The difference between justification and sanctification

I found this public domain article written by bishop J.C. Ryle explaining the essential difference between justification and sanctification. As there is much confusion nowadays on these subjects, I consider it necessary to understand these theological concepts if we want to really understand what practical sanctification is.


Justification and SanctificationHow do they Differ? by J.C. Ryle


I now propose to consider, in the last place, the distinction between justification and sanctification. Wherein do they agree, and wherein do they differ?

This branch of our subject is one of great importance, though I fear it will not seem so to all my readers. I shall handle it briefly, but I dare not pass it over altogether. Too many are apt to look at nothing but the surface of things in religion, and regard nice distinctions in theology as questions of” words and names,” which are of little real value. But I warn all who are in earnest about their souls, that the discomfort which arises from not” distinguishing things that differ” in Christian doctrine is very great indeed;and I especially advise them, if they love peace, to seek clear views about the matter before us. Justification and sanctification are two distinct things we must always remember. Yet there are points in which they agree and points in which they differ. Letus try to find out what they are.

In what, then, are justification and sanctification alike?

(a) Both proceed originally from the free grace of God. It is of His gift alone that believers are justified or sanctified at all.

(b) Both are part of that great work of salvation which Christ, in the eternal covenant, has undertaken on behalf of His people. Christ is the fountain of life, from which pardon and holiness both flow. The root of each is Christ.

(c) Both are to be found in the same persons. Those who are justified are always sanctified, and those who are sanctified are always justified. God has joined them together, and they cannot be put asunder.

(d) Both begin at the same time. The moment a person begins to be a justified person; he also begins to be a sanctified person. He may not feel it, but it is a fact.

(e) Both are alike necessary to salvation. No one ever reached heaven without a renewed heart as well as forgiveness, without the Spirit's grace as well as the blood of Christ, without a meetness for eternal glory as well as a title. The one is just as necessary as the other.

Such are the points on which justification and sanctification agree. Let us now reverse the picture, and see wherein they differ.

(a) Justification is the reckoning and counting a man to be righteous for the sake of another, even Jesus Christ the Lord. Sanctification is the actual making a man inwardly righteous, though it may be in a very feeble degree.

(b) The righteousness we have by our justification is not our own, but the everlasting perfect righteousness of our great Mediator Christ, imputed to us, and made our own by faith. The righteousness we have by sanctification is our own righteousness, imparted, inherent, and wrought in us by the Holy Spirit, but mingled with much infirmity and imperfection.

(c) In justification our own works have no place at all, and simple faith in Christ is the one thing needful.

(d) In sanctification our own works are of vast importance and God bids us fight, and watch, and pray, and strive, and take pains, and labour Justification is a finished and complete work, and a man is perfectly justified the moment he believes. Sanctification is an imperfect work, comparatively, and will never be perfected until we reach heaven.

(e) Justification admits of no growth or increase: a man is as much justified the hour he first comes to Christ by faith as he will be to all eternity. Sanctification is eminently a progressive work, and admits of continual growth and enlargement so long as a man lives.

(f) Justification has special reference to our persons, our standing in God's sight, and our deliverance from guilt. Sanctification has special reference to our natures, and the moral renewal of our hearts.

(g) Justification gives us our title to heaven, and boldness to enter in. Sanctification gives us our meetness for heaven, and prepares us to enjoy it when we dwell there.

(h) Justification is the act of God about us, and is not easily discerned by others. Sanctification is the work of God within us, and cannot be hid in its outward manifestation from the eyes of men.

I commend these distinctions to the attention of all my readers, and I ask them to ponder them well. I am persuaded that one great cause of the darkness and uncomfortable feelings of many well-meaning people in the matter of religion is their habit of confounding, and not distinguishing, justification and sanctification. It can never be too strongly impressed on our minds that they are two separate things. No doubt they cannot be divided, and everyone that is a partaker of either is a partaker of both. But never, never ought they to be confounded, and never ought the distinction between them to be forgotten. It only remains for me now to bring this subject to a conclusion by a few plain words of application. The nature and visible marks of sanctification have been brought before us. What practical reflections ought the whole matter to raise in our minds?

