The Meaning of Holiness – Introduction

1 Dr. Allan P. Brown Lecture notes on Tape 1 [To the reader: these notes are not an exact word for word reproduction of the audio message. They contain the heart of the message plus some corrections as well as additional information I wish you to learn. This notes are to be read completely each time you listen to the audio lecture.] The Meaning of Holiness Introduction (1 Peter 1:13 16) Scripture Lesson: 1 Peter 1:13 16 1 Peter 1:13: Gird up the loins of your mind is imagery of having a robe on, getting ready for action, not leaving the robe loose which might impeding progress and movement, but gathering it up and tightening the belt.

2 This imagery is transferred to your mind. Get ready to think. Be sober, think properly, be alert. 1 Peter 1:14: Lusts strong desires (a neutral term context determines whether the desires are good or bad). In this context, unbiblical strong desires and unbiblical motivations we had before we were saved) in our ignorance 1 Peter 1:15: In all manner of conversation = lifestyle it is speaking of all your attitudes and actions. We are to be holy in every aspect of our life. 1 Peter 1:16: We are to be holy, because God is holy. The Meaning of Holiness The passage may be outlined as follows: I. The Command to be holy.

3 ( 16) II. The Context for the command. III. The Characteristics of Holiness . IV. The Constraints for life because of Holiness . Outline expanded. I. The Command to be holy. Think with me for a few moments about the command to be holy. Why should we be holy? Why is there so much emphasis in God s Word on Holiness ? I want to suggest to you at least three reasons why we should be holy. A. God s creative purpose for His people is Holiness . (Ephesians 1:4) 1 Ephesians 1:4. Before man existed, before planet Earth, the universe, etc., God purposed His people should be holy and walk before Him in love. Holiness was on His mind before He made us.

4 Before there were any people, before there was a planet called earth, before God made the universe, the solar system. Ephesians tells us that God purposed that His people should be holy and walk before Him in love. B. God s calling for His people is for them to be holy. (2 Timothy 1:9) Not only is Holiness part of God s creative plan, but Holiness is part of God s calling. When mankind fell, God didn t change His mind about us being holy. In 2 Timothy 1:9, we read that God He hath saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus.

5 In other words, when you became aware of your sins and your need of a savior, when God through His grace enabled you to repent and invite Jesus into your heart and to allow Him to take control of your life, it wasn t just forgiveness that He was offering you. With his offer comes His call for us to live a holy life. C. God commands His people to be holy. (1 Peter 1:15 16) In addition to Holiness being part of God s creative plan for mankind, and part of God s calling for us as His children, God commands us to be holy. Please pay attention to the following facts concerning the command. 1. The command is in the imperative mood.

6 It is not a suggestion, or optional. It is a command for us now. 2. The command to be holy is plural in number. This means God expects every Christian to be holy and to progress in Holiness . We need God s power to be holy and to maintain and demonstrate continuous Holiness in life. No bible believing Christian should question or doubt the importance and necessity of Holiness . Hebrews 12:14 says, , without which no one will see the Lord. Holiness is not optional. It is mandatory. Now that we have analyzed the grammatical structure of the command, we still have not defined our terms. The question remains What is Holiness ?

7 What does the word holy mean? Answers abound, but many answers leave people mystified and confused. Bottom line, the easiest way to understand Holiness is to study the life of God s Son, Jesus Christ. God sent His son, Jesus, to show us exactly what Holiness is like. Jesus is the full and final 2 revelation of what God wants us to understand about Holiness as it applies to humanity. Since you can t be any more holy than Jesus, we may say that the fruit of Holiness is Christlikeness. [Note: I used to say that Holiness is Christlikeness. It is more accurate to say that the fruit of Holiness if Christlikeness]. **The fruit of Holiness is Christlikeness.

8 I was satisfied for quite a while with this definition of Holiness . It seemed to communicate to me. Early in my ministry, when people asked me What kind of a church do you pastor, seeking to find out my theological and denominational affiliation, I would tell them I pastor a Holiness church. Many times they would wonder what I meant by the term Holiness . I knew that in some sections of the country, the term Holiness can refer to snake handling, or it could refer to speaking in tongues. When they asked for further clarification, I would say, By Holiness , I mean that I take the Bible seriously and I seek to live like Jesus and be Christlike in everything I do.

9 I thought my explanation made a lot of sense. Some years later, I was talking with a friend for whom I have a lot of respect and he said Quite frankly, Christlikeness doesn t mean a whole lot to me in my mind. Break it down give me some examples to help me understand what you mean by the term Christlikeness. So I said ok . Let me interject at this point a word of warning about seeking to define Holiness using English dictionaries. I do not mean to step on any theological toes, but we need to avoid mistakes caused by using English definitions of the words Holiness and sanctification. English versions of the Bible typically use many words like holy, Holiness , hallowed, dedicate, consecrate, purify, sanctify, sanctified, sanctifies, sanctification, to translate one family of hebrew words, derived from the kodesh family; and one family of Greek words, the hag family (hagios, hagiasmos, etc.)

10 The use of so many different English words is primarily because there is no easy way to express in the English language to make holy without using the helping verb to make. There is no verb like holify. Instead, we must say sanctify, which means, to make holy. The multiplicity of English words frequently confuses people, and they draw wrong conclusions and say things like, There is a difference between sanctification and Holiness . Now it may be true that Webster s English dictionary indicate a difference, but the translators of our English versions of the Bible used these terms synonymously, without strong theological distinctions.