"The Comforter,
even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name..." (John 14:26).
"John indeed
baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy
Spirit..." (Acts 1:5).
We are now going to
think about the Holy Spirit as the 'Spirit of Holiness'
(Rom. 1:3) - the Holy Spirit. In the
New Testament He is referred to by the latter title
somewhere about eighty times, which is in itself a very
impressive thing. He is the Holy Spirit.
Mistaken
Ideas of 'Holiness'
The subject of
'holiness' or 'sanctification' can be a very oppressive
and heavy-going matter. I confess that for a long time it
was a subject that I never enjoyed looking into, or
having anything to do with. The fact is that, as a
subject, it has been resolved into various systems of
teaching, has been made the ground of particular cults
and movements, and has even provided a name for a
'church' - the 'Holiness' church. It has brought many
Christians into bondage and confusion and frustration of
life.
This is mainly due to
holiness or sanctification being focused down on certain
particular aspects of human life. When you come to ask
people what they mean, you usually find that they refer
to certain common sins in human nature: if you desire to
be delivered from these, then that is a 'longing for
holiness', and if you are actually delivered from them,
that is an experience of 'holiness' itself. I am not
saying that holiness does not involve that; but holiness
in the Scriptures is a very much bigger, greater thing
than any of our systems, or our movements, or our
crystallized teaching, or our 'foci of application'. It
is not intended to bring anybody either into bondage or
into a life of struggle or strain. It is just in this
connection that Satan has shown his cleverness. Having
himself brought about our unholy condition, he then turns
upon his own victims, bringing them under terrible
condemnation and accusation, and involving them in a
whole constellation of complexes, so that they have
become completely tied up on this matter of sin and
sanctification and holiness. That certainly ought not to
be the effect of a healthy occupation with holiness as
presented in the Word of God. It is just the opposite of
what God has intended.
Satan
as the Spirit of Unholiness
This is, of course, a
matter that goes far beyond the limits of a few brief
pages. But let us seek at least to get it into its right
perspective. At the outset, holiness must be seen in its
full setting. We will not stay to argue that this is the
supreme characteristic of God. We have to see it in its
full background. The Holy Spirit is set over
against an un-holy spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit is a
Person, so, just as truly, there is a personal un-holy
spirit. This whole matter of 'holiness' has to be seen in
that light. Satan it is who has brought in an unholy
State: not merely as an unholy condition, but State with
a capital 'S', as when we speak of the State in the sense
of the Kingdom, the regime, the system or government.
Satan has brought in an unholy condition and an unholy
kingdom or State. He has defiled everything: he has
defiled human nature; he has defiled the creation; and
the proof is in the universality of death - God's verdict
on all that it is unclean, that it is defiled, that it
has been touched by Satan.
It is therefore
impressive and instructive to note that, as soon as Jesus
had been anointed by the Holy Spirit, He entered upon a
direct and immediate battle with Satan himself. From the
Jordan he went straight to the wilderness, to meet and
encounter this arch-foe of all righteousness. As Jesus
went into His baptism, He said to John: "Thus it
becometh us to fulfil all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15). For, in figure and representation, His baptism,
as a type of His Cross, in death, burial and
resurrection, was truly the fulfilment of all
righteousness. On that ground, then, He encounters the
one who is the embodiment of all unrighteousness. And it
is under the anointing that He does it. The Spirit of
Holiness, the Holy Spirit, takes the Righteous One to
encounter the universality of unrighteousness, as
represented by Satan, there in the wilderness. I say, it
is most impressive and instructive to note that that was
the very first thing after the baptism and anointing.
Now the method of Satan
is always to bring about a link with his State, a link
with his kingdom, thereby achieving his object of
effecting a link with his defilement. Remember that! Let
me repeat it: the object of Satan is always to bring
about, if possible, some complicity, some touch, some
link with, or some foothold in, his own unholy kingdom,
or State, or condition. That is what was happening in
that battle in which the Lord Jesus found Himself. All
the time, Satan, from one angle and another, was moving
round, trying to involve that Righteous One in his
unrighteous kingdom. We are not going to argue out these
three temptations, but it is perfectly clear. At last it
comes out: 'If Thou wilt worship me' (Matt. 4:9; Luke
4:7). 'If only You will recognise me, accept me, give me
a place' - 'If only Thou wilt worship me, all this will I
give Thee!' In other words, 'If only I can get You on to
my ground, I have spoiled Your kingdom, spoiled You: I
have established myself, if I can but make that link.'
Blessed be God, that Holy and Righteous One saw through
it all, and said, in effect: 'No, not a hoof - not one
iota. Nothing for Satan.' "The prince of the world
cometh: and he hath nothing in me" (John 14:30).
That is victory, absolute victory.
The
Principle of Non-contamination
Remember, then - what
was true in His case is always true. Satan is ever
seeking to find some way in which he can link us in with
his kingdom, which is his power, by getting us on to his
ground. Hence all those Old Testament prescriptions made
by God against contamination, against mixture: "Thou
shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together"
(Deut. 22:10). Nothing wrong with the ass, as such, for
Jesus rode upon an ass, and we read in the Bible of the
ass serving many a good purpose. But from God's
standpoint they belong to two realms, two kingdoms, they
represent two orders of life, and He says that you cannot
mix them up. The work of God must not be done on the
basis of a mixture of two things which belong to two
different kingdoms and realms.