(1) For one thing, let us all awake to a sense of the perilous state of many professing Christians.”Without holiness no man shall see the Lord”; without sanctification there is no salvation. (Heb.xii. 14.) Then what an enormous amount of so-called religion there is which is perfectly useless! What an immense proportion of church-goers and chapel-goers are in the broad road that leadeth to destruction! The thought is awful, crushing, and overwhelming.Oh, that preachers and teachers would open their eyes and realize the condition of souls around them! Oh, that man could be persuaded to”flee from the wrath to come”I If unsanctified souls can be saved and go to heaven, the Bible is not true. Yet the Bible is true and cannot lie! What must the end be!

(2) For another thing, let us make sure work of our own condition, and never rest till we feel and know that we are” sanctified” ourselves. What are our tastes, and choices, and likings, and in clinations? This is the great testing question. It matters little what we wish, and what we hope, and what we desire to be before we die. Where are we now? What are we doing? Are we sanctified or not? If not, the fault is all our own.

(3) For another thing, if we would be sanctified, our course is clear and plain— we must begin with Christ. We must go to Him as sinners, with no plea but that of utter need, and cast our souls on Him by faith, for peace and reconciliation with God. We must place ourselves in His hands, as in the hands of a good physician, and cry to Him for mercy and grace. We must wait for nothing to bring with us as a recommendation. The very first step towards sanctification, no less than justification, is to come with faith to Christ. We must first live and then work.

(4) For another thing, if we would grow in holiness and become more sanctified, we must continually go on as we began,, and be ever making fresh applications to Christ. He is the Head from which every member must be supplied. (Ephes. iv. 16.) To live the life of daily faith in the Son of God, and to be daily drawing out of His fulness the promised grace and strength which He has laid up for His people—this is the grand secret of progressive sanctification. Believers who seem at a standstill are generally neglecting close communion with Jesus, and so grieving the Spirit. He that prayed,”Sanctify them,” the last night before His crucifixion, is infinitely willing to help everyone who by faith applies to Him for help, and desires to be made more holy.

(5) For another thing, let us not expect too much from our own hearts here below. At our best we shall find in ourselves daily cause for humiliation, and discover that we are needy debtors to mercy and grace every hour. The more light we have, the more we shall see our own imperfection. Sinners we were when we began, sinners we shall find ourselves as we go on; renewed, pardoned, justified—yet sinners to the very last. Our absolute perfection is yet to come, and the expectation of it is one reason why we should long for heaven.

(6) Finally, let us never be ashamed of making much of sanctification,, and contending for a high standard of holiness. While some are satisfied with a miserably low degree of attainment, and others are not ashamed to live on without any holiness at all—content with a mere round of church-going and chapel-going, but never getting on, like a horse in a mill—let us stand fast in the old paths, follow after eminent holiness ourselves, and recommend it boldly to others. This is the only way to be really happy.


Let us feel convinced, whatever others may say, that holiness is happiness, and that the man who gets through life most comfortably is the sanctified man. No doubt there are some true Christians who from ill-health, or family trials, or other secret causes, enjoy little sensible comfort, and go mourning all their days on the way to heaven. But these are exceptional cases. As a general rule, in the long run of life, it will be found true that”sanctified people are the happiest people on earth. They have solid comforts which the world can neither give nor take away.”The ways of wisdom are ways of pleasantness.”—” Great peace has they that love Thy law.”—It was said by One who cannot lie,”My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”—But it is also written,”There isno peace unto the wicked.” (Prov iii. 17; Ps. cxix. 165; Matt, xi. 30; Is. xlviii. 22.)

P. S. THE subject of sanctification is of such deep importance, and the mistakes made about it so many and great, that I make no apology for strongly recommending” Owen on the Holy Spirit” to all who want to study more thoroughly the whole doctrine of sanctification. No single paper like this can embrace it all. I am quite aware that Owen's writings are not fashionable in the present day, and that many think fit to neglect and sneer at him as a Puritan! Yet the great divine who in Commonwealth times was Deanof Christ Church, Oxford, does not deserve to be treated in this way. He had more learning and sound knowledge of Scripture in his little finger than many who depreciate him have in their whole bodies. I assert unhesitatingly that the man who wants to study experimental theology will find no books equal to those of Owen and some of his contemporaries, for complete, Scriptural, and exhaustive treatment of the subjects they handle.

The beauty of big cats

"I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine"

Psalm 50: 11

Exhortations to Holiness

Here is is a wonderful exhortation to Holiness by pastor Claude Duval Cole. We have covered so far the essentials about God's holiness. Starting next week, we will begin to be more practical and will examine how we can become more holy in our daily lives.

