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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S things that pleased God, and “He went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). What fine words are these, how charmingly simple, but how rich and perfect in their description of a life that satisfied God! Here we have holiness in walk and con duct. These are the four aspects of His holiness: Sanctified by the Father, de voted wholly to God, holy in character, and sinless in walk, doing good. Would We Hearn Holiness? Let us seek that these things may be true of us. The first is true of every real child of God. Every Christian has been “sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10. 10). The blood that justified (Rom. 5. 9) also sanctified (Heb. 10. 10, R.V., and 13. 12). We are not only in Christ “righteous,” but “holy.” When our hearts are truly impressed with this solemn yet blessed fact, we shall more sincerely shrink from sinning. Like David, we shall pray, “Preserve my soul, for I am holy, O Thou my God” (Psa. 86. 2); and with Joseph, “How, then, can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen. 39. 9). We shall feel the awful indignity of such a one whom) God has sanctified so acting as willingly to defile his holiness. We shall take words such as Nehemiah used: “ Shall such an one as I,” (note the dignity of the expression, I, God’s servant, I whom Christ sanctified with His blood), “ shall such an one as I sin?” Secondly, we, too, should devote our selves to God in response to this separat ing and sanctifying grace. In such spirit as this: “ In full and glad surrender I give myself to Thee; Thine utterly and only, And evermore to be.” If we do so we shall be “vessels unto honour.” ~ There is a verse in Romans (6. 13) which helps us to understand this act of devotion: “Neither yield (a continuing
act, do not be presenting or yielding) ye your members as instruments of unright eousness unto sin; but yield (a once for all act, a presentation of absolute de votedness) yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead.” Note Well the Two “ Yields” Cease the continuous sinning, and pre sent yourself .to God. You are "alive from the dead.” To come to life is a once for all act. Since you are then “alive,” present yourself as such to God. “Thine for ever, God of Love.” In these two things let us be holy as He is holy. Sanctified and sanctifying ourselves. But holiness is not only sep aration and devotion, it is personal pur ity of heart and bund. The state of the heart must be seen to. Sin allowed in the secret inner life, in the hidden man of the heart has two deadly effects. (1) It grieves the Spirit of God; (2) It par alyzes all right action of the soul. What instruction have we as to this? Turn to 2 Cor. 7. 1:. “Having therefore these promises (compare 2 Peter 1. 4), dearly beloved, let us Cleanse Ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Notice a few points about this exhorta tion. 1. The promises will help us. Let us resolve to see them fulfilled in our case. We are to cleanse ourselves, not .to keep asking God to cleanse us, but laying hold of the promises to purge ourselves (1 Cor. 11. 31), and put away wrong things. 2. Both flesh and spirit are to be clean. Bodily habits and the thoughts of the mind. “The burden of an impure heart
Thou too hast taken hence; And Thy salvation is to me A blessed present tense.”
3. Holiness is to be perfected. That is, developed until we are in full exercise of it.
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