THE HOLY ONES PART 1

THE HOLY ONES PART  1.

Let’s look at a very important topic of the Bible which is holiness. In this series, we will look at  what truly is holiness? How can a man be holy? What is the role of holiness in lifestyle  and the difference between the nature of holiness and the lifestyle of holiness.

WHAT HOLINESS IS
Holiness has to do with  sacredness. When we say something is holy, it means it is set apart, sacred for a use especially related to God. It is from the Greek word hagios. It is translated as  saints, holy, consecrated for a purpose. Reading through all the scriptures from Genesis we see that many times what makes someone or something holy is God’s presence in that person or place. The first time the word HOLY was used in the Bible is in Exodus chapter 3. Here a ground was called holy because God’s presence landed on  it through an angel. 
Exodus 3
1  Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
2  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4  And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5  And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Here we see that it was a bush where animals graze and obviously with all the mess of the place, it was still called HOLY because of God’s presence. The place suddenly became set apart for God, to the extent that Moses was told by the Angel to remove his shoes.
  We even see that clothes, cups, and instrument used in the temple were called holy because they are separated unto God’s use.
So we have seen that holiness is as a result of God's presence.

WHO ARE THE HOLY ONES?
The holy ones are those that have God’s presence in them. If lands can be holy because of God’s presence how much more people that have the presence of God in them.
Ephesians 1 :  4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
We are chosen in Christ to be holy. It is what Jesus has done that has made us holy ones.
1 Peter 2
9  But 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 you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
We are called holy nation. We are set apart, and made peculiar. What makes a man holy is accepting the sacrifice of Jesus. It is the sacrifice that sets us apart in that we have the Spirit.
Hebrews 10
10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
14  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
It is The sacrifice of Jesus that has set us apart, sanctified us and made us holy.  In this  same chapter we see that the blood of animals used for sacrifice could not make any of them holy. It was just to cover their sins. Hebrews 10:1-5.  Any MAN IN CHRIST WHO says  he is not holy is insulting the sacrifice of Jesus.  Holiness is first a nature before action. It is the holy ones that should produce holy actions. WHAT DID A GROUND DO TO BECOME HOLY? What did cups, clothes do to become holy? If places can be called holy because of God’s presence how much more Christians that have the Spirit of God in them. When a man gets born again he becomes the habitation of the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:  22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Romans 8 : 9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
1 Corinthians 6 : 17  But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.   18  Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
HOW CAN A MAN HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT AND NOT BE HOLY? You are God’s temple. You carry God as a man in Christ. Holiness is our nature as Christians. 
We have been made saints, holy ones. Saints are not just dead people in Christ. The same word used for saint hagios is translated holy.  Let's see some references for saints in the Scriptures.

Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here believers at Rome are called saints not dead Christians.

Rom 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Same thing here. The saints are alive. We can't distribute to the need of dead people.

2Co 13:13 All the saints salute you

Dead people can not greet or salute. So We see here too that believers are called saints, holy ones.

Eph 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.

So we have saints at Ephesus which are believers too.

You can check  some other references  like  Ephesians 3:8,  Ephesians 3:18,  Philippians 4: 22,  Colossians  1 :2 and many others.

In Mat 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose
Those that died believing in Jesus to come are called saints.

Therefore we can be sure to say that saints are believers in Christ both dead and alive.

But man of God, are you now saying when we sin we are still holy? Let’s see what the Bible says about this. In 1 Corinthians 6,  Apostle Paul was correcting fornication. He Called them temple of the Spirit even amidst the sin. He actually admonishes them not to fornicate because they are temple of God.  In religion, we are told that when any man sins he is no more holy. This is not true. Holiness is first a nature.  Are we now in any way encouraging sin? No, because when a man knows he is pure, he will not involve himself with dirt. Notice verse 19, KNOW YE NOT? So knowing regulates your doing. In my next series we will look at the role of holy living. With all the flaws of the Corinthians church,  Apostle Paul started the letter by calling them saints.
1 Corinthians 1 : 1  Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenesour brother,
2  Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
But what of work out your salvation in Philippians 2? You are to work out not work for. What of follow peace with all men and holiness in Hebrews 12:14? All of these will be explained in the next series ; the lifestyle of holiness.

Only God is holy,  yes very correct.  Actually it is because only God is holy that is why we are holy. We are holy because we have God living in us through His spirit. The Holy one made us holy by giving us His Spirit.  To call yourself unholy because of your conduct will be pride. Humility is accepting the gift of holiness we have in Christ.

In summary, we have seen that any man in Christ is holy. He is set apart unto God in that He has the Spirit of God in him. He is the holy one.  He is a saint .  What it takes for  a man to be holy is God’s presence in him.

By OBIAZIKWOR EMEKE MODESTY.

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