God calls His people to be holy in all conduct because He who called them is Himself holy, and His holiness is the reason, pattern and standard for theirs. Holiness means agreement with God and restoration of His marred image in humanity, moral perfection and Christlikeness in purity of heart and life within human limits. It is the attainable standard of Christian perfection, a church without spot or wrinkle, and without it no one is accepted by God, sees the Lord, or is saved. It comes not by human strength but through divine grace by submitting to the Spirit, receiving Christ and partaking of the divine nature, yet it requires the most earnest effort, warfare, prayer, watchfulness and study of the Word to overcome sin. In daily life it governs mind, speech, temper and manners, demanding purity of thought, edifying conversation, Christlike courtesy and kindness, and separation from worldly lust and self-indulgence.
Words and Immediate Context
Holiness in every part of conduct is required because the God who has called His people is Himself holy, and His holiness is the reason, pattern and standard for theirs. Those called are to live as obedient children, no longer shaped by the desires followed in ignorance, but reflecting the holiness of the One who called them. This is a standard each person is called to reach by becoming like Christ, the spotless example, through obedience to God's will. It includes guarding the mind from impure, forbidden or trivial influences, refusing to dwell on them, and directing life away from former sinful desires.
The words pointing to what is written direct to the Old Testament Scriptures, which stand together with the New Testament in authority. Christ spoke in the Old Testament as well as the New, its prophecies are important and sacred, and its law and commandments continue in force and were not done away. The chapter stirs love for souls and calls all, including those not yet in the faith, to walk in the light shining on the pathway, to obey all of God's commandments, and to receive rich food from God's living Word that strengthens, comforts and blesses the feeble and afflicted. It reveals God's love bestowed in large measure on His chosen ones.
As obedient children believers must no longer fashion themselves according to former lusts in ignorance, but gird up the loins of the mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Girding up the loins of the mind means taking special care over the thoughts, not allowing the mind to be diverted and allured by different things or to take its natural turn toward unimportant things that bring no benefit. The mind is instead to be filled with the one great event of the coming of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when the graves will be opened and the dead raised and the living changed, crowding out everything else, while present privileges and opportunities are used to the full to prepare for the future immortal life. This command is among Christ's most precious lessons as the divine Teacher, part of the treasures of truth opened to make known the great love with which God has loved us, through whose grace strength of purpose, moral courage and wisdom unto salvation are obtained, for Christ is made wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption to believers. It requires a heart renewed by divine grace, going on unto perfection kept by the power of God through faith, and a personal work of resisting temptation by guarding well the avenues of the soul.
That guarding means avoiding reading, seeing or hearing anything that suggests impure thoughts, refusing to let the mind wander at random upon subjects suggested by the adversary, and fixing thought only on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report, through earnest prayer, unceasing watchfulness, the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit attracting the mind upward to dwell on pure and holy things, and diligent study of the word of God hidden in the heart to cleanse the way and keep from sin. Holiness belongs with living soberly and conducting the time on earth with reverence toward God. Those who call God Father are to pass the time of sojourning in fear because the Father judges without respect of persons according to every man's work.
They do this knowing they were redeemed not with corruptible silver and gold from the vain tradition and empty way of life received from fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot, foreordained before the foundation of the world and manifest in these last times. Trust is through God who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that faith and hope are in God. The same call to holiness belongs with purifying the soul by obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, loving one another fervently with a pure heart and with sanctified speech, and being born again through God's enduring word. This is Bible sanctification lived out in the Word, with self sanctified so there is no discord, variance, alienation and strife, but love for one another. So God's people become true witnesses scattered through all countries and cities to a world broken by discord, strife, variance and hatred, giving the most convincing evidence that truth has been brought into practical life and bearing the credentials that God sent His Son that the world through Him might be saved and receive life through faith in Christ.
Nature of Required Holiness
Holiness is agreement with God, the restoration in humanity of His image which sin has marred and nearly obliterated, so that those who cooperate with Him by knowing Him receive His likeness. It means moral perfection and Christlikeness in purity of heart and life, taking Christ's sinless life as the standard each person is called to reach rather than the low standard suited to unsanctified hearts. To be holy in all manner of conduct is to follow God as dear children and walk in love as Christ loved and gave Himself, rising above all cheapness of word or action. It is pursued through prayer for Christ's grace, resisting temptation, and daily growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus, until selfishness and self-conceit are overcome and mind, heart and affections are raised according to God's purpose. This holiness must shape daily conduct in speech, actions, relationships, temper and voice, and is not too pure or lofty for ordinary life, for through faith and union with Christ the Word transforms character into consistent obedience. Christ lived in human nature to show that people can become like Him by partaking of the divine nature, reflecting His glory within human limits, and those given light and opportunity must aim for this standard rather than lower righteousness to excuse inherited or cultivated wrong tendencies.
God's righteousness is absolute and characterizes all His works and all His laws, so His people must be as He is. His law echoes His own voice as the transcript of His character, continually calling people to come up higher and be holy and holier still, with no exception for supposed little sins. Holiness is the reflection of God's glory and the life of Christ revealed in His followers, with the practical godliness seen in every public and private act, word and deed of the sinless Christ reproduced in His disciples. It means hungering and thirsting after righteousness with the promise of being filled, made possible because provision has been made for people to become partakers of the divine nature through power given by Christ. To reflect this glory requires cooperation with God by emptying heart and mind of all that leads to wrong and by reading and studying the Word with sincere desire as the bread of heaven that gives spiritual strength, bringing desires and inclinations into conformity to the divine will in daily experience in harmony with Christ's teachings. Sanctification is God's object in all His dealing with people, whom He chose from eternity to be holy, that they advance each day in knowledge, virtue and perfection of character; the gospel has not abolished the law nor taken away even a little of its claims, and faith in Christ does not make it void. Refusal to let self die and to have the life hid with Christ in God, including clinging to a touchy sensitiveness always ready to be hurt and cry out, leaves a person in unbelief and transgression, for no part of the sinful self can be carried into heaven, and he that does righteousness is righteous.
The command sets the attainable standard of Christian perfection, a church without spot or wrinkle, the highest standard of glory and virtue, giving a most precious representation of what Christians may become if they hear and obey. This is possible because of the perfection of Christ's character and the provision made by His sacrifice, by which every provision has been made for believers to receive all things that pertain to life and godliness. It warns those who lift up their souls to vanity, and is to be read and practiced with watchfulness and prayer, studied by fathers and mothers with all powers of intelligence, and expressed in words and actions. Holiness, uprightness and purity is the righteousness of Christ imputed and laid hold of by faith until it becomes part of the being, consisting of love, forbearance, meekness and all Christian virtues, and all who have it will do the works of God. Unless Christ's righteousness is imputed there can be no acceptable repentance, and it never covers cherished sin, but divine power is given to combine with human effort to work out salvation with fear and trembling. Those connected with God's service must be sanctified soul, body and spirit or they mar His work and put Christ to open shame, learning of Christ His meekness and lowliness and knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, which is life eternal.
