You Are Holy in Christ

What does it mean to be holy? People have many different ideas about the word… from piousness and being overtly spiritual like the Pharisees, secluding yourself and meditating, or some other combination of self-effort and works. The Biblical definition of holiness is “to be set apart for your intended purpose”. But this definition has been largely misinterpreted and misunderstood, and has become something much more carnal and fleshly.

That’s why today in this study, we will be taking a look at holiness, in the light of the finished work of Jesus Christ; and as we see this truth from the scripture, the false burden of trying to be holy will be replaced with receiving the holiness that Jesus has paid for us to have.

Let’s begin by examining the word itself. The word holy in Hebrew (which the Old Testament Law, Prophets and Writings are primarily written in) is kodesh. And as I said it means to be set-apart for an intended purpose; this is the meaning of sanctification. When something is sanctified and “made holy” it is set apart for its intended purpose – for example, whenever I drink out of this cup, I am sanctifying it, because it is being put to its intended use; and we see other instances of both things and people being sanctified and made holy all throughout the Bible. This word applies to God in that God is completely separate and apart from everything else in the sense that He is so much greater and beyond all of it. He transcends everything. The term for the Holy Spirit in Hebrew is RuakhHaKodesh which means Spirit of Holiness or Spirit which imparts Holiness. We will touch more on that later in this study.

The word holy in Greek (which the New Testament writings are written in) is hagios, and means the same thing as the Hebrew word kodesh: to be set apart for an intended purpose.

So now that we understand the Biblical definition of the word, let’s take a look at what the Bible says about holiness in connection with us. And we will start with one of the most misunderstood areas of scripture, 1^st Peter 1:1-16:

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you, and peace, be multiplied.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you,

Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found to praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come to you:

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

To whom it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to us they did minister the things, which are now reported to you by them that have preached the gospel to you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Why gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

But as he which has called you is holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation;

Because it is written, Be you holy; for I am holy.”

Now you might be saying “Whoa! Why are we reading so many verses? I want to get right to verse 16!”

Friend, believe me I understand, that there are pastors today who beat people with verse 16 as if it were a hammer. But part of the problem is in-fact that they take verse 16 out of context without reading the other verses. So to get a proper view of verse 16, we must read it in its proper context, starting at verse 1:

Peter’s introduction. Even though the “ministration of circumcision” was given to Peter (Galatians 2:7) – which is just a fancy way of saying that Peter was called to minister to the Jews – here we see that he is addressing all believers, both Jew and Gentile. Even so, knowing the context that Peter was ordained as a minister to the Jews, we must read his letter with a Jewish perspective.

In verse 2, Peter wastes no time in getting to the details: the very first word of verse 2 is Elect. You today as a believer in Christ are the “Elect of God.” He has chosen you, He has believed in you enough to send His son to suffer and die in your place to save you. You may have heard the song “You’re Nobody ’till Somebody Loves You”, well, you are somebody, because Somebody does love you – God Himself.

Then as Peter continues, according to the foreknowledge of God. Yes, He knows who will believe and receive Him, and this in no way whatsoever denies your own free will and choice. God knows everything, including what choices you will make and the outcome of those choices, but the fact that He knows them does not hinder in any way your ability to choose.

Now notice that there is a list here, and whenever you see an itemized list in the Bible, there is always a divine order to the items in that list. Here we have:

• The foreknowledge of God the Father
• The sanctification of the Holy Spirit
• The obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus

The first thing to see about this is that the entire Godhead is involved here. All three: The Father, the Spirit and Jesus are mentioned. We covered the foreknowledge of the Father, now let’s look at the sanctification of the Spirit. Remember that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit which imparts Holiness and sanctification means to be holy/set apart. And what we see here is that this election which we have received according to the foreknowledge of the Father, is through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. I emphasized those two words because they show us a very important detail, one that goes to the very heart of our study today: that sanctification (being made holy) comes through and is of the Holy Spirit. It is something that the Holy Spirit imparts to you, not something that you do of yourself. This runs counter to the popular misconception today that we are to make ourselves holy for God – but more on that later in this study.

