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Bondman · 04-25-2008, 07:47 AM

Message #55

TWO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TRUTHS - 2

Continued from the comment here

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetSurrender

Bondman, can you explain exactly what holiness means; give examples maybe?

WHAT HOLINESS IS

Holiness is basically and quite simply put, GOODNESS, i.e., doing good because you've somehow learned how to "BE" GOOD. But how is it possible in this sinful world with all its temptations to do the opposite to good, to actually "BE" GOOD? How indeed! But can you think of anyone who is truly GOOD? Okay then, we have to somehow be "LIKE" HIM. But once again HOW?

A New Testament COMMAND is to 'Be holy as God is holy' (see 1 Peter Ch 1:15,16). CLEARLY IMPOSSIBLE!!! - so being holy is solely of and from God! It's actually NOT being LIKE God at all: rather it's having GOD'S holiness in us and working out through us! And also rather than US seemingly "being" good, again this is GOD'S goodness and holiness in us!!

In the New Testament many times the Spirit of God is just written as the "Spirit", but at other times as the "Holy Spirit". The Spirit is HOLY. And Who has lived in us and is constantly with us from the moment of our salvation? - the HOLY Spirit!! As we've said so many times before, here once again is an IMPOSSIBILITY FOR US, and therefore WE ARE TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON GOD and His Spirit in order to be Holy!

ONLY GOD IS GOOD

Everything God does is GOOD! We need to focus on the same thing. There is no good or holiness in me, thus I am SO dependent on the Spirit to bring HIS HOLINESS into my life! That is, trying and struggling to be HOLY simply will not work! The holiness and perfection of Jesus Himself, our Lord and Master and Saviour, is brought to us by the Spirit Whom He promised that He'd send to us - and did - and so any and ALL holiness in me is going to be CHRIST!

EXAMPLES: In order for the Lord to be able to live out holiness in and through us, He gave us three commands: Love GOD. Love all OTHERS. And the third 'New Commandment': love EACH OTHER, i.e., love our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Every time you obey - DO - something to fulfil one or more of these commands (if you did it via the Spirit) then THAT'S HOLINESS!!! Simply BEING GOOD! BIG things and LITTLE things:

I hardly have any money - but I gave $25 to James' family who had no food left in the house. I took back the biro I stole from work. I forgave Mary who is STILL running me down to others and painting me as a bad person. I spoke nicely to the check-out chick and thanked her for serving me. I started supporting an indigenous missionary in India working in the slums of Calcutta.

ONLY ONE WAY TO HOLY LIVING

BUT THE RUB with these examples, and the central part of this whole Message is: if we think that WE can do good things, then we will FAIL dismally. Doesn't matter if it 'looks' good and/or 'feels' good - unless we are IMPELLED (led) by the Holy Spirit and EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit of God to do it, then it's simply useless works that are totally un-holy (no matter HOW good they look, or how good they FEEL).

You see, the 'good' things we do, so often are purely humanistic, and ultimately done by US - to give us a good FEELING. Nothing wrong with that per se, but often that's our unrealised, but quite sinful AIM - rather than a holy action which the SPIRIT helps and leads us to do. Can you see the difference? YOU can never be holy. And YOU can never do even ONE holy deed. But Jesus in you, by His Spirit in you - CAN!!!

Let's set ourselves from this moment on towards nothing less than holiness of life and thought and deed - by His Spirit!

- BM, with his Beloved