“Such a high priest meets our need-one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exulted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).
God is Holy. (Leviticus 11:43-45) The Bible clearly shows us that Jesus Christ is holy as God Himself is holy. It is the same Holiness that the Holy Spirit has Himself. If the Godhead is holy then those who have been spiritually reborn into God’s family are also holy. The Bible itself says, “Holiness adorns your house for endless days O Lord” (Psalm 93:5). Again the Bible says, “If the root is holy so are the branches” (Romans 11:16).
What does “Holy” mean?
To be holy, means to be free from all defilement. To say that Jesus is absolutely holy is to say that He is absolutely pure in every way. He is pure intellectually, emotionally, morally, physically and spiritually. Jesus Christ has always been without sin. (1 John 3:3)
The Fact that He is holy.
1. The Lord Jesus Christ is Holy as God is Holy.
“Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are- the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34).
The Lord Jesus confronted this demon- possessed man in the temple. This man may have been a regular worshipper that nobody realized was demon possessed. The presence of Jesus always brought God’s kingdom into a clash with Satan’s kingdom. His presence always confronted and exposed the spiritual darkness in people. Even the demons recognized that Jesus was Holy as God is holy. They called Him “the Holy One” clearly identifying Him as God. Peter confronted the crowd that had gathered as a result of the crippled man being healed and then Peter clearly told them about the Lord Jesus referring to Him as “the Holy and Righteous One” clearly identifying Jesus as being holy as God is holy. (Acts 3:14) John the apostle tells us in his first letter that Jesus is “the Holy One” and that through His anointing we know the truth. (1 John 2:20)
2. The Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely pure and free from all moral and spiritual defilement.
“Such a high priest meets our need-one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exulted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).
Today in the church many professing Christians do not have a right perspective of Jesus. They are trying to bring Him down to their level. Many almost treat Jesus as if He is a spiritual dispensing machine that can almost be manipulated into doing what they want Him to do for them. Many hunger and thirst after miracles, signs, wonders, healing, prosperity and spiritual gifts but very few hunger and thirst after righteousness. Many professing Christians forget that Jesus is holy and must be treated as such. While He is our friend He is still not to be taken lightly or treated in a trivial manner. We cannot bring Him down to our level at all because He is higher than the heavens.
He is without blemish or defect. According to Peter the Lord Jesus was the sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish whose blood was pure and untainted by sin. (1 Peter 1:19) Hebrews tells us that only Jesus blood is pure enough to cleanse our innermost conscience from dead works to serve the Living God. (Hebrews 9:14) The Lord Jesus Christ has no sin. (1 John 3:5) He is absolutely pure. (1 John 3:3) As his followers we must continuously seek His purity. (2 Corinthians 7:1) (Revelation 21:11-12) On the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus absolute purity and holiness broke through the veil of His flesh and displayed itself in a brilliant and dazzling light. (Matthew 17:2) God is Light and Jesus Himself is the Light of the world. His light is exactly the same light that God is. Brilliant white light itself expresses the idea of purity. When you turn on a light in a dark room the darkness disappears. Compare: (1 John 1:5) (John 8:12)
How is His holiness revealed?
1. The Holiness of the Lord Jesus is revealed by His love for righteousness and hatred of sin and unrighteousness.
“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy” (Hebrews 1:9).
The lord Jesus always chose the way of righteousness even though severely tempted. (Matthew 4:1-11) Satan tried the same temptations with Jesus that he did with Adam in the Garden of Eden but Jesus never gave in to the temptations. He succeeded where Adam failed. Jesus always dealt harshly with sin. We see this displayed in His righteous anger unleashed against those who were “profiteering on the blood of the Lamb.” The religious leaders were using the things of God to make money. (Luke 19:45-46) At one time Jesus rebuked Peter because He recognized that Satan was using Peter to try and turn Him away from the cross. (Matthew 16:23)
Jesus always told the truth to people about themselves. He did this with the prostitute at Jacob’s well by telling her the truth about herself. The reason He did this was not to condemn her but to get her to confess her sin so that He could set her free from it. (John 4:17-18) While He was often gentle and sensitive in dealing with ‘sinners’ He was absolutely ruthless with religious hypocrites. (Matthew 23:1-4, 13-15, 25-26,33)
2. The Holiness of the Lord Jesus was revealed on earth when He lived among men by never sinning and by always doing what was right.