The final item in the list is obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. The sanctification, the setting apart that we are set for, is unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. Now there are several things to make a note of here in this text: First notice whose obedience and sprinkling of blood this is… I’ll give you a hint: it’s not your own, it’s Jesus! We are set apart to the obedience and blood of Jesus Christ, and His obedience is always perfect and His blood is everlasting. If it is your own obedience then it can fail, if it’s your own blood or the blood of a bull or a goat, then it can only cover for one year, but the obedience and blood of Jesus never fails. Second, notice what the result of this divine working has given to you. The Father foreknew it all, the Holy Spirit separated you to the obedience and blood of Jesus, and the result is in the third-part of verse 2: Grace to you, and peace, be multiplied. This is the Gospel outlined in one verse friends. And because of Jesus’ perfect obedience and His eternal divine blood shed for you and sprinkled for all time, you absolutely have Grace given to you and perfect peace multiplied.

What does this truth naturally result in? Worship! Verse 3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You see whenever you take time to meditate and reflect on the truth of what God has done for you, it will naturally result in worship. Worship that will not be forced or phony or contrived in any way. You see that according to His abundant mercy He has begotten us again (borne us again)unto a lively hope. Not a dead hope. The hope that the world has is an uncertain, dead hope (such as: “Gee, I hope so…”), but this lively hope that we have in Christ Jesus today is the Greek word elpis which means “a confident expectation of good.” Notice that this confident expectation of good, comes by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It doesn’t come from your good works, self-effort, how many times you fast or for how long, or how much you give, it comes from Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead and that alone!

Do you understand that Jesus’ resurrection is your divine receipt of your right-standing with God today? Romans 4:25 states that Jesus was raised again for your justification. If even one of your sins remained on Jesus and was not judged, then Jesus would have never risen from the dead. However praise the LORD that He did rise again, and with His resurrection is your proof that every single one of your sins has been righteously judged by a perfectly Holy God, and today you stand before Him completely justified in Christ! And because of that, you do not have an uncertain hope, but a lively and confident assurance and expectation of good in Christ. And what is this a confident expectation of good leading towards? Verses 4 and 5:

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you,

Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Your inheritance in Christ is incorruptible. Which means death cannot touch it. Your inheritance does not fade away or get weaker with time. And your inheritance is reserved (kept) in Heaven. My friends, let me tell you a secret. Your inheritance is not ultimately the things waiting for you up in Heaven… but it is the person who is up in Heaven who loves you more than you can possibly imagine: Jesus. He is your inheritance and your full portion. (Psalms 16:5, Lamentations 3:23-25).

You are kept by the power of God and through faith (which Jesus is the author and finisher of; Hebrews 12:2) to salvation. This is another reminder of why your salvation is eternally secure. Jesus even prayed to the Father in John 17:11 that we should be kept through His Own Name. And I assure you that His Own Name never fails or falls short! And this salvation will be fully revealed in the last time when Jesus returns.

Now verses 6-9 tend to introduce misunderstanding in some people. Obviously we greatly rejoice in the truth of what Christ has done and our divine inheritance in Him. The next part however tends to be an area of stumbling if not properly interpreted, remembering that Peter writes from a Jewish perspective. Peter says that though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found to praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Some people interpret this to mean that God Himself is the author of the trial, and that He is “trying our faith” in order to refine us. However those who think that are totally missing the Jewish reference that Peter is making here. Notice in verse 6 that Peter says “if need be, you are in heaviness”. First, the phrase “if need be…” refers to circumstances that we find ourselves in; caused either by the enemy or by the actions of unbelievers towards us. These are not caused by God, but are the result of being in a sinful world.

Another way in which we can tell that God is not the author of such trials, in the fact that Peter said that these manifold temptations, put us in “heaviness”, this is a reference to Isaiah 61:3, and we know from that verse that God is not the one who gives or causes a spirit of heaviness, but He is the one who removes it with praise. Third, the word “temptations” in verse 6 means an enticement to sin, and we know from James 1:13 that God cannot be tempted, neither does He tempt anyone.

