B Hindrances to Holiness of Life Holiness of

B- Hindrances to Holiness of Life Holiness of life is possible because it is the will of God, it is the work of Christ, and it is the ministry of the holy Spirit bringing completeness to the redemptive work of Christ. Many have seen the possibility but have not realized the reality of holiness of life. What hinders people from attaining the character of holiness.

• • • • Doubting that it is possible to live a life of holiness Blaming others for failure Disloyalty to others Inability Self-justification Hypocrisies in leaders Insincerity among believers Unresolved anger A negative attitude No fearful expectation of judgment Seeing as being too hard and restricting Self-righteousness Habit of covering up from wrongdoing Unable to persevere in suffering Choosing to believe lies

Reflecting The Image of God put His special touch upon mankind creating man in His own image (Genesis 5: 1). The New Testament also carries forward this theme when it describes people “who [are] made in the likeness of God” (James 3: 9) The image of God can be subdivided into two parts, the moral image and the natural image. Since the organizing characteristic of God’s attributes is holiness, the heart of the image of God related to His holiness.

The concept of holiness is seen at the heart of the picture of God in the Bible. Holiness is the central idea of the Old Testament and perhaps the New Testament also. In the New Testament, the holiness of God is thought of as His essential attribute, which the Christian must seek to understand. Holiness is not just one side of God’s essential being, but rather it is the comprehensive designation for the total content of God and His relationship to the world.

Holiness is the foundation on which the whole concept of God rests. God is righteousness, love, and mercy. God expresses wrath and jealousy; however, these are always understood in Scripture as holy righteousness, holy love, holy mercy, holy wrath, and holy jealousy. Holiness is that which qualifies and conditions the other attributes of God. The holiness of God must be viewed as being at the heart of all the biblical theology.

A- The Meaning of Holiness Allan Coppedge in his book, Portraits of God. A Biblical Theology of Holiness, says that there are six major components or dimensions to the meaning of holiness. In each of these dimensions, we see a major role of God revealed in Scripture.

Dimensions of Holiness Separation Brilliance Righteousness Love Power Goodness Role of God Creator/King Revealer/Priest Judge Father Redeemer Shepherd

Dimensions of Holiness-Separation Role of God-Creator/King Holiness describes the transcendence and sovereignty of God. Isaiah referred to God as “the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your king (Isaiah 43: 15).

Dimensions of Holiness-Separation Role of God-Creator/King God is separate and distinct from the created world and from humanity; however, He relates to and interacts with the created. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father which art in Heaven” (which emphasizes His transcendence), “Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6: 9). Our holy God is one who transcends time and space.

Dimensions of Holiness-Separation Role of God-Creator/King Hebrews tells us that “By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear” (Hebrews 11: 3). Elohim is the key name used for God in association with His role as Creator (Genesis 1). As Creator, God is seen as a cultivator, a builder, the potter, and physician.

Dimensions of Holiness-Separation Role of God-Creator/King The climax of the story of creation in Genesis 1 deals with the making of man and woman. God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1: 26, 27). the image of God may be subdivided into His moral image and His natural image. These will be discussed after looking at the six dimensions of holiness.

Dimensions of Holiness-Separation Role of God-Creator/King We have said that the concept of holiness is linked with separation. In this we see that our God, who created the universe, is Himself separate and distinct from His creation. God not only made the world, but also He rules over it as Sovereign King. Exodus says that no other God is like our God, who is majestic in holiness (15: 11). Our God reigns forever and ever. The psalmist cried, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth” (Psalm 8: 1, 9)