Who Shall See God
PREFACE
Apart from a ringing demand for holiness, the teaching of the "Lordship of Christ" is hollow: and apart from the demand for holiness, exhortations to "the fulness of the Spirit" are groundless. Because holiness is a major doctrine of the Bible, an essential element of real salvation, and the practical basis of anything which might be called the "deeper life," and because it is also most neglected, we believe that preaching and teaching of holiness is the greatest need of this generation. There will be no revival without it.
The following two essays are to show forth "who shall see God." Since both are of a similar nature, showing the necessity of a pure heart or holiness before one can see God, they are being published as part of the same booklet. May the blessed Spirit of God use them for His glory.
-Scott Reed
THE PURE IN HEART
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”—Jesus
Matthew 5:8
In this passage from the Bible the Lord Jesus Christ pronounces a blessing on the pure in heart - they shall see God. The impure of heart are not included in this blessing; and we may conclude, then, that they will not see God. Consequently it is our purpose to examine purity of heart in order that each one of us may see clearly into his own heart—whether it is pure (or not)—whether we shall see God or not.
THE "HEART" - WHAT IS IT?
Before we examine the heart, however, we might first describe what we mean by the "heart." As the "heartwood" is the name of the centermost part of a tree, so the "heart" is a reference to the innermost part of a man. The "inmost self,"1 as Paul calls it, is where a man holds his deepest desires and makes his ultimate choices. From a man's heart proceeds the decision as to what he will love supremely, his ultimate purpose for life, and the intentions and motives behind his actions. These are seen by the Lord when He "looks on the heart,"2 and they are revealed to the world by a man's words and actions.3
Two important distinctions must now be made before we can make any further analysis of the heart. The heart must be distinguished from the more external aspects of the human being, such as his reflexes, habits, impulses and all of the undeliberate actions that have their home in the physical nervous system. These reflexes and impulses may cause a man to act in a certain way, but such actions are not of the heart inasmuch as they are not willful. It is most important that we distinguish between the decisions of the heart and the impulses of the body or "the flesh." This distinction between the activity of the heart and that of the flesh is the very distinction which Paul emphasizes in the seventh chapter of Romans, where he speaks of his "inmost self" in contrast to the "principle of sin" which dwells in his "flesh." Recognizing and despising what he calls the "law of sin which dwells in my members," Paul declares of his heart, "I delight in the law of God in my inmost self."4
The distinction between the heart and the flesh is very important because there are many persons who see men's fleshly faults and say that all men are selfish and impure, thinking that the faults of the flesh are the same as the sins of the heart. That this a mistaken idea is proved by the fact that although all men have faults, there are men who have pure hearts. These are the ones who will see God.
In the case of an unregenerate man, not much distinction between the heart and the flesh needs to be made, for the sin in his flesh is pampered and encouraged by his heart. In fact, the wickedness of the heart consists in the fact that the passions of the flesh are the objects of that heart.
This brings us to the second important distinction: The pure heart is not the same as the heart which Jeremiah describes as "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked,"5 for how could a heart be both pure and wicked? We must distinguish between the deceitful heart and the pure heart, for they are as contrary to each other as
The idea that each heart is either pure or wicked is very shocking to men, for the great mass of men, from atheists to evangelicals, like to think of their own hearts as 98 percent pure, or 75 percent, or 50 or 10. But the Scriptures only speak of the heart as "pure" and "righteous," or as "evil," “wicked,” and “unbelieving.”
Nowhere does God ever describe the heart as "relatively good" or "rather bad." Each heart is either totally pure or absolutely evil. There is no middle ground, for the ultimate purpose of a holy heart is exactly opposite to that of an evil heart. The conduct of a holy man may not appear exactly opposite to that of an evil man, for a holy man may act presumptuously, and an evil man may act presumptuously, and an evil man may keep up appearances or even try to be good in an external kind of way, But as God sees men's hearts, the difference between the two is as vast as heaven and hell.