You see trials exist in the world. Enticements exist. God does not need to create these things, and with His foreknowledge and omniscience, He does not even need to test to discover results. The enemy uses such things to attempt to ruin faith and destroy lives, but as is stated in these verses, your faith in Jesus will actually bring praise, glory and honor as you remain steadfast in Christ. This is your testimony to others… what the devil puts in your path to try and ruin you, ends up being used by Jesus to bless you, and as a result everyone around you sees the quality and beauty and glory of Christ in you – they see that you are different, you are something special. That is the purpose and meaning of these verses.

Verses 10 and 11 continue by telling us something very enlightening. That the prophets inquired of and sought diligently for this salvation that Jesus has given to us. I have heard some frustrated and discouraged believers comment in times of despair and confusion that the Old Covenant prophets had a better relationship with God than we do today. But that is not actually true. We see here that the prophets inquired and searched diligently for the salvation which we have today. They longed and cried for the day when the One Jesus Christ would rise as an eternal mediator of a better Covenant for us (Job 9:33). Today we have the substance of what the people in the Old Covenant could only dream of (Hebrews 8:6). For them it was only the dream of a future event, for us it is the reality and the glory of Christ Jesus on us.

Verse 12 goes even further by telling us that even the angels desire to look into (inspect closely with great curiosity) the salvation which Jesus Christ has bought and paid for us to have. This shows us how often times we under-value and under-appreciate the fullness of what He has done for us.

Now verse 13 begins with the word “Wherefore” which is just an Old English way of saying “For this reason…”

In other words, this verse is saying “Because of the things you have just heard, you should therefore gird up the loins of your mind.” Now what are loins? Loins speak of reproductive, generating energy and power. Your loins have reproductive power and energy to generate… and here in this verse we see the loins of your mind. Do you realize that your mind also has reproductive power and generative energy? God knows it, and that’s why He says here to “gird up” (guard, protect) the loins of your mind. If you are always thinking that bad things will happen, or that you will get this disease or that disease – be on guard, because thoughts reproduce. If your thoughts are negative all the time, and filled with doubt, worry or fear, the things which you are worrying about will be produced in your life. This is not new age philosophy – this is a Bible fact.

The verse here says to be sober, stay calm and collected don’t let yourself be under the influence of worldly ideas and thinking. Instead, have Biblical hope, that is to be brought in Jesus Christ. Now the phrase “to be brought…” in English, appears to be speaking of the future; however in the original Greek text, it is actually in the “present passive”, meaning that it is being done presently, and it is an action that is being done upon us.

Also the phrase “at the revelation of Jesus Christ…”, the word “at”, is the Greek word en which means in. This is not so much a time-indicator, as it is a place-indicator. All of these blessings and benefits are available in the revelation of Jesus Christ. In the revelation (the revealing) of His finished work for you. In the truth of His death, burial and resurrection. This is how to combat negative thoughts in our life. The verse is saying: Gird up the loins of your mind and focus on Jesus Christ! Notice also that grace is brought to you, when you remain in the revelation of Jesus Christ. This is how grace comes into your life. The way that we protect our mind and make sure that it produces the blessings of God such as favor and grace and joy and peace is by focusing on Jesus Christ, not any other thing or person, and not ourselves, but Christ alone. That word sober in verse 13 is the Greek word nēphō which means “calm and collected”. In other words, not letting your thoughts run wild aimlessly or without control.

