Holiness
(J. A. James, "The True Christian" 1846)
"You ought to live holy and godly lives." 2 Peter 3:11
Holiness is a very comprehensive word, and expresses
a state of mind and conduct that includes many things.
Holiness is the work of the Spirit in our sanctification.
Holiness is the fruit of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holiness is the operation of the new nature, which
we receive in regeneration.
Holiness may be viewed in various aspects, according
to the different objects to which it relates.
Toward God, holiness is . . .
supreme love;
delight in His moral character;
submission to His will;
obedience to His commands;
zeal for His cause;
seeking of His glory.
Toward Christ, holiness is . . .
a conformity to His example,
imbibing His spirit.
Toward man, holiness is . . .
charity,
integrity,
truth,
mercy.
Toward sin, holiness is a hatred of all iniquity,
a tender conscience easily wounded by little sins,
and scrupulously avoiding them; together with a
laborious, painful, self-denying, mortification of
all the known corruptions of our heart.
Toward self, holiness is . . .
the control of our fleshly appetites;
the eradication of our pride;
the mortification of our selfishness.
Toward divine things in general, holiness is . . .
spirituality of mind,
the habitual current of godly thought,
godly affections flowing through the soul.
And, toward the objects of the unseen world,
holiness is heavenly-mindedness, a turning away
from things seen and temporal, to things unseen
and eternal.
Oh, what a word is holiness! How much does
it comprehend! How little is it understood, and
how much less is it practiced!