As sons and daughters by spiritual adoption, the called and chosen are to live in conformity to God's will, representing Him in life and character by practicing the precious truth, fully owning the power and authority of the Word, attaining to Christian perfection and living consecrated lives in love and unity. Christ is the perfection of divine character and the model, example, touchstone and standard to follow, and by looking to Him for grace and power to overcome every fault and carrying out His perfect principles in daily life His representatives get ready for the great day of God. God calls those who receive Christ to become new creatures made one with Him in character, placing the virtues of His own character upon them, lifting them from slavery to the will of Satan, and making them sons and daughters of the heavenly King. This was made possible because Christ clothed Himself in human nature, met every human temptation, and lived a spotless life to answer the boast that no one could do so, leaving a record that proves the power of grace, so that every soul who strives for perfection of Christian character and trusts in Christ will gain the victory in the battlefield between good and evil.
Holiness must be of heart and life and of the whole person — body, soul and spirit — through purification and sanctification expressed in obedience to God's commandments, not mere profession. Profession alone does not establish holiness, for words and works reveal character and Christ judges each person by them; those who follow Christ reject former desires and receive truth into their lives. A low standard of Christianity, a profession without true piety, and failure to live by professed truth fall short of the command, and treating sins and errors as trifling does not make them unimportant. The standard is not set by human preference, and professed followers who follow their own ways and lower it misrepresent God's claims and lead others to misunderstand them. Hearing religious truth without having the heart sanctified by it is not enough, for holiness must reach the heart and shape thoughts and behavior, gathering loose thoughts to center on God and earnestly overcoming carnal feelings. Bodies must be holy and spirits pure, remaining untainted by surrounding corruption in the last days, a work to begin at once and pursue earnestly and with understanding with the Spirit controlling every action, which prepares people to receive immortality; Christ's presence thus revealed in obedient lives makes earthly homes bright and prepares people to be holy and undefiled members of God's heavenly family.
Holiness is necessary to be accepted by God, to see the Lord, and to be saved, for people must become holy before they can be saved. Without this holiness no one shall see God, and without the wedding garment of Christ's righteousness no one can enter the marriage supper of the Lamb. Vice makes a person unfit for God's presence and bars the way to eternal life, while those who worship God sincerely and truthfully are accepted by Him. This holiness is purity of heart and holiness of life as preparation for eternal life, practiced in every circumstance through godliness, cultivating the attributes of Jesus and showing mercy and love to others, beginning with one's family and extending to all who need help. It cannot be reached by human strength but comes through divine grace as people submit to the Spirit's discipline, while Christ's righteousness makes their obedience acceptable as they persevere in overcoming faults and seek the Saviour's help in prayer.
How Holiness Is Received
Holiness is not gained by human strength but by divine grace through submitting to the discipline of the Spirit, receiving Christ and partaking of the divine nature after escaping the corruption in the world through lust. Strength of purpose, moral courage and wisdom unto salvation come through Him, for He is made wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption to believers, and His grace makes character like God's, turning harshness to gentleness and selfishness to generosity. That grace controls temper, speech and conduct, seen in politeness, tender regard, kindness, gentleness, forbearance and patience. It is Christ's righteousness imputed and laid hold of by faith until it becomes part of the being, consisting of love, forbearance, meekness and all Christian virtues, and all who have it will do the works of God. Unless His righteousness is imputed there can be no acceptable repentance, and it never covers cherished sin, yet divine power is given to combine with human effort to work out salvation with fear and trembling. By Christ's sacrifice every provision has been made to receive all things pertaining to life and godliness, and the perfection of His character makes it possible to gain perfection and reach the standard of a church without spot or wrinkle by learning His meekness and lowliness and knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ.
Christ Himself was holy as God is holy, without spot or stain of sin, pure and holy in character and one with God even while taking the form of sinful man and clothing divinity with humanity. As sin-bearer He needed no atonement for Himself, and because He was holy He could be the Saviour and make propitiation for the sins of the whole world.
Receiving holiness means daily obedience to all the commandments of God, bringing the law of heaven by which the whole universe is governed into everyday experience, with spiritual life maintained by healthful piety in walk and talk. It means being obedient children not fashioned by former lusts in ignorance, but with minds girded up, sober, and hoping to the end for the grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Holiness is formed through new habits of thought by faith in Christ, controlling natural propensities, denying selfish inclinations, and again and again fighting hereditary tendencies to wrong and things hostile to grace and reform. It involves purification and sanctification of the whole person — body, soul and spirit — so that Christ's presence revealed in obedient lives makes earthly homes bright and prepares people to be holy and undefiled members of God's heavenly family. This calling has practical force in honoring God, keeping His commandments and preserving the distinctive features of faith, with the true Sabbath as the sign distinguishing those who serve God from those who do not and keeping them in covenant relation with Him to receive His blessings through severe testing. The Spirit's purifying influence sets believers apart from the world so that words and actions show the principles of truth and holiness, with Christ as the perfect pattern to imitate in loving one another and neighbors and making sacrifices to lead people from sin to conversion. Ministers are to teach this holiness instead of fables and foolish imaginings that lay a grievous, galling yoke of unrest, disquietude and discouragement on souls, because bearing Christ's yoke brings rest, peace and obedience, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
It requires the most earnest effort now to overcome the natural feelings of the carnal heart, because the scenes of this earth's history are soon to close. There is constant spiritual warfare so long as in this world of sin, with watchfulness and prayer, and a personal work of resisting temptation by guarding well the avenues of the soul, avoiding reading, seeing or hearing anything that suggests impure thoughts and refusing to let the mind wander at random upon subjects suggested by the adversary. Loose thoughts must be gathered up and centered on God and brought into obedience to the will of God, leaving no room for lightness, vanity, trifling or loose thought, with thought fixed only on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report. This comes through earnest prayer, unceasing watchfulness, the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit attracting the mind upward to dwell on pure and holy things, and diligent study of the Word hidden in the heart to cleanse the way and keep from sin. Thoughts are to be educated and trained to habitually meditate on sacred, holy themes and not to dwell in thought or conversation on common, earthly things, because cheap and earthly thinking fills the treasure of the heart with earthly and corruptible things that are no savor of life to others. The mind is to be filled with the one great event of the coming of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when graves will be opened and the dead raised and the living changed, crowding out everything else and using present privileges and opportunities to the full to prepare for immortal life. Holiness is pursued through prayer for Christ's grace, resisting temptation, and daily growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus, so that as character is transformed selfishness and self-conceit are overcome and mind, heart and affections are raised according to God's purpose.