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).
At one time Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). He went on to say that a man’s words express the true spiritual condition of his heart. Jeremiah the prophet tells us that the human heart is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 9:17). However, what was in Jesus mouth showed what was in His heart. He always did what pleased His Father. (John 8:29) His holiness revealed itself by saying and doing all that was right. A full revelation of holiness does not merely consist in doing nothing wrong, but in doing all that is right. At one time in His ministry Jesus actually said, “Which one of you can accuse Me of sin.” Of course no one could because they knew He was right!
3. The Holiness of the Lord Jesus was revealed by His constant victory over every temptation to sin.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).
The High Priests in the Old Testament understood human weakness being human themselves, consequently, they were able to intercede for the people of God. Jesus made Himself vulnerable to temptation. He experienced every temptation common to man. Even though He never sinned He still knew the power of temptation. Because He was tempted in every way that we are He is able to sympathize with us and strengthen us in the time of temptation. (Hebrews 2:17-18)
4. The Holiness of the Lord Jesus is revealed by His punishment on those who do not forsake their sin.
“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.”(2 Thessalonians 1: 6-9)
Jesus died to separate people He loves from sin. If people refuse Him He leaves them on their downward path to hell. He never over rides the human will. God’s final word to men is Jesus Christ. (John 14:6) If people reject Him then there is nothing else God can do for them. If we truly know God and want to have eternal life then we will obey Jesus Christ. (John 3:36) We cannot fully understand God’s love until we understand His holiness. John Wesley always preached God’s Law to sinners before preaching Go’s Grace to them. If we don’t see the awfulness of sin we will never see or appreciate the Grace of God.
5. The Holiness of the Lord Jesus was revealed when He became a curse for us on the cross.
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).
At the cross God’s wrath against our sin was poured out on Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 53:4-6) At the cross Jesus changed places with us. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Jesus became a curse for us and all the curses of the law are listed in the Old Testament. (Deuteronomy 28:15-68) Ultimately we will be redeemed from them all however in this life the primary curse that we are delivered from is the power of sin, from God’s wrath and from hell and the Lake of Fire. God does heal and prosper people today and His healing is available. (Psalm 103: 3-5) Sometimes He chooses not to heal but ultimately at the Resurrection we will be redeemed from every curse. While God does not always give us what we want He does promise to meet every need. (Psalm 34: 4-10) (Philippians 4:19) (John 10:10)
6. He is our Holiness.
“It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
We can never obtain holiness by our own efforts. (Galatians 2:16) Every spiritual quality we need to enter heaven is found in Jesus alone. We can only boast of what the Lord has done for us and in us. All other boasting is sinful. God disciplines us so that we may share in His holiness because if God did not discipline us then we would be bastards and not his children. Discipline may seem painful now but it yields forth the fruits of righteousness to those who are trained by it. (Hebrews 12:10-11) Even though we are holy in God’s sight we are still being made holy. (Hebrews 10:10, 14) this is called Sanctification.
7. Without His Holiness we will never see God.
(Hebrews 12:10) “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:10).
We will express holiness if we are abiding in Jesus. (Romans 11:16) (John 15:1-8) We are to pursue holiness because God has called us to live holy lives. (Romans 12:1) (1 Corinthians 1:2) (1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7-8) (2 Timothy 1:9) (Hebrews 12:14) (1 Peter 1:15-16) (2 Peter 3:11) (Revelation 22:11)
