The Holy Bible
I believe holiness is not understood in this generation and it is causing a lack of power in Christianity. Holiness is simply the act of setting something aside for a purpose. We are told by God to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). The reason God does not tell us to be omniscience, omnipotent, omnipresent is because we can’t be those things. We can be holy because being holy has nothing to do with the intrinsic character of the object. No matter how bad of a sinner we have been we can become holy. We are first made holy by the work of the Holy Spirit and accepting Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior. Second, we are commanded to make ourselves holy by setting ourselves apart from the things God hates; things that are counted holy by those who hate God.
IMPORTANT: Here is one important point that you cannot forget as I move forward in the article. Holiness is not dependent on the intrinsic value of the object. Holiness is based on the fact that the object is set aside for God’s purpose. Without this knowledge, there will be endless arguing over why one thing should be holy over another.
The Bible calls many things holy. A place or ground can be holy, Exodus 3:5. A nation can be holy, Exodus 19:6. A day can be holy, Exodus 20:8. A garment can be holy, Exodus 28:2. Oil can be holy, Exodus 30:25. Last I want to look at something little deeper is water can be holy.
In Numbers chapter five it speaks of a situation where a man believes his wife has been unfaithful to him. It gives instruction what is to take place. In these instructions, it calls for the use of holy water. Right there you should cause someone to say “where do you get holy water?” You could also ask the question; “what is holy water?” Because we know what holiness is we know that it is water set aside for the use of the LORD. The amazing thing is this water along with dust from the temple floor could cause a physical problem within the woman’s body if she has been unfaithful. How can it do that? The answer I believe is because God uses what is set aside for His purpose. This is the most important lesson we can learn. If we want the power of God in our lives we need to be holy.
IMPORTANT: So the next point that cannot be missed is God uses holy things to be a blessing.
There are applications of the principle of holiness without number, but I want to draw your attention to a particular application and that is to the Bible. Any real church has to believe the Bible is holy and by that I mean they believe the Bible is different than any other book in the world. By setting the Bible above all other books as God’s word it becomes a holy Bible. Being a holy Bible, God has the opportunity to use it to make a difference. Just like the water that God could use. If a church does not count the Bible as holy they are left powerless.
Let us move this to a more practical level. We do not generally read the original writings of the Bible. What we do use is a translation of those writings so that people can understand the Bible in their own language. So if a church does not have a holy translation, in practice they do not have a holy Bible. Many churches today use any or all translations within the ministry. The very young children may have verses read to them in one translation and the teens in another. The adult service could use a different one. This is the opposite of a holy Bible. It would be amazing if a child ever learns a verse, because through their lifetime at a church they have heard verses in a variety ways.
My encouragement to every church is that they have a holy Bible, meaning there is a certain translation that they have sanctified for the use of God in the church. I am not suggesting that a church becomes legalistic in telling each member which translation they can or cannot use for their own personal use. I am suggesting that the church has a translation that is set apart for the use within the church and all members respect that as being a holy Bible. If not God has nothing holy to work with. This is practical also in that when the Bible is read out loud or memorize each member is in unity with each other.
The principle is clear in both the old and the new testament that God wants and uses holy things and if the church is without holy things God cannot bless. So my closing I want to leave you with a few thoughts. Does your church have a holy place for prayer and confession? An example would be an alter. Does your church have holy clothing? Meaning is there a standard for church worker. Does your church have holy music for worship?
The church must dedicate as a whole the things that are holy and respect the holy things. By doing this you will bring down the power and blessing of God upon your church.
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 18:18-19
P.S. The Husbandman Ministry use the King James Bible because it is the holiest translation. If you have read my words above you understand what that means, but if not let me clarify. Most churches, associations, colleges, and denominations do not have a standard translation for faith and practice. While there is a very large group of churches, associations, and colleges that do count the King James Bible as holy that makes it the holiest Bible.