DEFINITIONS OF DOCTRINE
Volume I
The Doctrine of God
Chapter 23

The Scriptures abound in exhortations to holiness. "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). We are exhorted to lift up holy hands in prayer: "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting" (I Tim. 2:8). "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children" (Eph. 5:1). All these exhortations to holiness are addressed to believers, and show that we are not personally 'holy.' "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness" (Ps. 17:15). We are holy in Christ now; we will be personally holy when we are glorified, for our glorification will be our personal holiness.

It is a principle of universal recognition that all imitation of others is from an intense love and admiration of their persons. And we become like those with whom we associate. The heathen are so wantonly wicked because their gods are represented as vulgar and vicious. It is said that Plato wanted to have all the poets banished, because, in their poems, they dressed the gods in such wicked and vicious garb, thus encouraging the people to commit crime.

Take Time to Be Holy

Believers, in the pursuit of holiness, must take time to meditate upon the holiness of God. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Ps. 1:1-2). It takes time to be holy. Sin cannot be banished by a single gesture or an occasional look at the good and beautiful. Meditation upon the holiness of God will develop a spirit of meekness and humility, "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (I Peter 3:4). Comparing ourselves with ourselves may lead to pride and boastfulness, but when we are occupied with thoughts of the holiness of our Savior we will be filled with reverence and godly fear. "What torch can be proud of its own light when compared with the light of the sun?"

The temple of Incas at Cuzco, Peru, consisted of three walls, north, south, and west. The eastern side of the structure was open. The walls were smoothly plastered, and overlaid with finely hammered gold. These people were sun worshippers, and this was the way they worshipped: they would come to the temple just before dawn and stand in the opening to the east, facing the western wall. In front of them and on either side was a golden mirror. The sun would rise at their backs, and long before they could see it directly they could see its reflection in the western wall, and be covered with its golden light. Their faces would be illuminated, and their bodies would be literally bathed in light. Now the Gospel covenant is a mirror into which the believer looks with unveiled face at the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, and ultimately will be entirely conformed to His image. "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Cor. 3:18). Occupation with the holiness of the Lord will change us from one degree of holiness to another degree of holiness."And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" (I Thess. 3:12-13). "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness" (I Thess. 4:7). "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14)

"Holy God, we praise Thy name!

Lord of all, we bow before Thee;

All on earth Thy scepter claim,

All in heaven above adore Thee;

Infinite Thy vast domain,

Everlasting is Thy reign.

"Hark! the loud celestial hymn,

Angel choirs above are raising:

Cherubim and Sehaphim

In unceasing chorus praising,

Fill the heavens with sweet accord

Holy! holy! holy! Lord!

"Holy Father, Holy Son,

Holy Spirit, three we name Thee,

While in essence, only one,

Undivided God, we claim Thee;

And, adoring, bend the knee,

While we own the mystery."

The beauty of the butterfly

"The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein"

Psalm 111: 2

The holiness of the Holy Spirit

Here the great theologian John Gill will speak of the holiness of the Holy Spirit:

"The holiness of the blessed Spirit, is visible in the formation of the human nature of Christ; in separating that mass out of which it was framed in the virgin; in sanctifying it, and preserving it from the taint and contagion of original sin; in filling the human nature, when formed, with his holy gifts and graces, and that without measure; and through him it was offered up without spot; and he was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the Spirit of holiness, through the resurrection from the dead. Moreover, his holiness is manifest in the sanctification of the chosen of God, and the redeemed of the Lamb, which is therefore called, "the sanctification of the Spirit", (2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2) in convincing them of sin, of the evil nature and just demerit of it; in converting them from it; in calling them with an holy calling, and to holiness; in implanting principles of grace and holiness in them; in purifying their hearts by faith, through the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus; in leading them in the way of holiness, in which men, though fools, shall not err; and in carrying on, and perfecting the work of sanctification in them, "without which none shall see the Lord".