It is work to be done now, today, this very moment, not waited for until a special future period or until the earnest test comes. Holiness is found only in wholehearted surrender of human will and way to God's will and way, serving without fear in holiness and righteousness all of life, which gives righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. It is obtained by kneeling before Jesus Christ and asking individually for the converting influence of the Holy Spirit, beginning with full purpose to carry it out in letter and in spirit and, for those seeking office, demanding a decided change in words spoken and spirit behind them. It requires crucifixion of self every day and every hour, emptying and thoroughly cleansing the vessel of all iniquity, defilement and impurity, coming to God with clean purpose of heart as little children and giving the self to God, which keeps the vessel clean and right side up and prepared to receive the heavenly rain and brings deliverance by the everlasting arms when destiny is decided. It means practicing the precious truth, fully owning the power and authority of the Word, attaining to Christian perfection and living consecrated lives, dwelling together in love and unity while looking to Christ as perfect example, touchstone and standard for grace and power to overcome every fault and carrying out His perfect principles in daily life to get ready for the great day of God. It is shown in unity, sober humility, preferring one another in honor, and love without dissimulation, and that unity gives evidence that God sent His Son and opens the way for special victories, while open disregard of this Word forfeits blessing because blessing while it is manifestly disregarded would dishonor God and ruin the workers. This call requires a pure and holy work and deeper, truer consecration to God.
In trial the holy life means full consecration of soul, body and spirit to the Lord. For one afflicted by the wrong course of others who ought to have helped and supported those in trial and temptation, it gives instruction to contemplate and pray rather than become exasperated and let the feelings of the natural heart control. It forbids cherishing a spirit of retaliation whatever course others pursue, assures the innocent accused that they do not have to be a sin-bearer for any soul, and directs them to commit the case wholly to Jesus who died for them, keeping faith in Him, holding His hand stretched out in pitying tenderness, and trusting Him as sufficient in the present hour under every adverse circumstance. This consecration requires the Holy Spirit, whose work awakens the soul to heavenly things and draws its affections toward God and truth, especially as a time of crisis approaches. Holiness is to be revealed in daily life by subduing sinful human nature, abasing self, and living humbly and faithfully, with the Holy Spirit having free course so that the work needed in the heart to perfect Christian character is not obscured nor truth made ineffective, and the Saviour's life is the example of what people must be and do in order to be saved. Becoming holy is a personal, urgent matter bound to seeking forgiveness and assurance of a place in the Lamb's book of life, for Christ's blood has bought each person, so a life devoted to Him begins with seeking victory one day at a time and confessing sins today.
Holiness in Daily Conduct
Holiness in all conduct begins in the mind, which must be guarded from impure, trivial and forbidden influences and no longer shaped by former sinful desires in ignorance. Loose thoughts must be gathered up and centered on God, with the very thoughts brought into obedience to the will of God, the mind kept at all times under His control by the Holy Spirit and sanctified through the truth. This requires girding up the loins of the mind, being sober, hoping to the end for the grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ, and living as obedient children through earnest prayer, unceasing watchfulness, and diligent study of the word hidden in the heart to cleanse the way and keep from sin. Thought is to be trained to dwell habitually on sacred, holy themes and fixed only on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report, refusing to wander at random upon subjects suggested by the adversary or to dwell on common earthly things, and refusing to take in through reading, seeing or hearing anything that suggests impure thoughts. The avenues of the soul must be well guarded by a heart renewed by divine grace and kept by the power of God through faith unto perfection, with wholehearted surrender of human will and way to God's will and way, serving without fear in holiness and righteousness all of life, which gives righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Minds left to loose thought need change, leaving no room for lightness, vanity and trifling, because cheap and earthly thinking fills the treasure of the heart with earthly and corruptible things that are no savor of life to others, and because the most earnest effort is required now to overcome the natural feelings of the carnal heart as the scenes of earth's history soon close, with trivial and impure thinking crowded out by the coming of Christ, the opening of graves and the immortal life.
Holiness governs speech in every part of conduct, for God's own holiness is its reason and standard and those redeemed not with silver or gold but with Christ's precious blood are to live reverently and no longer shaped by former desires. Vain, idle, reckless, foolish and sinful words are to be rejected, with no light and trifling words, no jesting and joking and lightness, no gossip, backbiting, harsh or deceitful words falling from the lips, because speech reveals the abundance of the heart and a cleansed heart is needed for Christ to enter and abide within. When Christ is known and abides within the person becomes like Him and conversation becomes heavenly, but when attitude and words deny Him they declare Him unknown. Speech is instead to be pure, chaste, elevated and heavenly, giving spiritual help and building others up, and those who bear a divine message to perishing souls feel jesting and lightness painful to them under the burden for souls, praying constantly for grace as faithful stewards to be kept pure and holy, refusing to rush heedlessly into temptation, growing daily in grace into deeper knowledge of God, overcoming selfishness with affections elevated and ennobled, receiving words from the Master to speak and lifting as Christ lifts, loving as Christ loves and working as Christ works in going about doing good.
Holiness is seen in temper, voice and manners transformed by Christ's grace into His likeness, controlling temper and speech and shaping all conduct into politeness, tender regard, kindness, gentleness, forbearance, patience and unselfish care for others. Harshness is changed into gentleness and selfishness into generosity, shown in genuine kindness and courtesy without affectation or undue familiarity, with no desire for improper closeness and no cheap, common talk even among professed Christians. This holy life and right spirit, following Christ's spirit and God's principles also in professional conduct, serves as constant example and instruction to others, and those risen with Christ and keeping their baptismal vow are set apart from the world to show humility, righteousness, kindness and love for one another with purified souls through obedience to the truth and sincere fervent brotherly love.
At home holiness is lived out as home religion in daily conduct, requiring God's holy character as pattern in every part of life including words and conduct, turning from former sinful desires as obedient children. It is shown in kind, thoughtful, refined affection and courtesy within the family rather than hardness of heart, impatience, coldness or fretfulness, with no harshness, passion or hasty thoughtless words escaping the lips, but with the grace of Christ claimed on demand and the control of His Spirit over heart and conscience presiding over words and deeds and preserving self-respect. It calls for remaining at home to pray and surrender the will to God rather than making public home difficulties that come from lack of connection with God and objectionable traits of character, falling on the Rock and being broken and dying to self so that Jesus can make the person a vessel unto honor with fervent and noble affection that gives fragrance to the character. Husband and wife are to be bound in closest, happiest union in self-denial and surrender of the will, drawing their children's hearts by love and using precious moments while children can still be educated, trained and molded, for a man and woman are in God's sight in religious life just what they are in home life, and Christ's presence revealed in obedient lives makes earthly homes bright and prepares people to be holy and undefiled members of God's heavenly family through purification and sanctification of the whole person, body, soul and spirit, in obedience to God's commandments.