A man is what he is in his heart, and a man's heart is what it chooses to be. A man may know his own heart as surely as God knows it if he will be honest enough to examine his desires, purposes and motives. To help you make this examination of your heart let us now see what a pure heart is and who are the pure in heart.
THE PURE HEART
1. The pure heart must be universally benevolent, or in other words, it is totally loving. It will fulfil the law of love6 both to God and to all men.7 No one would ever consider a heart pure if it is in any way unloving.
True love is not just mental agreement that men ought to love, nor is it an emotion or feeling, as the latter are involuntary states of the mind and body. True love is a voluntary attitude producing action on behalf of the beloved.
True love is the deliberate choice to promote the happiness and highest well-being of God and all human beings - a wholly unselfish attitude choosing God's glory and other's happiness and welfare for THEIR sakes and not one's own.
The unselfishness of a pure heart must be emphasized. “Love seeketh not its own.”8 The pure and loving heart does not serve its own well-being but the well-being of others, and this, as we said, for their own sakes, and not for some personal and private reason such as the happiness which might be derived from serving. The pure heart loves without discrimination or partiality regarding age, race, or circumstances. It loves one's enemies and one's neighbor as oneself.9 The man who makes any exceptions, and thereby showing partiality, is selfish and evil. The day of judgment will reveal that such a man has not loved anyone unselfishly, neither family nor friends, but has merely shown affection to those who pleased him, and to the degree in which they did please him. As far as number is concerned, the pure heart is "perfect in love," for it loves all even as Christ loves all. None, of course, have ever loved with the depth of Christ, and all are vastly inferior and imperfect in that respect. But those of a pure heart do love all with a love which continues to grow in depth as they experience more of the love of Christ in their own lives.
2. The pure heart has one ultimate purpose: to promote the highest well-being of all beings (the honor and glory of God and the happiness and welfare of all creatures) at the expense of himself. Every person has a dominant purpose that drives his life and actions. This purpose may have been formed in his earliest childhood by social pressures and tacitly accepted through life, or it may have been formed in later years after much deliberation. This ultimate purpose may be the desire to be appreciated, or to have prestige among men, or to enjoy the pleasures of life, or to improve one's mind or display one's talents. But whatever they may be, and however they are formed, and whether they be and however they are formed, and whether they be clearly understood or operate only at the back of the mind, the purposes that each man has chosen dominates his life. Only one purpose out of all possible purposes is really pure and righteous: that is to expend one's whole life in the service of Christ and the whole race of men for whom He died.
The supreme purpose or goal of many professing Christians is getting themselves to heaven, rather than glorifying God and serving the needs of mankind. This is religious selfishness, and it is no better than secular selfishness.
Others who profess Christianity have different selfish goals in their religion such as having a happy life, gaining peace of mind, maintaining a good opinion of themselves, etc. Any selfish purpose is selfishness of heart, but purity of heart calls for a completely devoted regard for the happiness and welfare of all men as the purpose of life.
Since the happiness and welfare of men requires the meeting of both temporal and eternal needs, the purpose of a holy heart will be to meet both kinds of need in every instance possible, and if one's purpose in life is really to serve others, he will take all action which he believes will promote this end.11 Any who are unwilling to take the steps to achieve the end do not choose the end.
When the Lord comes He will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness "and disclose the purposes of the heart."12
3. The pure heart has only pure intentions. Each deliberate act of a man has some intention - either to help or to harm. The pure heart not only chooses the happiness and welfare of others as the supreme purpose for living, but, of course, intends their well-being in every action. As any action taken with ill intent is evil, the pure heart never intends to hurt anyone, nor ever intentionally does wrong. A man of pure heart may have faulty judgment and harm may result from his actions, but he knows, as does the Lord, that his intention was to help rather than to harm. Some think themselves to have good intentions when they have only a "good imagination," and others believe they have good intentions when they really intend to benefit themselves by their good deeds to others.
