’s why our relationship with God cannot start until we repent, are forgiven, and are given a new heart.

At the same time that we are reconciled to God, we are transformed (Titus 3:5). Spiritually, we are made new creatures. We are delivered from the power of sin, and we desire to please God. Christian holiness begins when a person is saved.

The Bible teaches us that salvation immediately leads to holy living. The grace of God that brings salvation teaches us to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:11-12). The purpose of salvation is to set us free from sin and make us holy, so we can live in relationship with God (Luke 1:74-75, Romans 6:2, 11-16).

As we live in relationship with God, we continue to grow in holiness as we understand more of his truth. To walk in the light means to continue to obey God as we learn more of his truth (1 John 1:7). As we better understand what pleases him and what displeases him, we are changed by his truth and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A person who loves God will desire to be completely holy. He does not want to change only his actions. He wants his motives to be completely pure. David prayed that he would be able to live in complete victory over sin, then prayed that his words and even the meditation of his heart would please God. (Psalm 19:12-14. See also Psalm 119:7, 34, 36, 69, 80, and 112.)

The whole process of spiritual maturity is called sanctification. Sanctification is a lifelong process of becoming increasingly separated from sin and the world, and increasingly dedicated to God. This is illustrated by Paul’s warning against being conformed to the pattern of the world and his exhortation to “be [continuously] transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Separation from the world and transformation of the mind are not experiences that are completed at a specific time in a Christian’s life. The believer constantly experiences development and growth as he or she walks with the Lord. All of this is included in the word sanctification.

Inherited depravity is the corruption of a person’s moral nature that inclines him toward sin from birth. Theologians sometimes call it “original sin,” because it is the sinfulness of our nature that we are born with because of Adam’s sin.

Every person is born with a will that is self-centered and bent toward sin. Our wills are not free to choose right unless God gives us the desire and strength (Romans 6:16-17). Inherited depravity motivates inward sins such as pride, envy, hatred, and unforgiveness. It also motivates actions of sin.

► After a person is saved, does he still have inherited depravity?

A person who is saved is no longer under the control of inherited depravity. If he were still controlled by it, he would be living in sin and not be saved. The Bible tells us that a person who is controlled by the fleshly mind is condemned (Romans 8:6-8, 13). The saved person is not under the control of inherited depravity and can live in victory over sin by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1, 9, 13).

However, a saved person still has the influence of inherited depravity within him until he is cleansed of it. Paul told the Corinthian believers that they were still fleshly and had attitudes like people of the world, even though they had been saved. (Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.) He even implied that it was normal for a new Christian to be in that condition. He said that to be fleshly was to be like an infant in Christ.

A believer in this condition loves God, but cannot love God with his whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:37). He cannot say, like Paul, that he has a single motive to follow the call of God (Philippians 3:13-15). He knows that some of the meditations of his heart are not acceptable to God (Psalm 19:14).

God does not leave us in this condition. Even in ancient times God promised Israel that he would do a work of grace that would make them able to love him with their whole heart. (Read Deuteronomy 30:6.)

David prayed for a work of grace that was beyond forgiveness. He had fallen into sin and realized that it happened because of a problem in his heart. He knew that sin was in his [1]nature, but he believed that God required him to be completely holy. He prayed for a complete cleansing. (Read Psalm 51:5-10.)

Believers in the New Testament were called to another special event after conversion. The Thessalonian believers were wonderful examples of believers who had accepted the gospel, turned from idols, endured persecution, had joy in the Holy Spirit, and were waiting for the return of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 1:6-10). Yet something was still lacking in their faith. It was not something that would be provided in a long process or at death, because Paul said it could happen on his visit to them. (Read 1 Thessalonians 3:10.) He prayed:

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

Paul prayed that these believers would be sanctified through and through. The result would be that the believers would be blameless in body, soul, and spirit when the Lord returned.

Jesus’ disciples experienced a special work of grace at Pentecost. We know that they were already saved before that time, because Jesus said they were not of the world, that they belonged to him and to the Father, and that their names were written in heaven (John 15:3, John 17:14, 9-10; Luke 10:20). But they were self-centered and did not have God’s priorities. Repeatedly Jesus corrected them for their sinful attitudes. (Read Mark 9:33-34; Mark 10:35-41; Luke 9:54-55.)

[2]After Jesus’ resurrection, just before he went back to heaven, he told his disciples that they were going to be his witnesses to the world. But he told them that they must first be baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Read Luke 24:49; John 20:22; Acts 1:2-5, 8.) He had already told them much about the work of the Holy Spirit, particularly in John 14-16.

The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). This infilling changed their motivations, priorities, and actions. Throughout the rest of the events of the New Testament, the disciples demonstrated Christlike attitudes and priorities, though they still had misunderstandings and made mistakes. The Epistles written by Peter and John reflect Christ’s message and heart. The infilling of the Holy Spirit enabled them to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength and love their neighbors as themselves (Matthew 22:37-39). Because they were fully yielded to the Holy Spirit, he lived through them, just as he had lived through Christ (Luke 4:1, 14, 18; Acts 2:22).