Holiness sets apart a different class from the world, living sober, obedient, God-fearing lives as those redeemed by the blood of Christ, unlike those in the days of Noah eating and drinking and marrying until the flood destroyed them and as it will be when the Son of man is revealed. It must be practiced in heart and life, laying aside malice and lust, abstaining from fleshly lusts, growing as newborn babes and as living stones with honest conduct before the world, resisting the desires of the unrenewed heart as people dead to the world with life hidden with Christ in God, imitating Christ, bearing a daily cross and leaving worldly ways behind. This is incompatible with frivolous worldly conversation and pleasure-seeking, requiring self-denial, sobriety and humility. Body and spirit must be kept holy and pure, untainted by surrounding corruption in the last days, with the Spirit of God controlling every action in a work begun at once and pursued earnestly and with understanding in preparation to receive immortality, including health reform practiced first by ministers, principals and teachers cultivating the garden of the heart and partaking of the fruit before bearing the message in every church and educating youth in the schools. God's messenger must reflect the holiness of God's requirements and be fit for the indwelling Spirit by controlling appetites and passions and developing physical, mental and spiritual strength to remain steadfast amid surrounding circumstances.
Witness Ministry and Mission
Holiness in all conduct is required of those who bear sacred responsibility, for position itself confers nothing and the one who called them is holy. Every member is to obey the command in letter and in spirit with full purpose to carry it out, and those seeking office are to show a decided change in the words they speak to others and in the spirit behind them. That change is obtained by kneeling individually before Jesus Christ to ask for the converting influence of the Holy Spirit. Those who serve God must be sanctified in soul, body and spirit, cleansed from defilement through close union with Christ so He may enter and abide in the heart.
Ministers are to teach holiness as obedient children no longer shaped by former lusts in ignorance, with minds girded up, sober, and hoping to the end for the grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Holiness is formed through new habits of thought by faith in Christ, controlling natural propensities, denying selfish inclinations, and again and again fighting hereditary tendencies to wrong and things hostile to grace and reform. They are not to teach fables and foolish imaginings, such as disputes over hair color, that lay a grievous, galling yoke of unrest, disquietude and discouragement on souls. Bearing Christ's yoke instead brings rest, peace and obedience, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
The holy minister prays constantly for grace to be a faithful steward and to be kept pure and holy, and then refuses to rush heedlessly into temptation. Holiness governs his speech, so no light, trifling words fall from his lips and all jesting and joking and lightness are painful to him, because he bears a divine message to perishing souls and is weighed down with a burden for them. Daily he grows in grace into a deeper knowledge of God, overcomes selfishness, and has his affections elevated and ennobled. He is not only a Bible reader but a Bible believer, receiving words from his Master to speak, lifting as Christ lifts, loving as Christ loves, and working as Christ works in going about doing good, striving for self-improvement that by precept and example he may lead others to a purer, higher, nobler life. The standard of Christian perfection can be reached through Christ, whose perfect character and the provision made by His sacrifice enable believers to receive all things needed for life and godliness.
Holiness requires remaining forever separate from the world, living in the world without being of the world and kept free from its contaminating influences, dead to the world with life hidden with Christ in God. It condemns worldly principles and requires institutions established to reveal heaven's principles to be governed by God's wisdom rather than human wisdom. God's servants refuse to join those who transgress His law, follow human opinion, indulge shameful lust, or offer Him a life stained by sin. Separation does not require coarseness, roughness or rude expressions, for truth elevates and refines those who receive it unto holy character, comely manners and guileless words, as those preparing for translation after the pattern of unfallen angels.
Those who labor for souls are to reach a higher standard of holiness and show it so others can see it, keeping free from worldly policy plans and refusing to become entangled in plans that dishonor profession of faith in order to gain the influence of the wealthy. They refuse to sell the soul for financial advantage and do nothing that retards God's work or lowers the standard of righteousness. Medical missionary workers must not bind themselves with worldlings by inviting them into councils nor dishonor the sacredness of truth by bringing worldly lawyers into connection with God's work, but must be molded after the similitude of Christ and stand on the platform of truth uninfluenced by false theories and wrong devising. They respect the pure, living principles of the gospel, keep medical missionary work bound up with the gospel ministry rather than making it the body, and labor unitedly with the church and ministers in soul-saving work. As God's servants and workers together with Him they do His work in His way, revealing self-denial and sacrifice in life and not only in talk, so that all labored for see the desire for holiness and are inspired to become better acquainted with the things of God.
Bible sanctification lived out in the Word means souls purified by obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, loving one another fervently with a pure heart, redeemed not with corruptible silver and gold from vain tradition but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish foreordained before the foundation of the world. With self sanctified there is no discord, variance, alienation and strife, but love for one another, humility, righteousness, kindness, sober humility, preferring one another in honor, and love without dissimulation. That unity dwelling together in love gives the most convincing evidence that truth has been brought into practical life, bearing the credentials that God sent His Son that the world through Him might be saved and receive life through faith, and calling people from darkness to light. Open disregard of this Word forfeits blessing, because for God to bless while His Word is manifestly disregarded would dishonor Him and ruin the workers. This holiness distinguishes God's people from the world through love for one another and supreme love for God shown in both speech and actions, representing Him in life and character as sons and daughters by spiritual adoption in conformity to His will, with Christ as perfect example, touchstone and standard.
The instruction for godly living is to be presented to the people now while the world is being prepared for the closing work of the third angel's message and the loud cry. A holy life and right spirit serve as constant example and instruction to others, showing genuine kindness and courtesy without affectation or undue familiarity and avoiding cheap talk. By walking with God, speaking in ways that reveal His grace, purifying the soul through daily practice of the truth, and guarding thoughts, words, habits, dispositions and character, believers reveal His character and affect whether others are drawn toward salvation or placed in peril. True holiness lived in this way can lead others to choose the humble path of holiness, and the faithful are promised the crown of life when their struggle is over.
Christian education is to lead learners to seek strict purity of character as they learn heaven's principles and prepare for life with God. The beauty of holiness should be impressed on young people as part of moral and religious instruction, for God's holiness is the standard for human holiness. Children and youth are called to reach a high standard in habits and tendencies, to be sober-minded, and to guard conversation so words are pure, chaste and elevated, girding up the loins of the mind and hoping to the end. True holiness means higher attainments in righteousness, and younger believers as lambs of the flock beginning the Christian life need experienced, motherly guidance with warmth of affection and steadiness of character to manage them over rough places, direct their steps, counsel them, defend them from surrounding dangers, and lead them kindly, firmly and disinterestedly upward.