Let each man judge himself carefully as the Scriptures teach,13 for God Himself is judging all, "discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."14
4. It scarcely needs to be mentioned that the pure are "obedient from the heart"15 to all the commandments of the Lord and all His known will. The pure in heart will always do what they think is right. They are never willfully disobedient; they never deliberately sin. Who could ever believe a willfully disobedient heart to be pure?
Two points must be emphasized, however, with respect to obedience: (a) that there is a kind of wrong action which is not deliberate disobedience, and (b) that there is a kind of deliberate obedience that is not love or purity or "obedience from the heart."
(a) The man of pure heart may act wrongly, due either to error or to an undeliberate impulse of the body. But when the pure man finds himself in the wrong, he is predisposed to cease the minute he sees it, correct the action, and make all necessary restitution. The pure heart is always predisposed to accept correction, and is in fact searching for any improvement in action. The man who is pure in heart is sensitive to the needs of men as well as the will of God, immediately recognizing that anything which is best for a man is the will of God; and he is instantly obedient to that knowledge.
(b) There is a kind of obedience, on the other hand, that is mere legalism. The rules are kept to the letter, and perhaps obedience is much praised. But if one's obedience consists only in control of the mind and body while there is no love in the heart for the purpose behind God's law - which is the well-being of others - then it is mere legalism. Mere external conformity, no matter how exacting, is not "obedience from the heart" and does not truly fulfill the law. The truly obedient are no less careful to keep every commandment of the Lord than the legalist, but do so in love, with full appreciation of the good purpose for which the moral law was given and in adoration for God whose loving kindness established it.
5. The pure heart is also pure in motive. The very trouble with the legalistic obedience mentioned above is that it proceeds from an impure motive. One may, indeed, intend good rather than harm from one's action, and intend good for a selfish motive. One may bestow all his goods to feed the poor and give his body to be burned, but if his motive is selfish and not simply love, even his "good intentions" are worthless.
There are only two kinds of motives: the 'desire to help others for their own sakes, or the desire to help one's self even if that calls for helping others. The motive behind a helpful act may be to save one's soul, or to have prestige, or to feel good about it; all of these are selfish.
Strictly speaking, the purpose for which one lives will always be the underlying motive behind all action.
The pure in heart obey from the motive of love, intend good just for the other's sake and choose the well-being of God and all beings as the supreme purpose in life.
6. From the viewpoint of consecration, the pure heart is totally consecrated to the Lord. It is not a soul which has "surrendered" to God as a conquering enemy, but one which unreservedly yields to its true lover. It is a heart which no longer claims its own rights, but is totally abandoned to God.
7. From the viewpoint of faith, the pure heart has continuous and implicit trust in the Lord. It is reconciled to all His ways - His righteousness, His moral commandments, and His judgments. This heart recognizes that every activity of God is for the welfare of His creation, and therefore trusts completely in His loving kindness.
The man who is pure in heart not only believes in Christ as the Saviour, but personally trusts Him as Lord of his life. Fully trusting the Lord naturally produces purity of heart, for whom a man really trusts, he will not disobey. Even in this world it would be considered absurd for one to claim that he trusts a man, say a lawyer, yet will not obey his instructions or follow his advice. So it is absurd to claim faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and yet not always obey Him. It is the pure in heart, and only the pure in heart who really trust the Lord, for it is they who faithfully obey Him.
8. The pure heart is a holy heart. The Scriptures explicitly decree that hagiasmos (holiness or sanctification) is essential to salvation, speaking of the "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord,"16 and stating that "salvation" is "thru sanctification."17 What is sanctified and holy if it is not the heart? And what could holiness consist in but the purity of heart just described?
9. The pure heart is indwelled by the Spirit of God,18 Who is described in the Scriptures most frequently as the Holy Spirit. It is the conviction of the Holy Spirit which procures a sinner's conversion from selfish disobedience to loving obedience. And it is certainly the continuous holy influence of the Holy Spirit that promotes continuous purity of heart.