"Thou shalt not
wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together" (Deut.
22:11) - they belong to two different kingdoms. There is
nothing wrong with wool in itself: God clothed the man
and wife with the skins of animals - that is, in
principle, with wool; and I suppose all the patriarchs
wore woollen garments. But here it is forbidden that the
animal and vegetable fibres be woven together to form a
'mingled stuff'. They belong to two realms, and God is
simply saying this: You must not try to bring together
things that do not belong to each other. It is a
foreshadowing of this great principle of distinctness,
separation, non-contamination.
When the remnant came
back from captivity, for the rebuilding of the temple and
wall, as we read in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, the
whole thing headed up to this - the mixed marriages (Ezra
9, 10; Neh. 13:23-31). And when that was settled, the
books close; that is the end, it is all right; now we
have got to the point - the mixed marriages between the
people of God and other, idolatrous, nations. These two
things must not come together. "Be not unequally
yoked..." (2 Cor. 6:14); God will not have it. It is
providing Satan with that which he is always seeking,
towards which he is always trying to work - a link with
his own kingdom. This is the whole point of 'holiness' in
its right setting.
New
Testament Illustrations
Now this is very
thorough-going, and it is very comprehensive. For
instance, let us allow this principle to take us right
into the First Letter to the Corinthians. Everything in
that book is explained by this.
First of all we read of
"the wisdom of this world" (3:19; 1:19-2:13).
The wisdom of this world: we remember what the Apostle
says about it there. But listen to another Apostle
earlier: "This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh
down from above, but is earthly, sensual,
demoniacal" (Jas. 3:15). 'The wisdom that is from
beneath is demoniacal.' What, the wisdom of this world,
demoniacal? Well, so the Word says; and if we want the
proof of that, let us come back to Paul's argument, that
it was in "the wisdom of this world" that
Christ was crucified (1 Cor. 2:6-8). In the wisdom of
this world, it was thought to be the 'wise thing' to put
Him to death - what folly! what madness! what
devilishness!
Anybody who really
touches the wisdom of the world knows that it is a realm
of death. Anyone who has dipped into philosophy knows
that there is no more deadly thing in all the sciences
than philosophy. If you touch it, you touch death. That
was the wisdom in Corinth - the wisdom of this world.
Yes, Satan had a good foothold in that church, along that
line; he had got them on to his ground right enough.
Again, we read of -
"divisions among you" (1:10).
"There are contentions among you" (vs. 11).
Remember - and this may be anticipating - the Holy Spirit
is essentially the Spirit of unity. Satan has got them on
to his ground, for he is the great divider. Satan never
stops until he has divided the last thing: if he comes to
one, he will make two of it! "Divisions among
you" - they are on his ground. Nothing need be said
about the next thing mentioned - fornication. But then
the Apostle speaks about the Lord's Table, and you hear
him say: 'You cannot - you cannot partake of the
table of the Lord and the table of demons' (1 Cor.
10:21). 'You cannot mix things up like this!' But it was
actually there in Corinth.
Practical
Details in this Light
At this point let me
utter a very emphatic word. These chapters in the First
Letter to the Corinthians must be read in this light.
Do not extract subjects from those chapters, about women
wearing hats or headcovering, and all those difficult
things - do not just lift them out, as separate subjects:
for, if you do, you will just get into confusion. What
the apostle was dealing with then was the coming in,
among the Lord's people, of the spirit of this world. He
was saying to the Corinthians, in effect: 'That is how
the world behaves - or misbehaves; that is how the world
does it; and that world is Satan's world. If you let this
sort of thing in, you are lining up with the world - with
his world.'
Study it in this light,
as to all these details, all these practical matters. It
is not just that you are having to do with an apostle who
you think had no great liking for women! No, no; you are
up against tremendous things here. It is Satan seeking to
get inside and get a foothold - a link between what is
holy and what is his - in order that, by thus bringing
the world in, and touching with his corruption and
defilement, he may destroy that which is of God. Read it
all in that light, for that is where the New Testament
puts it - "that no advantage may be gained over us
by Satan" (2 Cor. 2:11).
You see, the whole of
the bulwark is raised against this one - this un-holy
spirit that is in the universe; this corrupting influence
and power; this defiling work. The Church is to be always
on its guard against these spirits of uncleanness that
are everywhere. Why? Because of the power of holiness. It
is not just to have a clean condition, as something in
itself. Never make 'holiness' an end in itself. No, it is
because of the power, the mighty power, of holiness.
Holiness
is Militant
Remember that, in the
Bible - and it is so strongly illustrated in the Old
Testament - 'holiness' is always militant. It was the
priests that led the nation into battle; it was the
sacrifice that was the ground of the warfare. It is a
most impressive thing that even the Levites are spoken of
as set apart for the "warfare" (Num. 4:3,23,
etc.; 8:24,25). Levites, priests, set apart for warfare?