God calls His people to be holy in all conduct because He who called them is Himself holy, and His holiness is the reason, pattern and standard for theirs. Holiness means agreement with God and restoration of His marred image in humanity, moral perfection and Christlikeness in purity of heart and life within human limits. It is the attainable standard of Christian perfection, a church without spot or wrinkle, and without it no one is accepted by God, sees the Lord, or is saved. It comes not by human strength but through divine grace by submitting to the Spirit, receiving Christ and partaking of the divine nature, yet it requires the most earnest effort, warfare, prayer, watchfulness and study of the Word to overcome sin. In daily life it governs mind, speech, temper and manners, demanding purity of thought, edifying conversation, Christlike courtesy and kindness, and separation from worldly lust and self-indulgence.
Words and Immediate Context
Holiness in every part of conduct is required because the God who has called His people is Himself holy, and His holiness is the reason, pattern and standard for theirs. Those called are to live as obedient children, no longer shaped by the desires followed in ignorance, but reflecting the holiness of the One who called them. This is a standard each person is called to reach by becoming like Christ, the spotless example, through obedience to God's will. It includes guarding the mind from impure, forbidden or trivial influences, refusing to dwell on them, and directing life away from former sinful desires.
The words pointing to what is written direct to the Old Testament Scriptures, which stand together with the New Testament in authority. Christ spoke in the Old Testament as well as the New, its prophecies are important and sacred, and its law and commandments continue in force and were not done away. The chapter stirs love for souls and calls all, including those not yet in the faith, to walk in the light shining on the pathway, to obey all of God's commandments, and to receive rich food from God's living Word that strengthens, comforts and blesses the feeble and afflicted. It reveals God's love bestowed in large measure on His chosen ones.
As obedient children believers must no longer fashion themselves according to former lusts in ignorance, but gird up the loins of the mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Girding up the loins of the mind means taking special care over the thoughts, not allowing the mind to be diverted and allured by different things or to take its natural turn toward unimportant things that bring no benefit. The mind is instead to be filled with the one great event of the coming of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when the graves will be opened and the dead raised and the living changed, crowding out everything else, while present privileges and opportunities are used to the full to prepare for the future immortal life. This command is among Christ's most precious lessons as the divine Teacher, part of the treasures of truth opened to make known the great love with which God has loved us, through whose grace strength of purpose, moral courage and wisdom unto salvation are obtained, for Christ is made wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption to believers. It requires a heart renewed by divine grace, going on unto perfection kept by the power of God through faith, and a personal work of resisting temptation by guarding well the avenues of the soul.
That guarding means avoiding reading, seeing or hearing anything that suggests impure thoughts, refusing to let the mind wander at random upon subjects suggested by the adversary, and fixing thought only on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report, through earnest prayer, unceasing watchfulness, the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit attracting the mind upward to dwell on pure and holy things, and diligent study of the word of God hidden in the heart to cleanse the way and keep from sin. Holiness belongs with living soberly and conducting the time on earth with reverence toward God. Those who call God Father are to pass the time of sojourning in fear because the Father judges without respect of persons according to every man's work.
They do this knowing they were redeemed not with corruptible silver and gold from the vain tradition and empty way of life received from fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot, foreordained before the foundation of the world and manifest in these last times. Trust is through God who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that faith and hope are in God. The same call to holiness belongs with purifying the soul by obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, loving one another fervently with a pure heart and with sanctified speech, and being born again through God's enduring word. This is Bible sanctification lived out in the Word, with self sanctified so there is no discord, variance, alienation and strife, but love for one another. So God's people become true witnesses scattered through all countries and cities to a world broken by discord, strife, variance and hatred, giving the most convincing evidence that truth has been brought into practical life and bearing the credentials that God sent His Son that the world through Him might be saved and receive life through faith in Christ.
Nature of Required Holiness
Holiness is agreement with God, the restoration in humanity of His image which sin has marred and nearly obliterated, so that those who cooperate with Him by knowing Him receive His likeness. It means moral perfection and Christlikeness in purity of heart and life, taking Christ's sinless life as the standard each person is called to reach rather than the low standard suited to unsanctified hearts. To be holy in all manner of conduct is to follow God as dear children and walk in love as Christ loved and gave Himself, rising above all cheapness of word or action. It is pursued through prayer for Christ's grace, resisting temptation, and daily growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus, until selfishness and self-conceit are overcome and mind, heart and affections are raised according to God's purpose. This holiness must shape daily conduct in speech, actions, relationships, temper and voice, and is not too pure or lofty for ordinary life, for through faith and union with Christ the Word transforms character into consistent obedience. Christ lived in human nature to show that people can become like Him by partaking of the divine nature, reflecting His glory within human limits, and those given light and opportunity must aim for this standard rather than lower righteousness to excuse inherited or cultivated wrong tendencies.
God's righteousness is absolute and characterizes all His works and all His laws, so His people must be as He is. His law echoes His own voice as the transcript of His character, continually calling people to come up higher and be holy and holier still, with no exception for supposed little sins. Holiness is the reflection of God's glory and the life of Christ revealed in His followers, with the practical godliness seen in every public and private act, word and deed of the sinless Christ reproduced in His disciples. It means hungering and thirsting after righteousness with the promise of being filled, made possible because provision has been made for people to become partakers of the divine nature through power given by Christ. To reflect this glory requires cooperation with God by emptying heart and mind of all that leads to wrong and by reading and studying the Word with sincere desire as the bread of heaven that gives spiritual strength, bringing desires and inclinations into conformity to the divine will in daily experience in harmony with Christ's teachings. Sanctification is God's object in all His dealing with people, whom He chose from eternity to be holy, that they advance each day in knowledge, virtue and perfection of character; the gospel has not abolished the law nor taken away even a little of its claims, and faith in Christ does not make it void. Refusal to let self die and to have the life hid with Christ in God, including clinging to a touchy sensitiveness always ready to be hurt and cry out, leaves a person in unbelief and transgression, for no part of the sinful self can be carried into heaven, and he that does righteousness is righteous.
The command sets the attainable standard of Christian perfection, a church without spot or wrinkle, the highest standard of glory and virtue, giving a most precious representation of what Christians may become if they hear and obey. This is possible because of the perfection of Christ's character and the provision made by His sacrifice, by which every provision has been made for believers to receive all things that pertain to life and godliness. It warns those who lift up their souls to vanity, and is to be read and practiced with watchfulness and prayer, studied by fathers and mothers with all powers of intelligence, and expressed in words and actions. Holiness, uprightness and purity is the righteousness of Christ imputed and laid hold of by faith until it becomes part of the being, consisting of love, forbearance, meekness and all Christian virtues, and all who have it will do the works of God. Unless Christ's righteousness is imputed there can be no acceptable repentance, and it never covers cherished sin, but divine power is given to combine with human effort to work out salvation with fear and trembling. Those connected with God's service must be sanctified soul, body and spirit or they mar His work and put Christ to open shame, learning of Christ His meekness and lowliness and knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, which is life eternal.