The beauty of creation

"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth"

Psalm 33: 6

The holiness of the Son of God

The great theologian John Gill speaks here about the holiness of Jesus-Christ, the Son of God:

"The holiness of the Son of God is to be seen in all his works; in the works of creation and providence, in common with his divine Father; and in all his works of grace; in giving himself to sanctify his church, and make it a glorious one, without spot or wrinkle, through his blood and righteousness; in redeeming his people from all iniquity, to purify them to himself a peculiar people; in bearing their sins, and making satisfaction for them, that they might live unto righteousness, and that the body of sin might be destroyed, (Eph. 5:25, 27 25: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27: That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." ; Titus 2:14 "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." ; 1 Peter 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. ; Rom. 6:6 "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. ") and so in the execution of all his offices; as a Prophet, he has appeared to be an Holy One; the faith delivered by him to the saints, is a most holy faith, wholesome words, doctrines according to godliness: as a Priest, he is holy and harmless, separate from sinners, and has offered up himself without spot to God; and though he makes intercession for transgressors, it is upon the foot of his sacrifice and righteousness: as a King, all his administrations are in purity and righteousness; and his laws, commands, and ordinances, are Holy Ones; and when he comes as judge of the world, he will appear without sin, and "judge the world in righteousness".

The wondrous works of God

"...stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God"

Job 37: 14

The holiness of God the Father is manifested (part 4)

John Gill has shown us many facets of the manifestation of God the Father's holiness. Let us discover more facets by quoting another good theologian, Claude Duval Cole:

" There is a display of Divine holiness in redemption. His holy nature will not allow Him to look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. Salvation is not at the expense of His holiness. The Redeemer must bear the wrath due the sinner, for wrath is the exercise of His holiness. God's hatred of sin was as much manifested in redemption as it will be in judgment. The only difference is that in redemption the guilt of the sinner is transferred to the Savior. The wrath that fell upon the Savior on Calvary had its source in the holiness of God.

God's holiness appears in human conversion. "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24).

Holiness will be displayed in the glorification of the believer. When our salvation is consummated we will be restored to the holiness of God. We will not have His power, nor His wisdom, but we will have His holiness. The Psalmist said, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness" (Ps. 17:15). This likeness will be both moral and physical, and the moral likeness to God will be holiness. The believer, while here on earth, struggling against sin, rejoices in hope of the glory of God. "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2). Sin is an awful burden to the believer; salvation is the restoration to his original holiness in creation.

The holiness of God will appear in all its purity in the day of judgment. Because God is holy, His wrath will he hot. His holy face will be too much for sinners to look upon. "And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:16).

Claude Duval Cole "The doctrine of God", chap. 23, "the holiness of God".

The beauty of birds

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they"

Matthew 6: 26

The holiness of God the Father is manifested! (part 3)

Let us continue to read what the great theologian John Gill has to say about God the Father's holiness:

The holiness of God the Father is manifested in his acts of grace

"The holiness of Jehovah the Father is to be observed in those acts of grace which are peculiar to him; as in choosing some in Christ his Son to everlasting life, before the world began. Now though not the holiness of the creature, nor even the foresight of it, is the cause of this act; yet holiness, or the sanctification of the Spirit, is fixed as a means in it; and it is the will of God, that those whom he chooses and appoints to salvation should partake of it, or come to salvation through it; nay, he has not only chosen them "through" it, as a means, but he has chosen them to it, as a subordinate end; he has chosen them to be holy in part, in this life, and perfectly in the life to come; and holiness of heart and life, is the evidence of interest in it, and nothing more powerfully excites and engages to it. The covenant which he has made with his Son Jesus Christ, on the behalf of the chosen ones, provides abundantly for their holiness, both internal and external; see (Ezek. 36:25-27) and the promises of it serve greatly to promote it, and to influence the saints to be "perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). And in this covenant is laid up a rod of correction, in love, to chastize with it the sins of God's people (Ps. 89:29-34). Justification is an act of God's grace towards them; it is God, even God the Father, that justifies, through the imputation of his Son's righteousness to them; by which the holy law of God is so far from being made void, that it is established, magnified, and made honourable: nor are justified persons exempted from obedience to it, but are more strongly bound and constrained to serve it; and though God justifies the ungodly, yet not without a righteousness provided for them, and imputed to them: nor does he justify, vindicate, or approve of their ungodliness, nor connive at it; but turns it from them, and them from that: and faith, which receives the blessing of justification from the Lord, by which men perceive their interest in it, and enjoy the comfort of it, is an operative grace, works by love to God, to Christ, and his people; and is attended with good works, the fruits of righteousness: the like may be observed with respect to other acts of the Father's grace; as adoption, pardon, &c."

John Gill, "A body of doctrinal divinity", book 1, chapter 20, "Of the holiness of God".