We thought they were set apart to offer sacrifices and
deal with all that side of things! No, holiness is
militant, and it is a mighty power against a militant
foe. "Our wrestling is... against the
principalities, against the powers..." (Eph. 6:12).
They are making war, there is no doubt about it. They
make war. What is the ground of our hope? It is not our
language, our phraseology or our terminology, or our
doctrine: it is our holiness of life. That is the point
of attack. Unholiness puts God back. God is holy, even as
the Holy Spirit is holy, and unholiness just keeps Him
back; it binds His hands; He cannot do anything. When
there is unholiness, it is as though the Lord is bound,
helpless, paralysed, in the midst of His people (cf. Jer.
14:7-9).
The following extract
provides a simple, fragmentary illustration of what I
mean, and brings out some very practical points. It is
the story of a Christian college that depended for all
its support upon prayer and faith.
'The College was based
on the simplicity of daring faith in God for the
provision of need. As long as the spiritual life of the
men was maintained, the necessary funds came in in answer
to prayer. If supplies failed to come in, or were low,
with no signs of replenishment, it was recognised that
the finger of God was on some failing, or unconfessed
sin, among them, and not until this was put right would
supplies come in. Thus, the meeting of material needs
became, as it were, the spiritual barometer. One instance
of this may be recorded: Funds were so low that a meeting
was held, and the students were urged to a more complete
surrender to God. Still matters did not improve, and it
was thought that possibly the men were not devoting
sufficient time to prayer, so the curriculum was
curtailed, and more time devoted to prayer, but still no
supplies. And, finally, all funds came to an end, and
there was only the garden produce left.
'Then, late one night,
two students came to the tutor and confessed secret
drinking. He gave urgent advice to repair to God, and
confess their sin and plead forgiveness, and not for the
sake of the loaves and fishes, but because of the leaven
of hypocrisy. And they did that. Confession was made
before the whole college, and united prayer was offered.
The next day was set apart for fasting and humiliation
and prayer, at the close of which they gathered together
with a great heart-thankfulness, feeling the moral and
spiritual atmosphere was cleansed, and that God would be
able to give an exhibition of His faithfulness. God
honoured their faith, and the very next morning came a
cheque for fifty pounds.'
A very simple story,
but it illustrates how the whole work of God can be held
up; a whole assembly can have its spiritual life injured,
limited; the warfare of the saints can be turned into
defeat, if for some reason the Lord has to stand back and
say: I'm sorry, but I cannot go on with them - there is
this, and that; there is an Achan, or an Ananias and
Sapphira... Yes, He knows! It may be unholiness in
something which is, after all, only a small part of a
whole - two men in a whole college, or one man in all
Israel, or a man and his wife in the Church at the
beginning. Yes, the majority are all right; the mass are
not doing this sort of thing. Nevertheless, the Holy
Spirit focuses right down on that, because He is bound
and committed to the corporate principle. On the one
hand, "whether one member suffereth, all the members
suffer with it"; but, on the other, if "one
member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it"
(1 Cor. 12:26). There is a relatedness which to the Holy
Spirit is sacred. And while our blessing benefits the
whole Church, our sin, our unholiness, may cripple the
whole Church.
Holiness
is the Character of Christ
Holiness, then, is
militant; it is the power of triumphant warfare. But
holiness is also Christly character. Holiness is not
formal make-up, something put on. The Lord Jesus saw
right through that with the Scribes, Pharisees, Rulers.
None of that, no 'make-up' spiritually, will pass with
the Holy Spirit. Holiness is more than teaching; more
than profession; more than pretence; more than formal
outward procedure. It is the very Person, the very life,
the very character of Christ in the believer and in the
Church. It is a very big matter, far bigger than I have
been able to indicate in these pages. But the Spirit is
the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Holiness; and because He
is that, everything else follows.
Now, just a few words
in closing, for our comfort. Those men who were gathered
in that Upper Room for those ten days: I do not think
they were, in themselves, any more holy than when one of
them denied the Lord Jesus thrice. They had all forsaken
Him and fled, and in that way denied Him - they were all
guilty. And I do not think that, even on that particular
Day of Pentecost, they were in themselves any more holy
than they were before. But the Spirit came upon them -
for what? In order to make them holy; to set up,
establish, a holiness of life within them. We do not have
to struggle in order to get to a place of holiness; we
have not to try to make ourselves 'worthy' of the Holy
Spirit. We have to be where they were - just before the
Lord: set upon all that the Lord has spoken of; obedient
to what the Lord has said.
That is what they were
doing. "After that he had given commandment through
the Holy Spirit..." The first part of that
'commandment' was to wait until endued with the Spirit.
The writer almost immediately continues: "He charged
them not to depart from Jerusalem..." (Acts 1:2,4).
"After he had given commandment through the Holy
Spirit..." They are obeying His command: that is,
they are there, as men with many, many imperfections, but
open, diligent, committed, earnest, ready, waiting on
Him. The Holy Spirit saw a way in them, and He came, and
took the way He found.