As sons and daughters by spiritual adoption, the called and chosen are to live in conformity to God's will, representing Him in life and character by practicing the precious truth, fully owning the power and authority of the Word, attaining to Christian perfection and living consecrated lives in love and unity. Christ is the perfection of divine character and the model, example, touchstone and standard to follow, and by looking to Him for grace and power to overcome every fault and carrying out His perfect principles in daily life His representatives get ready for the great day of God. God calls those who receive Christ to become new creatures made one with Him in character, placing the virtues of His own character upon them, lifting them from slavery to the will of Satan, and making them sons and daughters of the heavenly King. This was made possible because Christ clothed Himself in human nature, met every human temptation, and lived a spotless life to answer the boast that no one could do so, leaving a record that proves the power of grace, so that every soul who strives for perfection of Christian character and trusts in Christ will gain the victory in the battlefield between good and evil.
Holiness must be of heart and life and of the whole person — body, soul and spirit — through purification and sanctification expressed in obedience to God's commandments, not mere profession. Profession alone does not establish holiness, for words and works reveal character and Christ judges each person by them; those who follow Christ reject former desires and receive truth into their lives. A low standard of Christianity, a profession without true piety, and failure to live by professed truth fall short of the command, and treating sins and errors as trifling does not make them unimportant. The standard is not set by human preference, and professed followers who follow their own ways and lower it misrepresent God's claims and lead others to misunderstand them. Hearing religious truth without having the heart sanctified by it is not enough, for holiness must reach the heart and shape thoughts and behavior, gathering loose thoughts to center on God and earnestly overcoming carnal feelings. Bodies must be holy and spirits pure, remaining untainted by surrounding corruption in the last days, a work to begin at once and pursue earnestly and with understanding with the Spirit controlling every action, which prepares people to receive immortality; Christ's presence thus revealed in obedient lives makes earthly homes bright and prepares people to be holy and undefiled members of God's heavenly family.
Holiness is necessary to be accepted by God, to see the Lord, and to be saved, for people must become holy before they can be saved. Without this holiness no one shall see God, and without the wedding garment of Christ's righteousness no one can enter the marriage supper of the Lamb. Vice makes a person unfit for God's presence and bars the way to eternal life, while those who worship God sincerely and truthfully are accepted by Him. This holiness is purity of heart and holiness of life as preparation for eternal life, practiced in every circumstance through godliness, cultivating the attributes of Jesus and showing mercy and love to others, beginning with one's family and extending to all who need help. It cannot be reached by human strength but comes through divine grace as people submit to the Spirit's discipline, while Christ's righteousness makes their obedience acceptable as they persevere in overcoming faults and seek the Saviour's help in prayer.
How Holiness Is Received
Holiness is not gained by human strength but by divine grace through submitting to the discipline of the Spirit, receiving Christ and partaking of the divine nature after escaping the corruption in the world through lust. Strength of purpose, moral courage and wisdom unto salvation come through Him, for He is made wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption to believers, and His grace makes character like God's, turning harshness to gentleness and selfishness to generosity. That grace controls temper, speech and conduct, seen in politeness, tender regard, kindness, gentleness, forbearance and patience. It is Christ's righteousness imputed and laid hold of by faith until it becomes part of the being, consisting of love, forbearance, meekness and all Christian virtues, and all who have it will do the works of God. Unless His righteousness is imputed there can be no acceptable repentance, and it never covers cherished sin, yet divine power is given to combine with human effort to work out salvation with fear and trembling. By Christ's sacrifice every provision has been made to receive all things pertaining to life and godliness, and the perfection of His character makes it possible to gain perfection and reach the standard of a church without spot or wrinkle by learning His meekness and lowliness and knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ.
Christ Himself was holy as God is holy, without spot or stain of sin, pure and holy in character and one with God even while taking the form of sinful man and clothing divinity with humanity. As sin-bearer He needed no atonement for Himself, and because He was holy He could be the Saviour and make propitiation for the sins of the whole world.
Receiving holiness means daily obedience to all the commandments of God, bringing the law of heaven by which the whole universe is governed into everyday experience, with spiritual life maintained by healthful piety in walk and talk. It means being obedient children not fashioned by former lusts in ignorance, but with minds girded up, sober, and hoping to the end for the grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Holiness is formed through new habits of thought by faith in Christ, controlling natural propensities, denying selfish inclinations, and again and again fighting hereditary tendencies to wrong and things hostile to grace and reform. It involves purification and sanctification of the whole person — body, soul and spirit — so that Christ's presence revealed in obedient lives makes earthly homes bright and prepares people to be holy and undefiled members of God's heavenly family. This calling has practical force in honoring God, keeping His commandments and preserving the distinctive features of faith, with the true Sabbath as the sign distinguishing those who serve God from those who do not and keeping them in covenant relation with Him to receive His blessings through severe testing. The Spirit's purifying influence sets believers apart from the world so that words and actions show the principles of truth and holiness, with Christ as the perfect pattern to imitate in loving one another and neighbors and making sacrifices to lead people from sin to conversion. Ministers are to teach this holiness instead of fables and foolish imaginings that lay a grievous, galling yoke of unrest, disquietude and discouragement on souls, because bearing Christ's yoke brings rest, peace and obedience, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
It requires the most earnest effort now to overcome the natural feelings of the carnal heart, because the scenes of this earth's history are soon to close. There is constant spiritual warfare so long as in this world of sin, with watchfulness and prayer, and a personal work of resisting temptation by guarding well the avenues of the soul, avoiding reading, seeing or hearing anything that suggests impure thoughts and refusing to let the mind wander at random upon subjects suggested by the adversary. Loose thoughts must be gathered up and centered on God and brought into obedience to the will of God, leaving no room for lightness, vanity, trifling or loose thought, with thought fixed only on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report. This comes through earnest prayer, unceasing watchfulness, the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit attracting the mind upward to dwell on pure and holy things, and diligent study of the Word hidden in the heart to cleanse the way and keep from sin. Thoughts are to be educated and trained to habitually meditate on sacred, holy themes and not to dwell in thought or conversation on common, earthly things, because cheap and earthly thinking fills the treasure of the heart with earthly and corruptible things that are no savor of life to others. The mind is to be filled with the one great event of the coming of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when graves will be opened and the dead raised and the living changed, crowding out everything else and using present privileges and opportunities to the full to prepare for immortal life. Holiness is pursued through prayer for Christ's grace, resisting temptation, and daily growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus, so that as character is transformed selfishness and self-conceit are overcome and mind, heart and affections are raised according to God's purpose.