10. The pure heart is a sinless heart. First, this must be part of the meaning of the word pure, for how can a sinful heart be pure? Second, all that we have observed in the preceding paragraphs implies sinlessness. The heart which is wholly loving and obedient, motivated by no selfish goals but only desiring the glory of God and the welfare of others, cannot be sinning. Thirdly, if we have died with Christ, we have died to sin, and are free from sin. Paul saw it to be a contradiction to say that we can be both dead and alive to the same thing when he wrote: "how can we who died to sin still live in it?" "We know that our old self was crucified with him so that...we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin." "Thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness."19 We know that this purity, sinlessness, or holiness of heart is both possible and necessary because it is commanded. Can anyone really believe that God would command what is unnecessary, or hold us responsible for what is impossible?- Therefore in the Scriptures it is clearly commanded: "You, therefore, must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect."20
It is again commanded and also promised: "But as He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.' "21
It is expected of the brethren: "And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure." 22
And it is claimed by the apostle for all true saints: "As He is, so are we in this world."23
Let no one suppose that he meets one of these requirements when he does not meet them all, for if a man loves God with all his heart and his fellow man as himself, he will choose God's glory and men's welfare as the supreme purpose of his life. And if this is truly his purpose, he will intend the well-being of all as the goal of every deliberate action, motivated only by a desire for their happiness and welfare for their own sake. Such a person would never willfully disobey God or harm man. Such a heart would be the product of the influence of the Holy Spirit and of the true faith which manifests itself in obedience. There is no room left in such a heart for deliberate sin.
THE IMPURE HEART
Now we must turn to observe some characteristics of the impure and unholy heart. We must admit that not everyone of the characteristics listed below will show up plainly in the life of every sinner, for most sinners suppress some of their tendencies in order to be acceptable to themselves and their associates, or to give themselves grounds for a hope of heaven. But while all the characteristics which we just listed above must be true of a pure heart, anyone of those characteristics below is a clear indication of a selfish and wicked heart.
1. Any intentional sin - any willful disobedience - makes the heart impure or wicked. This includes any conscious failure to do right or to make up, to the best of one's ability, any past wrong.
2. Any hatred towards any person is evil, and is proof of an evil heart.
3. Any action intentionally taken to benefit one's self at other's expense is a full demonstration of an evil heart.
4. Any feeling that one's own happiness is really more valuable than that of another - for example, the happiness of a child, or one of another race – is the rationalization of a selfish heart.
5. Any conscious lack of full consecration to our good and loving God is a natural manifestation of a faithless and unbelieving heart.
6. To decide to do less than the best at any time, or to compromise from the highest purpose, turning to something less than the highest is willful sin24 and its end is death.
7. If anyone has an intention to sin again in the future, he is - in his heart - still living in sin.
8. Those who do not hate sin wherever it is found and in every circumstance are still the friends of sin, the enemies of the holiness of God, and are still sinners in their own hearts. The heart is either holy or wicked. Every heart has either chosen to live for the well-being of every man to the glory of God, or it has chosen to serve itself. "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well. But if you show partiality you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law, but fails in one point, has become guilty of all of it."25 The reason this unmathematical statement is true is that the heart which sins at all is totally sinful. The attitude of every heart is simple; it is either absolutely for or against the will of God. All who are not obedient to it are against it.
Because the attitude or choice of the heart is simple, it can be changed by a single act of will. This act of changing one's heart from the love of one's self to a selfless love for God and man is known as repentance or conversion. Nothing but this act of heart or will is true repentance. No other kind of heart is truly converted.
Nothing can be more Scriptural or logical than these facts: (1) the unholy heart, as it stands, cannot be forgiven; (2) the unholy heart cannot stand in the judgment; (3) the unholy heart cannot live in the presence of a holy God; and (4) the unholy heart is damned already. But, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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21. I Peter 1:15, 16.
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WHAT THE BIBLE MEANS BY "HOLINESS"
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord."
There aren't a handful of people in a stadium full that are interested in holiness these days. But God is! We know God is interested in holiness because He says that without it no one will see Him.