Now as we move on to verse 14, we must remember that it is a continuation of verse 13. If we just take verse 14 out of context it can be misinterpreted quite easily. But look at what the verse is actually saying: It is the ignorance of the revelation of Jesus Christ that causes us to end up in lust. However, we are to gird up the loins of our mind as obedient children, and that phrase “as obedient children” is very important. This phrase when translated from the Greek (hōs hupakoē teknon) literally means “in the same manner of a listening and submissive child”. This verse is telling us that the more we trust in Christ and the more we see of Jesus, the more we trust in Him and stay in the revelation of Jesus Christ – God calls that listening and obedient children. The alternative is being in ignorant lust. Do you see, it all revolves around Jesus and His finished work for you. The word “ignorance” here in this verse is not the unknown, but willful blindness; choosing not to be acquainted with Jesus Christ. It isn’t not knowing what to do in this case, but rather it is someone you do not know… Jesus. And it is this failure to see revelations of Jesus that will cause us to live in our lusts. If you do not trust God to provide, you will steal. If you do not trust God to protect you if you speak the truth, you will lie. If you do not trust the justice of God, you will seek petty revenge. Whatever areas you do not trust God in, you will end up living in lust and trying to fulfill those areas yourself through your own efforts and means – and God calls that living in lust and ignorance.

And finally, we have verses 15 and 16. Law preachers and legalists have been using these verses as a way of back-dooring the Law into people’s lives for a long time. And people have been brought into terrible bondage and guilt because of that. So let’s examine these verses properly in context.

Please note that these verses are presented only after we are told how to accomplish them. This is why they must be read in context. It is not by doing more or trying harder, but it is by seeing more and receiving more of Jesus! This is the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus told Martha in Luke 10:42 that “only one thing is needful”, and that one thing, was listening to, seeing and receiving from Jesus. The more that we see of Him, the more revelation we receive of Him, then the more He can operate in all miracle-working power in our lives.

These verses are not saying that we must strive for holiness through our works or self-effort, because in 1st Samuel 2:2, we know that there is none who is holy as the LORD, nor is there any one beside Him. Do you understand that no amount of good works can make you holy? Do you understand that no amount of striving or self-effort can sanctify you? But it is something that is imparted by the Holy Spirit through Christ.

There are those today who say that “Yes the Grace of Christ is good, but we must move on to deeper things, like holiness.” But my friends, holiness is not greater than Grace. It is through the Grace of Christ that we are sanctified and made holy, not through any performance of our own, but through the perfect performance of One Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:6-10:

“In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have had no pleasure.

Then said I, See, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do your will, O God.

Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin you would not, neither had pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

Then said he, See, I come to do your will, O God. He takes away the first, that he may establish the second.

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

God takes no pleasure in the old offerings and sacrifices. The old ways of the Law were never meant to make anyone righteous or holy, but as we see in verse 7, all of the scripture, all of the writings, all of the law and prophecy – the entire Bible is about Jesus. And Jesus came to do the will of the Father. What then was the Father’s will in this context? Verse 9 tells us that the will of the Father regarding the Old Covenant of the Law was to take it away. To abolish it, to remove it; why? In order to establish the New Covenant of Grace. God Himself said that He took no pleasure in the Old Covenant based on the efforts of man… why? Because no man could endure it. The Law justifies no-one and condemns everyone. (Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:16) So if God takes no pleasure in it, then why do we cling to it? If He removed it to establish the New Covenant, why do we run back to it so easily? I submit to you: for the same reason that the children of Israel wanted to run back to the slavery of Egypt. We have a problem trusting in the promises of God. But I am going to close tonight by telling you a promise and truth of God today: look at verse 10:

We are sanctified (set apart, made holy) not through our own works or effort, not by our ability to keep the law, but through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all.

That is the promise of God my friend. Do you see that Jesus Christ truly does fulfill everything in our lives? Let’s end with 1^st Corinthians 1:30-31:

“But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made to us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

Jesus fulfills everything. Your wisdom comes from Him, your righteousness comes from Him, your holiness (sanctification) comes from Him and your redemption comes from Him. And as verse 31 says: let him who glories, glory in the Lord. You can’t say “Ha! I’m holy because I did this or that, or because I fasted, or gave more.” All of that is man’s work. But holiness only comes from Christ Jesus and Him alone.

My friend I pray that this study today has encouraged you in Christ. That He may rightfully receive the glory for what He has done, and that you may rest securely in Him.