The beauty of the flower

"The grass withered, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever"

Isaiah 40:8

The holiness of God the Father is manifested (part 2)

The holiness of God the Father is manifested in his works of providence

Let John Gill continue to show us how God the Father's holiness is manifested:

"The holiness of God appears in his works of providence; which, though many of them are dark and intricate, not easily penetrated into, and to be accounted for; yet there is nothing criminal and sinful in them: the principal thing objected to the holiness of God in his providences, is his suffering sin to be in the world; but then, though it is by his voluntary permission, or permissive will, yet he is neither the author nor abettor of it; he neither commands it, nor approves of it, nor persuades to it, nor tempts nor forces to it; but all the verse, forbids it, disapproves of it, dissuades from it, threatens to punish for it, yea, even chastises his own people for it; and, besides, overrules it for great good, and for his own glory; as the fall of Adam, the sin of Joseph's brethren, the Jews crucifixion of Christ; which have been instanced in, and observed under a former attribute: wherefore the dispensations of God, in his providence, are not to be charged with unholiness on this account."

John Gill "A body of divinity-book 1, chapter 20 "On the holiness of God"

The beauty of the sea

So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. Psalms 104: 25

The holiness of God the Father is manifested! (part 1)

So far, we have looked at some characteristics of God's holiness. We will now begin to examine how this holiness is displayed. Here is what the great baptist pastor and theologian John Gill has to say about this:

The holiness of the Father is displayed int the works of creation


"In the works of creation; for as he made all things by his Son, not as an instrument, but as co-efficient with him, so when he overlooked them, he pronounced them very good; which he would not have done, had there been anything impure or unholy in them. Angels, not only those that stood, but those that fell, were originally holy, as made by him: the elect angels continue in the holiness in which they were created; and the angels that sinned are not in the estate in which they were at their creation; they kept not their first estate, which was an estate of purity and holiness; and abode not in the truth, in the uprightness and integrity in which they were formed (Jude 1:6; John 8:44). And as for man, he was made after the image, and in the likeness of God, which greatly consisted in holiness; a pure, holy, and upright creature he was; and had a law given him, holy, just, and good, as the rule of his obedience, and which was inscribed on his heart; some remains of which are to be found in his fallen posterity, and even in the Gentiles." From "A body of doctrinal divinity", book 1, chapter 20 "On the holiness of God".

Find also a contribution of the pastor and theologian Claude Duval Cole, in his book
"Definitions of doctrine", book 1, chapter 23:

"The Holiness of God appears in creation. There was not a flaw in creation when it came from His hand. Everything was beautiful and glorious. "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Gen. 1:31). And again, "The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works" (Ps. 145:17). So far as is known there are only two kinds of moral beings: angels and man, and these were created morally holy. But sin has marked and defaced God's handiwork, so that nothing is like it was when created except, perchance, the holy angels. Man is ruined and fallen, by nature a child of wrath. And the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain, waiting to be delivered from the curse of sin. "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Rom. 8:22). "

In the next post, we will see how the holiness of God the Father is displayed in his works of providence.

The beauty of youth

Look attentively to the eyes of this charming young lady. You surely can't help it: you got to smile back!

Vous êtes bien jolie mademoiselle!

The three Persons of the Trinity are holy!

In the last post, we have seen that God only is essentially, originally, underivatively, perfectly, and immutably holy.

We need to understand that the 3 persons of the Trinity are Holy. Let us look at what Dr. John Gill says on the subject :