Whatever it is - and that is what this paper is going to study - holiness is essential. For the average person, the mind attempts to twist away from this disturbing truth. One instinctively thinks of one's own past religion. But don't seek refuge in past religion; rather examine your religion. Has it been a religion of holiness?
Many religious persons and leaders have been satisfied to build their religious systems without holiness, although without it they will not see God. Then, again, others will feel the necessity to accept the word "holiness", but will attempt to re-translate it into something else already found in their religious system-anything from mystic meditation to vegetarianism.
But holiness is what it is—man's wishes to the contrary. The meaning of the word must be learned from its definition and use in the Bible.
Since it is essential - without it you will not see God - holiness deserves your most earnest attention and your most careful study.
WHAT HOLINESS IS NOT
1. When we speak of holiness, we do not mean (and neither do the Wesleyans, if anyone would take time to find out) any such thing as is meant by the charge "sinless perfection." We do not mean that there is any state of mind or soul which makes a human being incapable of being tempted to sin. Scripture reveals that the perfection of the angels did not consist in being incapable of temptation, for some were tempted and sinned. Moreover, any being who is capable of being tempted is capable of choosing sin, otherwise it would not be a real temptation. The true Christian is not one who has lost his ability to sin, but one who has cast away his desire and willingness to do so.
2. We further do not mean that there is such a state of grace as to prevent all error or undeliberate wrongdoing, such as those actions triggered off by ignorance, presumptuousness, spontaneous emotion, etc. Here the distinction must be made - and a very significant distinction it is - that deliberate wrongdoing involves a very different state of heart from undeliberate wrongdoing. A Christian may not be perfect in his actions, but he must be in his intentions.
3. Holiness is not any kind of "works of law." Although it is a form of obedience, it is not a mere external or outward obedience to any set of rules, no matter how "complete" the set of rules, or how fastidious that external obedience. The charge that holiness is "works instead of faith" stems from ignorance of the Biblical doctrine of holiness, as well as of the import of holiness writings.
THE BIBLICAL DOCTRINE OF HOLINESS
Derivation of the Word
"Holiness" is the English translation of the original Greek word Hagiasmos. The word "holiness" has a synonym -"sanctification", which is also a translation of Hagiasmos. Both words are direct translations of this one Greek word, and having the same meaning can be used interchangeably. Thus the American Standard Version of the Bible translates the reference above,
Hagiasmos is derived from Hagios meaning "holy", as used in the majestic anthem of Revelation 4:8, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty." It is also the word used to refer to the Holy Spirit. Thus it is clear that the word translated "holiness" and "sanctification" in the New Testament derives its meaning from an attribute of God.
Some people try to downgrade this term by saying that "sanctification only means 'set apart' " They make this mistake, first by an oversight in their Old Testament studies, and second by applying this error to a New Testament word. It is true that when things were sanctified in the Old Testament, they were set apart to God. But that was not all. They were first cleansed, and then set apart.
While the Old Testament Hebrew use of sanctification involves the ideas of cleansing and setting apart unto God, the New Testament word derives directly from the character of God. God is Holy: by the choice of His own will He is morally pure, and opposed to all evil. His choice is always perfect. His motive is always loving. His choice is always that which he knows to be best. Referring to His moral perfection in a word, we say, “God is Holy.”
Attributed to Men
Holiness is attributed by the Bible not only to God, how ever, but also to God's people, who are called "saints", the same Greek word, Hagios, here meaning sanctified or holy ones. This word is used as a name for the Christians in the first chapters of the Epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. To quote one, Phil. 1: 1 says, "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at
If attributing the quality of holiness to human beings seems surprising to some, or a mere verbal imputation to others, some other references to the holiness of the true Christians may be given. The scriptures speak of the saints as being "pure as He is pure,"
This holiness is commanded by God: "But as He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct . . ." I Peter
Holiness Essential to Salvation
Commanded, promised and attributed to men, holiness is essential to salvation. Without it no man shall see the Lord. Since being saved implies living in heaven and seeing God, those who shall not see God will not be in heaven, and are certainly not saved. In other words, if a man cannot see God without holiness, he is not saved without holiness.
