Introduction: Testimony
I thank Jesus Christ our Lord, who has given me strength, and God considered me trustworthy, appointing me to His service even though I was once living in sin. God has shown me His mercy and grace when I acted out of ignorance and unbelief. By the grace of God’s presence, God has poured his anointing in me and on my life, along with faith and love that is in Jesus Christ (1 Timothy: 12-17).
I am a living testimony that God will save, redeem, and set you free. A living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living Sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, for this is your true and proper worship. Verse 2. Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you will be able to evaluate and approve what God’s will is His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2 echoes Paul’s message with assurance. Paul teaches us responsibility toward God. He wants us to be concerned with God’s truth, and he pleads with us that we should be responsible because living holy is our reasonable service.
Romans v2 tells us not to live as people of the world and not follow the customs, fashions, and principles of the world, but conform and transform our minds and ways to the character of Jesus Christ.
Definition of Holiness
What is the Holiness of God? Holiness is derived from the Greek and Hebrew word hagiasomos, meaning set apart. Holiness is rooted in the command to be Holy as God is holy (Leviticus 19:2). The word holy is also defined as one being exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.
The theology of holiness is entire sanctification. This blessed experience is an order to gain an entrance into heaven, and the theology is the divine revelation found in the Holy Scriptures. The term paraclete most commonly refers to the holy spirit. Entire Sanctification also involves dedication, purity, consecration, service, and every individual aspect of who God is cannot be measured or comprehended.
Holiness has greater limits and borders devoted entirely to the deity of His works. It is the removal of inbred sin. (Inbred is a person born to people who are closely related from birth.
As we ponder holiness, we can admit that God himself is a perfect and absolute Holy being. God points to s in Leviticus 19:20, “Be ye holy for I am Holy.” Jesus makes His own perfect an entire holiness the sufficient reason for requiring the same quality in his people. Holiness of the highest will always fall infinitely but become short of infinite. God speaks regarding quantity, and it will be the same in quality, because Jesus tells us, “Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
In the absence of holiness, according to Rev. 2:27, “one will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery, just as I have received authority from my father. No one will enter the heavenly city. If there is ‘defilement,’ neither whoever worketh in abomination nor createth lies.” Therefore, heaven is described as a holy place and will have holy occupants.
Question: Theme: Is Holiness a necessity of entire sanctification in this life as well as the life to come?
Discussion: Let us compare some of the Christian beliefs on Holiness. Many Christians are indifferent to holiness. The subject of holiness does not interest most of us. Sometimes Christians hope with or without reason believe their sins are forgiven. Some believe in trying to live a moral life, trust, and that they will go to heaven when they die. Some claim holiness to be positive and negative. Some preachers will not preach holiness or want to hear it. Some believe holiness is just a delusion and live with spiritual pride and ego. They are indifferent and carry an attitude of disdain about holiness. Those who belong to God should believe and see holiness as a desirable, needful, and salutary way to retain something in their heart while living here on earth. Many believers see holiness as a very lovely experience to gaze upon and accept, but they also believe it is impossible to attain. We can not make ourselves holy. We can hope to grow toward holiness.
The positive side of entire sanctification is perfect love, and we know that the love of Jesus is the only perfect love. As we continue on our spiritual journey, it does not mean that all who possess holiness must have an equal amount of love. Maybe someone else’s heart does not have love because one person may have a greater capacity to love than another. For example, the perfect love of a child would not be a perfect love in a man. Perfect love in a man would also be different. Perfect love may increase today, and be gone tomorrow, because the heart will change, but we can thank God that God’s love does not change.
Entire Sanctification
Entire sanctification also has a negative side. It is the removal of sin that is the character difference. The difference between entire sanctification and regeneration is additional because it implies that impartation is a new life. God bless those who have a hunger and a desire in their hearts to be saved to the utmost, and who will give increase to them, so that the church everywhere may be a banner of holiness to the Lord, because without it, we shall never see God. To examine further in Hebrews 12:14, “Jesus says, Follow peace with everyone, be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” is entire Sanctification.
Question Two
How is it possible for us to love God increasingly?
Our love grows, and it deepens for an increase of Holy love. In holiness, it connects with grace, growth, and justification. When your growth increases, there will be growth in your life indefinitely. This is true growth in grace. According to the author Dougan Clark, every justified and regenerated believer should/may want to retain his/her religion to bring forth good fruit. The branches are fruit bearers whom the Great Husbandman ‘purges’ and sanctifies to bring forth more abundant fruit by which he himself is glorified.
Premises
Based on the scripture, reasoning, and experience, three premises unite us in the spiritual that entire sanctification needs to happen and be obtained now, and if it is in the present tense, it is to happen instantly. If instantly and now follows, then entire sanctification is obtained by faith. From these premises, there is a logical deduction in that we cannot gain entire sanctification by ourselves to receive it but take it as we are.
Abundant Life
Now the abundant fruit requires producing the abundant life, and these are both found in Jesus Christ. “I come that you might have life (in regeneration) and that you might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) This means to have a superabundance of a holy life in the fullness of joy and strength for our spirit, soul, and body.
Key Ideas
If we accomplish the work that God has given us to do, it is a non-accomplishment in eternity, even if you have salvation by fire, seek and find that which is holy and an essential condition, and ask for instant sanctification. No Christian can do all that God wants us to do, nor enjoy all that would have us to enjoy in this world, without the grace of entire sanctification, holiness.
There is a biblical metaphor that says, The Savior says, ‘I am the true vine and the Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that bears fruit, he will purge it that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15:17 ). And again, “here is my father glorified that you bear much fruit; so, you will be my disciples. Even if you have the fullness of joy, joy to the uttermost, salvation of peace that passes understanding the fellowship with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, the sealing and anointing of the spirit, the white stone and a new name, the abiding presence, the indwelling comforter, then pray that the very God of peace may hear and now sanctify you wholly.
Debra Evon Stith
