The Man and His God: What is Holiness?

Introduction:

As we continue to build on the theme, The Man and His God, we have seen thus far that in order to develop the Spiritual Disciplines we need to be a man of God, we must strengthened by the grace of God and recognize that as a leader we are to thinking towards passing on or entrusting what we have heard to others, and do so in the environment and fellowship of suffering. Which means we set aside time in or daily routines to be soldiers focused on Jesus Christ, athletes who compete according to the rules, and farmers who persevere to the end.

In order to accomplish this we saw that we must be men of prayer, and not just any old prayer, but prayers that ascribe to the worship and submission to our eternal God, confession of sin, petition of our needs, and request for safety against of enemy the devil.

We learned last time that we cannot become men of God without knowing God. The only way we can know God is through his eternal word. Therefore, we sought to answer the question, How Do I Study the Bible?, and saw that our responsibility is not only to ready the scriptures, but to diligently seek “the sense” of the word so that we know what God is communicating to us and this we communicate to others.

This morning, we will add to our arsenal of truth that brings us closer to our God by understanding that God’s primary attribute above all others is his holiness. Therefore, to become like him as leaders, we must answer and implement the question, What is Holiness?

As we look at scripture, it becomes abundantly clear that holiness is no small thing. The first encounter with holiness is found at the completion of creation in Genesis 2:3

Genesis 2:3 ESV

3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

We then find God commanding Moses:

Exodus 3:5 (ESV)

5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Then further into the Mosaic law:

Leviticus 11:44–45 (ESV)

44 For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. 45 For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

It can be inferred by these verses, that in order for God to be our God, there must be a necessity of holiness. This of course is not just an Old Testament rendering, but it is replete throughout the New Testament as well…as we will see this morning at what the apostle Peter says in his first epistle:

Text: 1 Peter 1:13-25

1 Peter 1:13–25 ESV

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Background:

It is apparent from the letter that the readers were suffering persecution for their faith. But nothing in the letter indicates official, legislative persecution but their sufferings were the trials common to first-century Christians, and included insults (4:4, 14) and slanderous accusations of wrongdoing (2:12; 3:16). Beatings (2:20), social ostracism, sporadic mob violence, and local police action may have been involved as well. Yet the epistle is addressed to Christians scattered across six Roman provinces in Asia Minor, and churches and individual believers may have been encountering different degrees of reception or resistance in different places.

Peter’s qualification “if it should be God’s will” (3:17) implies that his original audience may have been persecuted in some regions and not in others. The purpose of the letter was for the hearers to “stand firm” in faith in the midst of trials and persecutions.

It should be noted that though they were commanded to stand firm in the faith as they went through tremendous trials, they were to do so while remaining holy in their conduct. So if that is a requirement even when the surrounding environment is not conducive to holiness, what is holiness?

Old Testament: The verb qādaš (used 481 times in 424 verses) connotes the state of that which belongs to the sphere of the sacred. Thus it is distinct from the common or profane.

New Testament: The Greek word hagios (184 times in 171 verses), pertaining to being holy in the sense of superior moral qualities and possessing certain essentially divine qualities in contrast with what is human and not divine.

In both uses, the word denotes something that has been set apart from the profane and is associated with the very presence and essence of God. However, let’s not be fooled into thinking that holiness is some static existence…holiness, just like all of God’s attributes in dynamic and working. This is what Peter describes for us in this passage.

I. Holiness Is Grace Focused (13-16)

A. Focused Hope (13-14)

(13) Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

(14) As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

B. Focused Standard (15-16)

(15) but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

(16) since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

II. Holiness Conducts Itself in Fear (17-21)

A. Fear of God’s Impartial Judgment (17)

(17) And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

B. Fear of Devaluing Our Redemption (18-21)

(18) knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

(19) but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

(20) He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

(21) who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

III. Holiness Lives By the Truth (22-25)

A. Truth Produces Love (22)

(22) Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

B. Truth Transcends Time (23-25)

(23) since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

(24) for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,

(25) but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.