Logically speaking, we need no further proof of the necessity of holiness than the simple analysis above. But for those who might not yet be satisfied, we will go on to prove two corollaries of the same principle: we shall see that one is saved when he is sanctified (and not before), and sanctified when he is saved.
Salvation Through Sanctification
Two scriptures should be sufficient to show that salvation comes through sanctification, one transcribed through Paul, and the other through Peter. Paul says, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth." 2 Thess. 2: 13. Peter expresses the same concept by saying, "Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through Sanctification…" 1 Pet. 1:2. Here it is indicated that the salvation of God's chosen or elect is through sanctification. If salvation comes through sanctification, then sanctification (or holiness) is the means to salvation. This, in turn, implies that when there is sanctification, there is salvation, and when there is salvation, there is sanctification. There is never one without the other. This brings us right back to our original principle that without the sanctification there is no salvation.
Since sanctification is the means of salvation, sanctification must occur at conversion, and be a part of conversion. Saying it another way, holiness begins at conversion. For those who are familiar with Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in the third chapter of John, the similarity between our key text and Jesus' admonition are striking. Jesus said, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the
We have proved to this point that sanctification or holiness is essential to salvation and part of conversion, commanded by God, and attributed to those who are saved.
Let us now see -
WHAT HOLINESS IS
This holiness is an attitude of the heart or will. It is not a constitutional state of the body or the mind, for constitutional states can not be a direct human responsibility. Neither is it merely an act of the body or mind, for actions of the body or mind must be judged and evaluated in terms of the motives behind them. Those motives, in fact, are the basic attitudes - that is, the attitudes of the heart…"Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
Conversion consists in a change of heart (along with forgiveness of sins and receiving the Spirit), and repentance IS this changing of the heart. The result of repentance is a new holy attitude -we may call it a pure or holy heart.
Now let us make no mistakes about it, change of one's opinions regarding God or His love or His grace is not necessarily accompanied by a change of heart. One may know the truth and remain evil in heart, even as Satan does. Or one may conform his outward actions to the highest standard of conduct while retaining selfish motives and intentions of heart, as did Paul before conversion. Repentance is a changing of the motives and purposes of the heart, and results in a new and holy heart.
This repentance, to look a bit deeper, is a change of the interests and purposes of the heart from self love or self gratification to love for God and for all others. It is a change from the attitude of concealed total selfishness to simple open love for God and men. It is a change of purposes from living for self to living for the honor and glory of God, and the happiness and well being of all others. Holiness, then, is the name for the new godly attitude of loving the Lord with all one's heart and being, and loving one's neighbor as oneself.
Analyzing Salvation
Salvation consists of (1) sanctification (the cleansing conversion of the heart), (2) justification (the pardon of sins), and (3) the receiving of the Holy Spirit to dwell in this new person. The forgiveness of one's sins (which is justification) is dependent on faith and repentance - the change of heart (which is sanctification). It may be hard for some with theological preconceptions to accept it, but justification is dependent upon faith and sanctification. We are here reminded of Paul's statement quoted above, ". . . salvation through sanctification and belief of the truth."
Any so-called conversion where real sanctification of the heart does not occur, and become evident in a life of victory over known sin, is, therefore, no true conversion.
Opposite to all Sin
The new holy attitude of the heart which truly loves God and man will naturally hate anything which dishonors God or harms man. It will, in other words, obey God, help all men, and oppose sin in any form. A man with this attitude will not permit sin in himself, nor excuse it in others. His is a heart set on not sinning, a heart not willing to sin. In fact, as long as this state of heart exists, it will not sin.
At this point, it seems, the voices of the religious and irreligious rise up together to take the side of sin and denounce the life of consistent holiness. But it was the Holy Spirit who inspired John to write, "Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not," and "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin."