" This must be understood not of one person in the Deity, to the exclusion of the rest; as not of the Spirit, though he is peculiarly called the "Holy Ghost", and the Holy Spirit, yet not to the exclusion of the Father and Son; so not of the Father, to the exclusion of the Son and Spirit; for as they are the one God, who is a Spirit, they partake of the same common and undivided nature, and all the perfections of it, and of this with the rest. Hence we read of the holy Elohim, or divine Persons, in the plural number; and of the Holy Ones, the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit, (Josh. 24:19; Prov. 30:5; Dan. 4:17). And no doubt respect is had to the holiness of the three divine persons, by the seraphim, when they said, "holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts!" (Isa. 6:3) and by the four beasts, or living creatures, continually employed in the same divine service, celebrating the perfections of God in much the same language, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty!" (Rev. 4:8). As there is no doubt made of the Deity of the Father, there can be none of his holiness: our Lord addresses him under the relation of "Father", and under the epithet of "Holy Father", (John 17:11) and all that has been said of the holiness of God belongs to him; of which there can be no question made: and it is as true of the Son as of the Father; for as the Father is the holy Father, he must be the holy Son, since he is of the same nature, and is "the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person"; and as the Father is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, so is the Son; as the Father loves righteousness and hates iniquity, this is expressly said of the Son, (Heb. 1:8, 9) he is eminently called "the Holy One of God", (Ps. 16:10) and "the Holy One of Israel", more than thirty times in the prophecy of Isaiah; and particularly is so called along with the titles of Redeemer and Husband, which are peculiar to the second Person, the Son of God, the Redeemer of his people, and the Husband of his church, (Isa. 47:4, 54:5) yea, he is called the "most holy", who was anointed with the Holy Ghost above his fellows, and "having the Spirit without measure", (Dan. 9:24) the title of holy he takes to himself when addressing the church, which is an emblem of the purest state of the church militant on earth, the church of Philadelphia; "These things saith he that is holy" (Rev. 3:7). Nay, the devil himself gives it to him; "I know thee, who thou art, the Holy One of God" (Luke 4:34). Besides, Christ is not only holy in his human nature, even perfectly so, and sanctified and set apart to his office as Mediator, by his Father; for which office holiness is a necessary requisite and qualification; but he is the Fountain of holiness to his church and people; they are sanctified in him and by him; he is made sanctification to them, and all the holiness, or holy graces that are in them, are all from him, (John 1:14, 16) which could not be, if he was not holy, and even holiness itself. And as for the blessed Spirit, the third Person in the Deity, the epithet of "holy" is commonly given to him, as before observed; and very truly, since he is of the same nature with the Father and the Son; and so he is holy by nature and essence, and as appears by his graces, operations, and influences; and by his being grieved, speaking after the manner of men, with the sins and impurities of men; the reason of which is, because they are so contrary to his pure and holy nature, that he cannot bear them, but expresses his dislike and displeasure at them (Eph. 4:29, 30).

In the next post, we will examine how the holiness of God the Father is displayed.

Marcel

Aglow

"Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day." Psalm 71: 8

The holiness of God is absolute

Dr. John Gill stands as one of the most important and yet misunderstood of our Baptist forefathers. His spirituality and intellect were only matched by the intensity with which others loved him or reviled him. Tom Nettles says of Gill, "He has doubtless been judged more harshly and even maliciously than any man of comparable repute in Baptist history." How could one man demand such respect and at the same time engender such hard feelings?

Dr. Gill was "a master in Israel". Let him speak about the Lord's holiness. He said that GOD ONLY is essentially, originally, underivatively, perfectly, and immutably HOLY:

"Holiness is an essential attribute of God; it is his nature and essence; it is himself; he is holiness itself; "he swears by himself, because he can swear by no greater"; and he will not swear by any less, and yet he swears by his holiness, (Heb. 6:13; Ps. 89:35; Amos 4:2, 6:8) which places put and compared together show that the holiness of God is himself; and it has been thought to be not so much a particular and distinct attribute of itself, as the lustre, glory, and harmony of all the rest; and is what is called "the beauty of the Lord", (Ps. 27:4) as it is the beauty of the good angels, and of regenerate men; and, indeed, what is wisdom or knowledge, without holiness, but craft and cunning? or what is power, without it, but tyranny, oppression, and cruelty? but God is "glorious in holiness", (Ex. 15:11) this dives a lustre to all his perfections, and is the glory of them; and therefore none of them are or can be exercised in a wrong manner, or to any bad purpose. And as it is his nature and essence, it is infinite and unbounded; it cannot be greater than it is, and can neither be increased nor diminished; when, therefore, men are exhorted to "sanctify" the Lord, and are directed to pray that his "name" may be "hallowed", or sanctified, (Isa. 8:13; Matthew 6:9) the meaning is not as if he was to be, or could be made more holy than he is; but that his holiness be declared, manifested, and celebrated more and more; it is so perfect that nothing can be added to it. And as it is his nature and essence, it is immutable and invariable; the holiness of a creature is changeable, as the holiness of angels and men; which has appeared by the apostasy of the one, and the fall of the other; and the holiness of saints, though its principle is the same, the acts and exercises are variable. But God is always the same holy Being, without any variableness, or shadow of turning. He is originally holy, he is so in and of himself, and of no other; there is none prior and superior to him, from whom he could derive or receive any holiness; as his Being is of himself, so is his holiness, which is himself: the holiness of angels and men is not of themselves, but of God; he is the fountain of holiness to all rational creatures that partake of it; it is peculiar to him, yea, only in him; Hannah says, in her song, "There is none holy as the Lord", (1 Sam. 2:2). In another song yet to be sung, the song of Moses and of the Lamb, it is said, "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy" (Rev. 15:4). The holiness of creatures is but a shadow of holiness, in comparison of the holiness of God; the holy angels are chargeable with folly in his sight, and they cover their faces with their wings, while they celebrate the perfection of God's holiness; as conscious to themselves, that theirs will not bear to be compared with his (Job 4:17,18; Isa. 6:2, 3). " Taken from "A body of doctrinal divinity", book 1, chap. 20, "Of the holiness of God".

