This is from pages 21 and 22 of the May 1960 issue of the Pentecostal Herald
True Holiness
by Roy H. Maki
But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written Be ye holy; for I am holy.
1 Peter 1:15,6
A noted writer and authority on the subject of holiness once remarked that the Devil has used holiness as a scarecrow to frighten sincere Christians away from the finest of the wheat The reason many honest people are frightened by the thought of holiness is that they do not comprehend the real significance of a consecrated and dedicated life unto God as an integral part of their Christian experience. The first notion that pops into the minds of most people when you mention holiness is that it embrace an austere “holier-than-thou” attitude of the Pharisees of old and the early American Puritans. Nothing is further from the truth; true holiness should not be burdensome to a Christian who loves God, nor should it repel him.
We serve a holy God; holiness is the primary attribute of God and thus Habakkuk cries out “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity.....” (1:13). If the justice of God had prevailed, mankind would have been destroyed because of his repeated iniquities and rebellion against a holy God. But love prevailed and the eternal God clothed Himself in a tabernacle of flesh, offering Himself as a sacrifice in our stead, bridging the chasm between God and man.
In the Old Testament mercy was a popular term; while in the New Testament,it is grace.
1 Peter 2:9 declares: “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called out of darkness into his marvelous light.” This verse in Peter’ Epistle is practically a rephrase of
Exodus 19:5, 6 which said, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed and will keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people...and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” I should like to direct your attention to the spirit in which each of these promises is made. Notice, in particular, the difference in the emphasis. When Jehovah spoke to the Israelites of old, He qualified His promise with a big “IF.”-- “IF ye will obey and keep my commandments.” God’s blessings in the Old Testament were conditional. Notice the negative emphasis on works. However, in contrast, during the dispensation of grace, the promise is “Ye ARE a chosen generation” and the emphasis is a positive one. The emphasis is on grace.
The word translated “peculiar’ in both instances cited above is from the original Hebrew and Greek words meaning “a purchased people” or “a private property.” It definitely does not mean we should act strangely an carry on in odd ways; though it is true that our manner of worship sometime seems strange to some. God wants His people to conduct themselves in a decent and orderly fashion. All intelligent Pentecostal saint are opposed to fanaticism in any shape or form. Yes, we are purchased, “far as many as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold..But with the precious blood of Christ...” (
1 Peter 1:18, 19). We are bought with a price and are no longer our own, yet many can sing the hymn, “We Shall Crown Him Lord of ALL,” without yielding one iota of their lives to Him We become the temple of the Holy Spirit, and are admonished not to defile this dwelling place of God.
Jehovah commanded Israel, “Sanctify yourselves therefore and be ye holy, for I am Jehovah your God...I am Jehovah which sanctify you” (
Lev 20:8). The word translated Jehovah in this verse is from the original Hebrew word “Jehovah M’Kddesh,” which means “Jehovah who sanctifies.” The Hebrew term for sanctify is “qodesh” which means “to set apart for God,” that is, “to separate one for the service of God.” Sanctify also means “to consecrate”; “to be holy.” When God commanded His earthly people, Israel, to separate themselves from evil and wickedness, He not only hedged them about with a host of restrictive “do-nots, ”but He also gave them the opportunity to do good. The Israelites were not only warned to shun the evils of the land of Egypt but they were also to keep and walk in the ordinances of Jehovah. God commands His people to be holy, but He cannot force them to do so. Holiness is a process, and an is holy only as long as he exercises his free moral choice to be holy. It is this daily “dying to self” the “mortification of the deeds of the flesh” --this constant spiritual exercise which causes the saint of God to grow in grace and holiness. Holiness is not mushroom growth, it is not the thing of the hour, nor is it like Jonah’s gourd which grew in a single night-- on the contrary, it grows like a coral reef, little by little, degree by degree. (Read
2 Peter 3:18’
2 Cor 3:18; 7:1;
1 Thess 3:12;
Phi 1L6; 3:10-15.) A lazy man cannot be a holy man. The serious saint of God must deliberately separate himself from all that is unclean and unholy, and continually and constantly present the members of his body as holy instruments unto God for the accomplishment of His holy purposes.
Christ enjoined His followers to be perfect, even as our heavenly Father is perfect; Jude tells us that we will be presented “faultless” before the presence of God; and Paul says our soul, body, and spirit will be preserved “blameless” unto the coming of Jesus Christ. The greatest confusion over the subject of holiness stems from the fact that the words “perfect,” “faultless” and “blameless” are synonymous terms. We do not indulge in mere verbal hairsplitting when we say there is a distinction. Many of us are deluded into thinking we are “perfect” or “faultless,” when in reality, we are only “blameless.”
Perfection in the original Greek usage carries with it the idea of coming of age, completeness, wholeness, maturity, ripeness, or coming to fruition. It is consistent with the spirit of the orginal text to conclude that a “perfect” saint of God is one who has reached spiritual maturity; one who no longer is a babe in Christ tossed about by every wind of doctrine; but one who is rooted and grounded in the Word of God.
1 Thess. 5:24 tells us that we shall be preserved “blameless” unto the coming of the Lord; while
Jude 24 tells us that we shall be presented “faultless” before the presence of God’s glory. There can be no denying the fact that “faultlessness” is a condition which exists in heaven after our translation to the throne and presence of God.
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