The Holiness of Christ
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We have spent time looking at holiness, the holiness of God, personal holiness and now tonight we will look at the holiness of Christ.
We know the trinity is God in three persons, so if God is Holy and the spirit is holy then of course Jesus is holy.
There is a Chris Tomlin song that has the words from 2 Cor. 5:21 in it:
He became sin who knew no sin that we might become His righteousness. He humbled Himself and He carried the cross. Love so amazing, love so amazing! Jesus Messiah!
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
God made Jesus. When God creates things He makes them in His image and He is Holy. Therefore Christ is Holy. Therefore we need to consider the holiness of Christ.
Without Christ and what He did for us there would be no relationship with God the Father.
For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
God is holy and the Bible clearly shows us that Jesus Christ is holy as God Himself is holy. It is the same Holiness that the Holy Spirit has Himself. If the Godhead is holy then those who have been born again into God’s family are also holy.
The Bible says
Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days.
For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
To be holy means to be free from defilement. To say that Jesus is absolutely holy is to say that He is absolutely pure in every way. He is pure intellectually, emotionally, morally, physically and spiritually. Jesus Christ has always been without sin.
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
The attribute or holiness is not limited to God the Father. In the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ we can see His holiness and mankind’s reaction to that holiness vividly. Even those who followed Him and those who opposed Him saw and were in fear of His holiness.
Christ is holy and in order to grasp this fact we need to remember:
Be firmly grounded in our security in Christ.
As we continue to study and focus on this verse “Be holy because I am holy” we will see more of our sinfulness. As this happens I believe those who truly desire more of God and to grow in God, will flee for refuge in Christ. So it is important for us to understand the righteousness of Christ and the fact that His righteousness is added to us.
During Jesus’ time here on earth He lived a perfect holy life.
He is described as:
“without sin” (Heb. 4:15)
“committed no sin” (1 Pet. 2:22)
“him who had no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21)
“In him is no sin” (1 John 3:5)
“the Righteous Servant” (Isa. 53:11)
“Loved righteousness and hated wickedness” (Ps. 45:7)
Jesus also gives testimony that He is holy.
He looked at the Pharisees and asked “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? (John 8:46)
The answer here is not as significant as the question but the fact that Jesus dared to ask it. His bold question was another way He revealed His supernatural power. He dared to ask these people and was in direct confrontation with people He knew hated Him. He dared to ask the question because He knew there was only one answer. He was without sin!
Jesus’ holiness is more than the absense of sin it is the perfect conformity to the will of His Father.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
This is His purpose and He had no problem stating it.
For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
His highest testimony is to show that He is holy is found in this statement in John 8:29:
And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”
Holiness has to do with more than mere acts. Our motives must be holy, this arises from a desire to do something just because it is the will of God. Our thoughts should be holy since they are known to God.
Here me tonight I know this feels huge!
I am with you on this but the thing is He is not leaving us alone to accomplish this. He has given us examples and helpers to aid us in this way of living. Don’t be discouraged.
Jesus Christ perfectly met these standards and He did it for us. He was born into this world that was accountable to the law of God that He would fulfill it on our behalf.
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
Jesus was the perfect spotless lamb. Whenever we seriously think about the holiness of God our natural reaction is to say with Isaiah:
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
We need to have a serious view of the holiness of God and His own moral perfection and infinite hatred of sin. We see ourselves like Isaiah did lacking holiness and with a magnified view of our sin. But Isaiah was given encouragement and we too can take comfort here.
He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
As we grow in holiness the more we need assurance that the perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to us. Because of Jesus and what He has done we have an account that has credit in the holiness department. This is true because part of growing in holiness is the Holy Spirit’s making us aware of our need to holiness. As we see this need, we need to keep in mind the righteousness of Jesus Christ on our behalf.
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
The truth of our acceptance by God through the righteousness of Christ may seem to be so simple that we wonder why it is stressed. It is because we need to think on it to stop the attacks of Satan. The righteousness of Christ is our power to tap into to and overcome the attacks of the enemy. The Holy Spirit makes us more aware of our lack of holiness to stimulate us to a deeper yearning and striving for holiness. But the enemy will try to use the work of the Holy Spirit to discourage us.
He tries to make us think that we are not a genuine Christian - by saying things like a true Christian would not think the evil thoughts you have been today. He tries to play on our unworthiness, our confidence and our insecurities.
But something to keep in mind here is this:
Satan’s messing, God’s blessing and I am pressing!
Every sin that you or I have ever committed the enemy will bring it back to our thoughts. But this has been covered under the blood of Jesus Christ. God knew that we would make mistakes that is why the righteousness of Jesus came into the picture and it is through that we are able to move on.
God knows us better than we know ourselves and He still loves us and wants relationship with us. He didn’t tell us to get our lives together then come looking to have relationship with Him. He wants us Just as we are!
The words to this hymn come to mind here:
Jesus as I am without one plea
But that thy blood was shed for me
And that thou bidst me come to Thee
O Lamb of God I come
Sing this hymn, let the words ring true in your spirit and by the end of it you will be praising God for His salvation that has been given freely to us through Jesus Christ!
This my friends is why we are to pursue holiness because through its pursuit we are to defeat the lies of the enemy and flee to His refuge.
If we diligently pursue holiness, we go to the rock of our salvation. Go there to not only to be saved again but to confirm in your heart that you are saved through His righteousness alone.
This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.
It is through this understanding that Christ’s holy life lived on our behalf becomes so important to us.
2. Jesus’ life is meant to be an example of holiness for us.
Peter told us that Christ left an example for us to follow in His steps
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
We are to follow the example of Jesus. Christ suffered without retalliation, Christ committed no sin and we have been urged by Paul to be imitators of God.
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
The sinless life of Jeus is meant to be the example for us. His statement “I always do what pleases Him”.
Do we take this as a personal goal for our lives?
Are we willing to examine closely our actions and activities, our plans and goals and all of our impulsive actions in the light of this statement?
Am I doing this to please God?
We can never obtain holiness by our own efforts.
Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”
Every spiritual quality we need is found in Jesus alone. We need to learn to follow the example of Christ who was moved with compassion for sinners and who could pray for them even as they nailed Him to the cross of Calvary.
He forgave at the last moment of His life and was full of compassion even in the midst of being punished in a brutal, humiliating way.
In the words of John Brown - scottish 19th century theologian:
“Holiness does not consist in the mystic speculations… it consists in thinking as God thinks, and willing as God wills”.
Holiness does not mean adhereing to a list of do’s and dont’s.
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’ ”
This is the example we are to follow. In all of our thoughts, actions, character, the ruling principle that motivates and guides us should be the desire to follow Christ in doing the will of the Father.
Remember that it is the righteousness that God has provided for you in Christ that is not your own righteousness. It is that righteouness that is freely offered to you if you will submit to the Lordship of Jesus. All that He has and all He has done becomes yours. The worst storms that you can ever imagine are silenced forever, God declares peace. You will have the experience like Isaiah when he knew the word of God which said “Behold, your guilt is taken away” (Isa. 6:7)
To be a Christian is to be forgiven. The essence of the Christian faith is grace. The essence of Christian ethics is not arrogrance but gratitude. We are not righteous in and of ourselves. We are righteous through the righteousness of Christ.
If you don’t have that get it settled now and forever.