Could we say it better? This great theologian truly honours the Lord's holiness! May our gracious Lord gives us a more exalted view of His unsearchable, unspeakable and unbounded holiness!

Marcel

The uniqueness of God's holiness

Recently I was listening to a sermon on the holiness of God by A.W. Tozer (SermonAudio.com). By the way, they have more than 700 sermons on this subject. A remark that he made stroke me. He said that he considered himself unworthy of even trying to speak on the this aweful subject. The reason is that we are fallen sinners and that our bodies, our minds, our speech and acts are now tainted by sin and that we cannot fully comprehend these things. If A.W. Tozer felt unworthy, I feel even more unworthy. No man, even the most holy of them, can really and fully describe the absolute and infinite holiness of the LORD.

But the LORD gave us the Scriptures and revealed many things to us about His holiness. I think that it is our duty to study these things and go the higher that we can.

One of the first things we must know about God's holiness is that it is ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE.

The holiness of God have two (2) aspects: His moral purity and His transcendence.


HIS MORAL PURITY

Moral purity implies absolute separation from that which is sinful. To be holy is to be righteous, moral and pure. There is NO ONE LIKE GOD IN HIS MORAL PURITY.

"There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God." 1 Samuel 2: 2

"To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One." Isaiah 40: 25

"Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." Revelation 15: 4

"Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?" Habakkuk 1: 13


The holiness of God is the very antithesis of all moral blemish or defilement.


HIS ABSOLUTE TRANSCENDENCE

God is also separated from that which assumes a lower form of existence. He is absolutely different from the angelic and human form of existence.

"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah 57:15

Vincent Cheung makes this interesting remark: "Some people wish to stress the possibility of having genuine fellowship with God, and therefore favour his immanence in a way that denies his transcendence. Detecting this distorsion, others who desire to maintain a high view of God overcompensate by denying his immanence. However, divine transcendence does not preclude divine immanence, and divine immanence does not diminish divine transcendence. These two qualities of God are true and consistent with other divine attributes. Our passage says that God is indeed "high and lofty", and no one is like Him, but by his own will, He is also close to those whom he has chosen, and who will humble themselves before Him.

A right understanding of divine holiness should cause us to worship and fear God:

"Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy." Psalm 99: 5

The holy God is inherently worthy of worship and extreme reverence; it is a serious sin to deny Him of proper worship."

Let us know the LORD better so that our worship will be acceptable to His sight and will exalt His holy person!

Marcel

Sunday smile

"And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18:3

The sense of God's holiness has been greatly depreciated

A wrong appreciation of God's holiness leads both the society and the evangelical world to shallowness.

Let us begin by the shallowness of society. The Holy Bible tells us that "in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away".

I am presently 60 years old. I can testify that we have seen much change in the general morality of society. When I was young, there was almost no divorce but it has now attain the rate of 50%. Young women having babies without being married was rare and those who were having abortions were shameful but now they parade in streets and have their sin paid by the government. Homosexuals had a very low profile socially and now they have gay pride parades. Drugs were almost absent and now drugs are rampant and even pre-teen kids are victims. Schools were places where children were in security and in a moral environment but now they live in a violent and depraved environment. We could go on and on with examples of how the society have lost most of its moral standards. Many people today negate the idea of sin. Why is that so? Simply because they have rejected the Bible and its truth. They have voluntarily lost the sense of the holiness of God and of His infinitely high standards of living and morality.