It is work to be done now, today, this very moment, not waited for until a special future period or until the earnest test comes. Holiness is found only in wholehearted surrender of human will and way to God's will and way, serving without fear in holiness and righteousness all of life, which gives righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. It is obtained by kneeling before Jesus Christ and asking individually for the converting influence of the Holy Spirit, beginning with full purpose to carry it out in letter and in spirit and, for those seeking office, demanding a decided change in words spoken and spirit behind them. It requires crucifixion of self every day and every hour, emptying and thoroughly cleansing the vessel of all iniquity, defilement and impurity, coming to God with clean purpose of heart as little children and giving the self to God, which keeps the vessel clean and right side up and prepared to receive the heavenly rain and brings deliverance by the everlasting arms when destiny is decided. It means practicing the precious truth, fully owning the power and authority of the Word, attaining to Christian perfection and living consecrated lives, dwelling together in love and unity while looking to Christ as perfect example, touchstone and standard for grace and power to overcome every fault and carrying out His perfect principles in daily life to get ready for the great day of God. It is shown in unity, sober humility, preferring one another in honor, and love without dissimulation, and that unity gives evidence that God sent His Son and opens the way for special victories, while open disregard of this Word forfeits blessing because blessing while it is manifestly disregarded would dishonor God and ruin the workers. This call requires a pure and holy work and deeper, truer consecration to God.
In trial the holy life means full consecration of soul, body and spirit to the Lord. For one afflicted by the wrong course of others who ought to have helped and supported those in trial and temptation, it gives instruction to contemplate and pray rather than become exasperated and let the feelings of the natural heart control. It forbids cherishing a spirit of retaliation whatever course others pursue, assures the innocent accused that they do not have to be a sin-bearer for any soul, and directs them to commit the case wholly to Jesus who died for them, keeping faith in Him, holding His hand stretched out in pitying tenderness, and trusting Him as sufficient in the present hour under every adverse circumstance. This consecration requires the Holy Spirit, whose work awakens the soul to heavenly things and draws its affections toward God and truth, especially as a time of crisis approaches. Holiness is to be revealed in daily life by subduing sinful human nature, abasing self, and living humbly and faithfully, with the Holy Spirit having free course so that the work needed in the heart to perfect Christian character is not obscured nor truth made ineffective, and the Saviour's life is the example of what people must be and do in order to be saved. Becoming holy is a personal, urgent matter bound to seeking forgiveness and assurance of a place in the Lamb's book of life, for Christ's blood has bought each person, so a life devoted to Him begins with seeking victory one day at a time and confessing sins today.
Holiness in Daily Conduct
Holiness in all conduct begins in the mind, which must be guarded from impure, trivial and forbidden influences and no longer shaped by former sinful desires in ignorance. Loose thoughts must be gathered up and centered on God, with the very thoughts brought into obedience to the will of God, the mind kept at all times under His control by the Holy Spirit and sanctified through the truth. This requires girding up the loins of the mind, being sober, hoping to the end for the grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ, and living as obedient children through earnest prayer, unceasing watchfulness, and diligent study of the word hidden in the heart to cleanse the way and keep from sin. Thought is to be trained to dwell habitually on sacred, holy themes and fixed only on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report, refusing to wander at random upon subjects suggested by the adversary or to dwell on common earthly things, and refusing to take in through reading, seeing or hearing anything that suggests impure thoughts. The avenues of the soul must be well guarded by a heart renewed by divine grace and kept by the power of God through faith unto perfection, with wholehearted surrender of human will and way to God's will and way, serving without fear in holiness and righteousness all of life, which gives righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Minds left to loose thought need change, leaving no room for lightness, vanity and trifling, because cheap and earthly thinking fills the treasure of the heart with earthly and corruptible things that are no savor of life to others, and because the most earnest effort is required now to overcome the natural feelings of the carnal heart as the scenes of earth's history soon close, with trivial and impure thinking crowded out by the coming of Christ, the opening of graves and the immortal life.
Holiness governs speech in every part of conduct, for God's own holiness is its reason and standard and those redeemed not with silver or gold but with Christ's precious blood are to live reverently and no longer shaped by former desires. Vain, idle, reckless, foolish and sinful words are to be rejected, with no light and trifling words, no jesting and joking and lightness, no gossip, backbiting, harsh or deceitful words falling from the lips, because speech reveals the abundance of the heart and a cleansed heart is needed for Christ to enter and abide within. When Christ is known and abides within the person becomes like Him and conversation becomes heavenly, but when attitude and words deny Him they declare Him unknown. Speech is instead to be pure, chaste, elevated and heavenly, giving spiritual help and building others up, and those who bear a divine message to perishing souls feel jesting and lightness painful to them under the burden for souls, praying constantly for grace as faithful stewards to be kept pure and holy, refusing to rush heedlessly into temptation, growing daily in grace into deeper knowledge of God, overcoming selfishness with affections elevated and ennobled, receiving words from the Master to speak and lifting as Christ lifts, loving as Christ loves and working as Christ works in going about doing good.
Holiness is seen in temper, voice and manners transformed by Christ's grace into His likeness, controlling temper and speech and shaping all conduct into politeness, tender regard, kindness, gentleness, forbearance, patience and unselfish care for others. Harshness is changed into gentleness and selfishness into generosity, shown in genuine kindness and courtesy without affectation or undue familiarity, with no desire for improper closeness and no cheap, common talk even among professed Christians. This holy life and right spirit, following Christ's spirit and God's principles also in professional conduct, serves as constant example and instruction to others, and those risen with Christ and keeping their baptismal vow are set apart from the world to show humility, righteousness, kindness and love for one another with purified souls through obedience to the truth and sincere fervent brotherly love.
At home holiness is lived out as home religion in daily conduct, requiring God's holy character as pattern in every part of life including words and conduct, turning from former sinful desires as obedient children. It is shown in kind, thoughtful, refined affection and courtesy within the family rather than hardness of heart, impatience, coldness or fretfulness, with no harshness, passion or hasty thoughtless words escaping the lips, but with the grace of Christ claimed on demand and the control of His Spirit over heart and conscience presiding over words and deeds and preserving self-respect. It calls for remaining at home to pray and surrender the will to God rather than making public home difficulties that come from lack of connection with God and objectionable traits of character, falling on the Rock and being broken and dying to self so that Jesus can make the person a vessel unto honor with fervent and noble affection that gives fragrance to the character. Husband and wife are to be bound in closest, happiest union in self-denial and surrender of the will, drawing their children's hearts by love and using precious moments while children can still be educated, trained and molded, for a man and woman are in God's sight in religious life just what they are in home life, and Christ's presence revealed in obedient lives makes earthly homes bright and prepares people to be holy and undefiled members of God's heavenly family through purification and sanctification of the whole person, body, soul and spirit, in obedience to God's commandments.