Some Christian teachers focus on the process of sanctification, and others focus on a crisis event. The experience of Pentecost and the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an example of people experiencing a specific event of sanctification. The fact that something can become complete or experienced through and through implies that it is done at a point in time. It’s important that we not limit what the gospel can do, even in one moment of faith and full surrender (Romans 12:1-2). All that Jesus provided through his death and resurrection is available to all who:

1. Consider themselves dead to sin with Jesus (Romans 6:11)

2. Do not let sin reign in their bodies (Romans 6:12)

3. Present their bodies as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13)

Throughout history, great Christians have testified to moments when they entered the Spirit-filled life and a deeper relationship with God, including men and women such as John Bunyan, Hudson Taylor, Dwight L. Moody, Sammy Morris, Oswald Chambers, Frances Ridley Havergal, and Amy Carmichael.[3]

While it is important that we not limit what God can do in a moment, it is also important that we not forget the Holy Spirit’s work through processes. Though this kind of sanctification is sometimes described as complete, this level does not imply that there can be no further development. For example, having learned to speak French does not mean that one cannot continue to learn to speak even better French. Those who are sanctified through and through have come to a point when they experienced a sanctification that they had not experienced before. However, this is not an absolute condition of perfection. It is a life of holiness where a believer continues to develop.

The Bible describes the life of a mature believer. The Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer to develop Christian qualities. The work of the Spirit includes special moments of cleansing or anointing and also gradual processes. A believer should not be satisfied with a spiritual life that does not match the biblical description of a mature believer.

The writer to Hebrews said that some of his readers were still like children (Hebrews 5:12). He urged them to leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity (Hebrews 6:1).

The prayers of the apostles for believers show us God’s will for us.

Love

Paul prayed, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all…” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). He also prayed for the Ephesians:

…that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Paul was praying that these believers would increase and abound in love. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul described what that love should look like in a mature believer. The life of sanctification is simply loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27). That is the kind of relationship that holy people have with God and with their fellow human beings.

Blamelessness

Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, that God would establish their hearts blameless in holiness (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). Two chapters later, he prays that they would be so sanctified that their whole spirit and soul and body would be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Blamelessness does not mean perfection in every way. A blameless person makes mistakes but has the character and behavior that he should have.

Inner Strength

Paul prayed the Ephesian believers would be strengthened with power through his Spirit in their inner being (Ephesians 3:15-16). Inner character becomes stronger as one advances in faith. Inner strength is the ability to make proper choices and reject wrong decisions.

Christ Dwelling In Us

Paul continued the Ephesian prayer by praying that Christ would dwell in their hearts (Ephesians 3:17). The word translated “dwell” in this passage means to permanently dwell not just temporarily stay somewhere. This word picture suggests that Jesus wants to live with us not just visit with us. Christ feels comfortable and content with those who live a consistent spiritual life.

The Fullness of God

Paul concludes the petition part of the Ephesian prayer by praying that they would be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-19). This is using a physical illustration to describe a spiritual reality. It means that God wants to fully control all parts of us, our minds, wills, emotions, activities, attitudes, appetites, and reactions. Of all of the descriptions of the holy life found in the Bible, this may be the greatest—to be so filled with godliness that there is no ungodliness there.

The next two verses conclude this prayer:

[1]Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).

This benediction states that God can do more than we can ask or think. Paul is not talking about financial abundance but about the spiritual life. We must not underestimate the levels of holiness and maturity that the power working within us can help us reach.

The New Testament gives us practices to advance us toward holiness and maturity.

Keep a good conscience. Paul informs Timothy that the way to wage the good warfare (an illustration for victorious Christian living), is by holding faith and a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:18-19).[1] Paul also said, “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” (Acts 24:16). Listening to our consciences may cause us to repent, make restitution, be reconciled to someone, or change our behavior. Having a good conscience means that individuals will confess sins and repent of them whenever they realize they have done wrong.

Devote yourself to God. In the powerful exhortation in Romans 12:1, Paul writes, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” The Roman believers had already presented themselves to God when they were converted. However, here Paul is urging a more complete devotion to God.

Don’t be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2). To be conformed to the world is to be shaped by the perspective of unbelieving society, to the point of sharing its values and behaving as unbelievers behave. The people of the world find justification for being selfish and unjust and fulfilling the desires of the flesh in sinful ways. A believer is different (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

Renew your mind. Paul continues the Romans exhortation by saying,

…but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).

The more one rejects the way the world thinks and embraces God’s way of thinking, the more he or she is going to be transformed.

Walk in the light. John wrote, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Light is a figure of speech for truth. Thus, walking in the light means to continue to learn truth and follow it.

Endure suffering by faith. Peter’s benediction in 1 Peter 5:10 points to the glorious objective of being a restored, strong, and stable believer, but describes a rather unpleasant way of getting there. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace… will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). Suffering has a way of purifying our attitudes and correcting our behavior. God allows suffering that develops us. We must accept it and try to learn what God is teaching us (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

► Read the statement of beliefs together at least two times.

Christian holiness begins when a sinner repents and is transformed by God’s grace. The believer grows spiritually as he grows in his understanding of God’s will and continues to obey. Sanctification is the work of God in which he cleanses the believer and brings him to a holy character and life.

(1) Passage Assignment: Each student will be assigned one of the passages listed below. Before the next class session, you should read the passage and write a paragraph about what it says about the subject of this lesson.

• Isaiah 6:1-8

• Acts 2:1-18

• 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

• 1 Thessalonians 5:14-24

• Titus 2:11-14

(2) Test: You will begin the next class with a test over Lesson 11. Study the test questions carefully in preparation.

(3) Teaching Assignment: Remember to schedule and report your out-of-class teaching times.

(1) What is the basic meaning of holy?

(2) What does it mean for God to be holy?

(3) Why is holiness important to worship?

(4) When does Christian holiness begin?

(5) What does it mean to walk in the light?

(6) What happens to a believer during the lifelong process of sanctification?

(7) What is inherited depravity?

(8) How can a believer be blameless in body, soul, and spirit when the Lord returns?