Article of Faith: No salvation without holiness (4), By Femi Aribisala

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of holiness.

Wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Isaiah was a specialist at proclaiming woe on sinners. He says:

“Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him.”

“Woe to those who join house to house.”

“Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may follow intoxicating drink.”

“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as if with a cart rope.”

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.”

“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes.”

“Woe to men mighty at drinking wine.”

But one day, when Isaiah saw the glory of the preincarnate Christ, he pronounced woe on himself.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”

The angels cried holy three times for emphasis. There is no other attribute of God that is declared three times. We don’t have mercy, mercy, mercy. But we have holy, holy, holy.

God’s holiness is the most distinguishing aspect of His person and personality. The psalmist proclaims:

“Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever.”

God is glorious in His holiness. He is beautiful in His holiness. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. But the way to God’s Promised Land is the way of holiness.

“A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.”

We are called not only to be partakers of God’s divine nature, but also to be:

Over 750 years after Isaiah received this revelation, John the beloved was also given a revelation of the glory of the Lamb of God. In 750 years, the refrain had not changed. They were still crying holy, holy, holy in heaven.

“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!””

So, when Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus, he knew he would surely be destroyed.

“So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.””

Isaiah did not see God, the Father. He saw Jesus, the Son. In the Old Testament, when the LORD is spelt with capital L O R D, it means “Yahweh” in Hebrew and refers to God, the Father. But when the Lord is spelt with capital L and lowercase o r d, it means “Adonai” in Hebrew and refers to Jesus.

“The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.””

When Isaiah saw the glory of the Holy One of Israel, he pronounced woe on himself. He knew he was a dead man. Isaiah was bewildered. He recognised immediately how morally separate he was from God.

“You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

The angels covered their faces with their wings as they proclaimed, “Holy, holy, holy.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”

A hot coal, straight from the altar, was placed on Isaiah’s lips. But why his lips?

“The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Only the blood of Jesus can take away our iniquity and purge our sin. To see the glory of Jesus, Isaiah’s sins had to be purged.

Jesus says God is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and truth. The worship of the unclean is unacceptable to God. We are called to worship God in holiness:

“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!”

“Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

Triumphing in the Praise of Holiness

Judah and Jehoshaphat successfully decimated the combined forces of three army nations by praising the beauty of holiness.

“When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”

No Redemption Without Holiness

Our redemption is incomplete without holiness.

“On Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.”

“To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.”

We must not forget that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of holiness. Therefore, holiness is not an option. It is an imperative.

“For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.”

“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.”

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

“(Jesus) chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”

He wants to present us to God as:

“A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

“As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.””