Anyone who deliberately sins proves he does not have such a heart. It is a logical contradiction, and a natural impossibility, for one to hate sin and deliberately choose to do it, or to really love the welfare of others, yet deliberately do harm to another. It is impossible that one could love God's honor, while at the same time deliberately sinning, to God's great dishonor. A man cannot serve two masters (Matt
The doctrine so prevalent in both Catholicism and Protestantism that a man can deliberately sin and still be saved is the greatest deception of all times. It is the opiate of the hypocrite. It is the Antinomian Heresy warmed up again for the twentieth century. Jesus came to save men FROM their sins not IN them. Matt. 2:21;
Drawing the strings of definition together, holiness is that right and godly attitude of heart which God requires of any who will live eternally with Him. It is not mere belief in godliness - nor mere outward actions of "goodness", nor both combined. We must look behind those to the intentions of a man's choices and actions.
Holiness is that godly and benevolent purpose of life and intention of action that gives that character to every action. It is that right attitude toward God and man that all ought to have. It is a response to the truth by a decision of the will to do the thing that is right. Faith in God from this attitude is never "dead", but always active. And obedience from this attitude is never legalism because it is obedience from a pure motive.
Holiness is the simple life-choice of a man always to do right and never to do evil – that is, to promote the well being of God, man, and the universe, for their sakes and not for one's own; at any necessary sacrifice to one's self.
Holiness Continuous and Progressive
To this point we have been defining holiness in its generic and absolute sense. It now remains for us to speak of it as continuous, and progressive. Our key text not only informed us that we must have holiness, thereby treating it as an absolute, but also that we should "follow after" or continue in it. It is not something that is had once and can be forgotten, but something to be continued in. It is an attitude that must be persisted in while temptations come and go. It is a life to be lived.
Yet there is progress to be made. One's moral knowledge is partial and the actual good which a man does is relative to the good which he knows. A growth in spiritual knowledge means an improvement in spiritual living, for those whose hearts are fully set on obedience. Those who truly "follow after" God are ever studying the ways of Christ that they might produce an ever increasing amount of good, aiming at the perfection and completeness of Christ.
Exhortations
CHRISTIAN WORKERS should be careful not to present a watered-down plan of salvation when making an appeal for decisions, or when dealing with inquirers. A non-submissive form of so-called "believing" is as artificial and external as the much criticized "works of law." The Bible does not give intellectual belief as the only condition for salvation. Repentance is required, and true repentance will produce a change of heart. (If one will continue to insist that "faith" is the only requirement, let him be logical enough to admit that true faith is believing that God can perfectly run one's life - believing to the extent that one commits his whole life into His hands).
The personal worker, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is responsible for bringing the inquirer to a state of total repentance - a turning away from all sin to God and all His ways - the end result of which is a sanctified heart.
CHURCHES must not permit sinners to continue both in sin and in membership, but must reprove them, discipline them, or expel them.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH MEMBERS in churches which will not take action to reprove sinning members: if you are not specifically led by the Spirit to the work of reproving and converting the sinners in that church, you should "come out from among them." 2 Cor. 6:17..
SINNER: Do not be deceived. If your heart is not fully set on holiness and godliness, then the Lord is not God of your life. Your lack of holiness will ban you forever from the presence of God. If you claim to be saved, and you still sin deliberately, you are a hypocrite, and your religion is an outward pretense.
BACKSLIDER AND HYPOCRITE: If you claim to be saved by some scheme or formula or plan of salvation which leaves out holiness, you are diverging from the Word of God, and your "plan of salvation" is not of God. How can God contradict Himself, as He would be doing by saying that holiness is essential to seeing Him end then letting you into heaven by a "plan" which disregards what He said was essential? Your theology may exalt the "finished work of Christ" and "justification by faith" - you cannot exalt these truths too much - but by so doing you do not for a moment conceal the truths of the RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN and the NECESSITY OF HOLINESS. Continue in your unholiness if you will, but you must be the loser, for your unholiness and self deception will lead you to hell.
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