Holiness sets apart a different class from the world, living sober, obedient, God-fearing lives as those redeemed by the blood of Christ, unlike those in the days of Noah eating and drinking and marrying until the flood destroyed them and as it will be when the Son of man is revealed. It must be practiced in heart and life, laying aside malice and lust, abstaining from fleshly lusts, growing as newborn babes and as living stones with honest conduct before the world, resisting the desires of the unrenewed heart as people dead to the world with life hidden with Christ in God, imitating Christ, bearing a daily cross and leaving worldly ways behind. This is incompatible with frivolous worldly conversation and pleasure-seeking, requiring self-denial, sobriety and humility. Body and spirit must be kept holy and pure, untainted by surrounding corruption in the last days, with the Spirit of God controlling every action in a work begun at once and pursued earnestly and with understanding in preparation to receive immortality, including health reform practiced first by ministers, principals and teachers cultivating the garden of the heart and partaking of the fruit before bearing the message in every church and educating youth in the schools. God's messenger must reflect the holiness of God's requirements and be fit for the indwelling Spirit by controlling appetites and passions and developing physical, mental and spiritual strength to remain steadfast amid surrounding circumstances.
Witness Ministry and Mission
Holiness in all conduct is required of those who bear sacred responsibility, for position itself confers nothing and the one who called them is holy. Every member is to obey the command in letter and in spirit with full purpose to carry it out, and those seeking office are to show a decided change in the words they speak to others and in the spirit behind them. That change is obtained by kneeling individually before Jesus Christ to ask for the converting influence of the Holy Spirit. Those who serve God must be sanctified in soul, body and spirit, cleansed from defilement through close union with Christ so He may enter and abide in the heart.
Ministers are to teach holiness as obedient children no longer shaped by former lusts in ignorance, with minds girded up, sober, and hoping to the end for the grace to be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Holiness is formed through new habits of thought by faith in Christ, controlling natural propensities, denying selfish inclinations, and again and again fighting hereditary tendencies to wrong and things hostile to grace and reform. They are not to teach fables and foolish imaginings, such as disputes over hair color, that lay a grievous, galling yoke of unrest, disquietude and discouragement on souls. Bearing Christ's yoke instead brings rest, peace and obedience, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
The holy minister prays constantly for grace to be a faithful steward and to be kept pure and holy, and then refuses to rush heedlessly into temptation. Holiness governs his speech, so no light, trifling words fall from his lips and all jesting and joking and lightness are painful to him, because he bears a divine message to perishing souls and is weighed down with a burden for them. Daily he grows in grace into a deeper knowledge of God, overcomes selfishness, and has his affections elevated and ennobled. He is not only a Bible reader but a Bible believer, receiving words from his Master to speak, lifting as Christ lifts, loving as Christ loves, and working as Christ works in going about doing good, striving for self-improvement that by precept and example he may lead others to a purer, higher, nobler life. The standard of Christian perfection can be reached through Christ, whose perfect character and the provision made by His sacrifice enable believers to receive all things needed for life and godliness.
Holiness requires remaining forever separate from the world, living in the world without being of the world and kept free from its contaminating influences, dead to the world with life hidden with Christ in God. It condemns worldly principles and requires institutions established to reveal heaven's principles to be governed by God's wisdom rather than human wisdom. God's servants refuse to join those who transgress His law, follow human opinion, indulge shameful lust, or offer Him a life stained by sin. Separation does not require coarseness, roughness or rude expressions, for truth elevates and refines those who receive it unto holy character, comely manners and guileless words, as those preparing for translation after the pattern of unfallen angels.
Those who labor for souls are to reach a higher standard of holiness and show it so others can see it, keeping free from worldly policy plans and refusing to become entangled in plans that dishonor profession of faith in order to gain the influence of the wealthy. They refuse to sell the soul for financial advantage and do nothing that retards God's work or lowers the standard of righteousness. Medical missionary workers must not bind themselves with worldlings by inviting them into councils nor dishonor the sacredness of truth by bringing worldly lawyers into connection with God's work, but must be molded after the similitude of Christ and stand on the platform of truth uninfluenced by false theories and wrong devising. They respect the pure, living principles of the gospel, keep medical missionary work bound up with the gospel ministry rather than making it the body, and labor unitedly with the church and ministers in soul-saving work. As God's servants and workers together with Him they do His work in His way, revealing self-denial and sacrifice in life and not only in talk, so that all labored for see the desire for holiness and are inspired to become better acquainted with the things of God.
Bible sanctification lived out in the Word means souls purified by obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, loving one another fervently with a pure heart, redeemed not with corruptible silver and gold from vain tradition but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish foreordained before the foundation of the world. With self sanctified there is no discord, variance, alienation and strife, but love for one another, humility, righteousness, kindness, sober humility, preferring one another in honor, and love without dissimulation. That unity dwelling together in love gives the most convincing evidence that truth has been brought into practical life, bearing the credentials that God sent His Son that the world through Him might be saved and receive life through faith, and calling people from darkness to light. Open disregard of this Word forfeits blessing, because for God to bless while His Word is manifestly disregarded would dishonor Him and ruin the workers. This holiness distinguishes God's people from the world through love for one another and supreme love for God shown in both speech and actions, representing Him in life and character as sons and daughters by spiritual adoption in conformity to His will, with Christ as perfect example, touchstone and standard.
The instruction for godly living is to be presented to the people now while the world is being prepared for the closing work of the third angel's message and the loud cry. A holy life and right spirit serve as constant example and instruction to others, showing genuine kindness and courtesy without affectation or undue familiarity and avoiding cheap talk. By walking with God, speaking in ways that reveal His grace, purifying the soul through daily practice of the truth, and guarding thoughts, words, habits, dispositions and character, believers reveal His character and affect whether others are drawn toward salvation or placed in peril. True holiness lived in this way can lead others to choose the humble path of holiness, and the faithful are promised the crown of life when their struggle is over.
Christian education is to lead learners to seek strict purity of character as they learn heaven's principles and prepare for life with God. The beauty of holiness should be impressed on young people as part of moral and religious instruction, for God's holiness is the standard for human holiness. Children and youth are called to reach a high standard in habits and tendencies, to be sober-minded, and to guard conversation so words are pure, chaste and elevated, girding up the loins of the mind and hoping to the end. True holiness means higher attainments in righteousness, and younger believers as lambs of the flock beginning the Christian life need experienced, motherly guidance with warmth of affection and steadiness of character to manage them over rough places, direct their steps, counsel them, defend them from surrounding dangers, and lead them kindly, firmly and disinterestedly upward.