When Can We Be Made Holy

When is the Experience of Holiness Obtained?

Nathaniel Black

1 Peter 1:15–16 KJV 1900

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

We call ourselves a conservative holiness church. I have talked in several sermons about the ideology behind being a conservative church. I hope the reason for that distiction is understood. I want to focus in service on why we call ourselved a holinss church. I want to talk about one of the distinguishing factors of our church compared to many others in this day.

In this sermon I want to discuss what is in the broader church world a controversial topic. It should not be as scripture is plain and clear, however different church groups today have landed on different conclusions. My title for this sermon, or perhaps better termed Bible study is When Can We Be Made Holy. Every church has agreed on two things. We are born unholy. In Heaven we will be holy. So at some point between birth and entrance into heaven must be made holy. When is that point? And what do we mean by made holy?

First it is important to understand what the Bible means by holy. Some defining synonyms of the holy are pure, dedicated, consecrated. Something that is pure is undefiled. At birth we are defiled by the curse both in our physical existence and our moral nature. In heaven we will not be in any sense, physically or morally. To be pure means at some point that defilement is removed, destroyed and replaced. Another aspect of holiness is dedication. Pure dedication is a single minded dedication to God. No thing in heaven will be or higher value or limit our dedication to God. When we are born we are dedicated to ourselves and our own pursuits. The other word mentioned here is consecration. To consecrate something is to set it apart for sacred and holy or divine use. When born we are dedicated to ourselves. We are impure in our hearts and we are certainly not set apart for holy and sacred use.

So herein lies the great problem that Christianity solves. We are unholy, and God is holy. Revelation 21:27 “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

So no defilement enters Heaven to be the in the presence of a holy God. Only holy people can be in the presence of a holy God. When is it that unholy people can be truly made holy? When is it that we can be made able to enter Heaven?

Modern Catholics have developed a theology of purgatory, where the impurities are burned out after death and before entrance into heaven, yet there is no scriptural basis for this whatsoever. Any defence of this doctrine must come from the apocrypha for it cannot be found in the Bible. Modern evangelicals often hold to us receiving imputed righteousness whereby God considers unrighteous people to be righteous and holy and at death they are made holy and able to enter into the presence of a holy God. This makes God a liar as He deceives Himself as to the state of His children.

What does scripture teach? On the topics of a holy heaven and a corrupted by the curse birth there is broad agreement among church groups. On the topic of when we are made holy, the thing which today most distinguishes us from other churches there is clear scripture and there broad agreement among the church if we look at it holistically. Today many believe in a post-life experience of holiness that is not possible in this life, however historically speaking this opinion is so far in the minority as to be nearly non-existent.

We can find Biblical answers to our questions in the Book of Acts. While the focus tonight is when we can be made holy it is first important to establish how it is that we are made holy.

Is there an experience of holiness? Does one simply grow into it? Is holiness possible? Acts 2:4 states “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…” The most key of all aspects of holiness is that it is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot purify ourselves. And even so were we able to purify ourselves and dedicate ourselves and consecrate ourselves we would still fail to be truly holy without the Holy Spirit filling up the empty vesses that we had become. It is not in our power to purify ourselves from the corruption of carnality. We must rely on the Holy Spirit and His filling to do this. 2 Corinthians 6:14–18 says “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” In this passage we learn that the Spirit of God will not dwell in an unclean temple. The righteousness of God cannot dwell with the unrighteousness of the carnal or impure heart. When those in the upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit they were made holy. Through the story we learn that they were acting in dedicated obedience to God. They had set themselves apart for use by Him and in fulfillment of the promise in Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…” God filled them with His Holy Spirit making them Holy. In this moment he purified their hearts by faith as they attested to in Acts 15:8–9 “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” In this moment their hearts were purified and they were filled with the Spirit of God. So it is with us today. In moment, just as at salvation, this blessed second work can be accomplished. So who is elligible and when can this be accomplished?

As one studies the question of when this experience can be obtained, once again the answers are found in Acts. The first of the common views is that one receives the Holy Ghost at salvation. Acts 8:12 tells of the conversion of the first gentiles. “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” Then in verses 15 and 16 “Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)” Here scripture shows clearly that first one is saved, then they receive Holiness, in an instant, at a later time. These people were saved. “Before that [sanctification] occurred they had believed and had experienced great joy.”[1]Acts has many answers for the questions on Holiness.

Another example for our consideration in Acts is Cornelius. Acts 10:2 describes the character of Cornelius. “A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.” Here is the description of a tremendous Christian man. It can be reasonably concluded that at a past time Cornelius had been saved. In verse 44 we see the experience of Holiness coming to Cornelius. “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.” So, scripture again shows that this experience is received in its entirety sometime after, or subsequent to, salvation but before death, or in this present life.

What then is the proper view. When is the experience of Holiness obtained? Samuel Logan Brengle says, “We must see our need of the blessing, and fully to see this need we must be justified.”[2]The God’s Missionary Churches definition of Sanctification lays out the Biblical and historical teaching plainly. “Entire sanctification is that second, definite, instantaneous work of grace, subsequent to regeneration, wrought in the heart of the justified person through faith, by the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, whereby the heart of the believer is cleansed from the original sin, and purified by the filling of the Holy Ghost.”

Among those who believe that Holiness is a second work of grace that occurs in the heart of the believer there seem to be two ideas. One is the above stated, biblical truth. The other is a dangerous shift in the when and how of entire sanctification or holiness. The emphasis changes from cleansing, purifying, and filling, to growth and surrender. It is still believed to be a work of grace that occurs after salvation and generally before death, but it is said to be almost grown into. The thought is that Entire Sanctification occurs when a person becomes completely surrendered to God. Reaching that point is a matter of growth, and when you are finally able to surrender all of yourself then you are entirely sanctified. The reason for the danger is how much truth lies in it.

The first problem with this idea is when the Holy Ghost is received. The teaching would be that one receives the Holy Ghost at salvation and slowly empties out himself until becoming entirely filled with the Holy Ghost. This is at direct odds with the many examples in scripture of believers who are described in Acts 19:2. “He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” This verse falls into the midst of a story of people who were saved, and yet they had not heard of the Holy Ghost! Clearly the Holy Ghost is not poured out when a person is saved.

The second problem is the emphasis on man. Those who teach with this emphasis put all the emphasis on surrender, or the work of man. Scripture puts all the emphasis on the work of God. While complete surrender is required, the work is not man’s to do, it is God’s and God’s alone. It is not at the point that we consider ourselves completely surrendered that we receive the Holy Ghost, it is at the point at which God deems we are ready. God does the work on the clay when He deems proper, the clay does not tell the potter when it is ready.

The Biblical message is this. Holiness is obtained after salvation, before death. It is not gradual, it is instantaneous. It is not the work of man, it is the work of God. Some attack these ideas openly, which is easily counteracted with scripture. Some attack with a subtle shift of emphasis while saying things that are true. These are dangerous, but when one looks down the path of this teaching one can see the end result. Scripture is clear about the timing of the work. It is after salvation, but occurs in this life, before death. We are called and commanded to be Holy. It is possible in this life, and it is a second definite work of grace that happens after Salvation.

I do not want to weaken the truth of what I have said tonight. I do want however to regocnize that perhaps I have shared a new idea with you, or some thought about which you are unsure or downright disagree with. I am not backing down on my belief in the truth of what I have shared, however I recognize that it is not perfect heads that God requires but rather perfect hearts. If you are confused or in disagreement seek God for peace. Seek the Scripture and see the truth therein