Seeing such phenomena in the society without God is not surprising. But now we begin to see a parallel in the evangelical world. The Scriptures says that people will profess to believe but they will not act accordingly: "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof". Don't we see today many people affirming they believe in God but they act as if they were pagans?

In an article entitled "Is the acknowledgement of God's holiness essential?", Dr. David Wells says: "The loss of the traditional vision of God as holy is now manifested in the evangelical world. It is the key to understanding why sin and grace have become such empty words. What depth of meaning can these terms have except in relation to the holiness of God? Divorced from the holiness of God, grace is merely empty rhetoric, pious window dressing for the modern technique by which sinners work out their own salvation. Divorce from the holiness of God, our gospel becomes indistinguishable from any of a host of alternative self-help doctrines. Divorced from the holiness of God, our public morality is reduced to little more than an accumulation of trade-offs between private interests. Divorced from the holiness of God, our worship becomes mere entertainment. The holiness of God is the very cornerstone of Christian faith, for it is the foundation of reality. Sin is the defiance of God's holiness, the Cross is the outworking and victory of God's holiness, and faith is the recognition of God's holiness. Knowing that God is holy is therefore THE KEY to knowing life as it truly is, knowing why he came, and knowing how life will end."


Let us go back to our Bibles and put our great, holy and sovereign LORD on the throne (not only as our saviour but also as our master)! This is the only way society and the evangelical world will bring back a holy and healthy morality. This is also the only way by which we will avoid self-deceit and hell.

Marcel

God's Art

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork"

Psalm 19:1

The beauty of the LORD's creation!

"Blessed be his glorious name for ever:
and let the whole earth be filled with
his glory; Amen and amen.
Psalm 72: 19

What can we know about GOD'S holiness?

In an article on GOD's holiness, Vincent Cheung says: "The doctrine of GOD'S incomprehensibility does not nullify the possibility of true and abundant knowledge about HIM by finite human beings through scriptural exegesis. We must not allow GOD'S incomprehensibility to negate his knowability. Although we cannot possess exhaustive knowledge about HIM, we can indeed have true knowledge about HIM. Whatever GOD reveals to us through the words of Scripture is true, and we have true knowledge about GOD to the extent that we know and understand these words."

This little quote teaches us two things:

1) we will never know everything there is to know about GOD (the limitation will remain even after the resurrection of believers);

2) we can learn about HIS HOLINESS through the words of Scripture.

Let us suppose a man with very great mental abilities. Let us also suppose that he is a christian and that he decides to pass his whole life studying the Bible about GOD'S holiness. The more he studies, the more he sees the unspeakable profoundness of the Word of GOD. Let us also suppose that he is faithful and that he does that diligently all his life. Will he know all that it is humanly possible to know about the LORD'S holiness? Absolutely not! Because no one can exhaust all the riches of GOD'S Word! Well, will you say, if that is true, it is not very encouraging to study this doctrine. This attitude is also wrong! We must study this teaching simply because GOD commands us to do it. So our knowledge and understanding will be in direct proportion of our efforts. Our LORD said: "Thou shalt love the LORD thy GOD with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22: 37) How can we love someone that we do not know? The more we know about HIM, the more we love HIM.

Lesson number 1: it our responsibility to study and learn the more we can about GOD and about HIS HOLINESS in particular. And we can not do that without efforts and time. We have a great tendency to laziness!

The other day, I was discussing about the matter of holiness with two other christians and I told them: "I would be curious to ask the average christian to write all he knows about GOD'S holiness just from the top of his mind? How many pages could he produce?" And how many pages could I produce? This little question puts us in face of our responsibility: we must study the Scriptures! How many theology books have you read and studied since you are a christian? If we are ignorant, it is by our own fault. There is never been a time in history where good books are available at very good prices! For example, I had Steven Charnock's book "The existence and attributes of God" (1140 pages) for $9.99! By the way, Charnock has written 100 pages on the attribute of holiness. And even if we do not have any money, there is a lot of good books that you can read free on the internet. We have no excuses!

If we cannot fully understand GOD's holiness in a whole life of study and that eternity will not be sufficient to extensively grasp this same holiness, do we begin to see how great GOD's holiness is? And don't forget, holiness is only one of HIS attributes!...

Dear readers, the greatness of OUR LORD is wonderful! "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." Romans 11: 33-36 These are my favorite verses. They are so profound!...

Marcel