By Pastor Dave Farmer

Topic #11 The Holiness Addendum - Part 1

1 John 1:5

And this keeps on being the message which we [apostles] have heard and it is still ringing in our ears from Him [Christ] and we are announcing [it] to you [to your advantage], that God [as to His nature] is light and in Him darkness does not exist, not one bit [no compromising with Satan's system-- "darkness"]

INTRODUCTION

This article begins a new section in our study of First John, 1 John 1:5-2:17. It is about the mechanics involved in maintaining our fellowship with God. This is one of the stated purposes of this Epistle, "that you also may continue having fellowship with us and more importantly, our fellowship [is] with the Father and His unique Son, Jesus Christ" 1:3. I am reminded of the hymn, "Just a Closer Walk With Thee," especially the verse "Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea. Daily walking close to thee. Let it be, dear Lord, let it be." This is the shepherd's heart--the pastor's heart, desiring that his congregation have a closer walk with Jesus. He is not interested in fame or fortune but to see his congregation draw near to God.

There are two divisions in this section. The first explains what BREAKS our fellowship with God, 1 John 1:5-2:2. The second section reveals the grace provisions that God has given that BUILDS [spiritually strengthens] our fellowship with God.

A Cautionary Pause

We must always guard against an inaccurate interpretation of these verses. It is helpful to keep the truths of Scripture about our spiritual lives sorted out. Here is what I mean. Some passages in the New Testament refer to our position in Christ. We are given a position of being "in Christ." This never changes. We are always and forever "in union with Christ." Other times it is speaking about our daily walk. This is imperfect and changing because of our spiritual immaturity. We are in fellowship or out of fellowship depending on many factors; such as, unconfessed personal sin which leads to pride and blind arrogance controlling us; being defeated by our spiritual enemies: the lure of the world, the sinful desires of the flesh, the snares of the devil; failure to apply consistently the principles of God's Word thus walking by sight and not by faith. This concept of spirituality is about our "communion with Christ."

We receive some guidance from Paul that is most helpful in discerning these two concepts of spirituality in Titus 2:11-13. Remembering the threefold plan of grace and the truths that are related to them will aid you from this error of confusing the two concepts. If you are a Christian, this is the outline of your life. In Phase 1: Salvation - bringing us to Christ. The moment I accepted Christ as my Savior I received 39 irrevocable assets of grace, and one is that I am placed into UNION with Christ through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Galatians 3:27. At the moment of salvation [faith alone in Christ alone], I was given a brand new regenerated life -- a spiritual life so that I might have daily fellowship with God. This is Phase 2: Shepherding us through life - helping us become more like Christ. Phase 1 takes place in an instant. Phase 2 takes place over a lifetime. We must be aware of these two phases, union with Christ and communion with Christ, and not fail to differentiate them. I spoke of this in the "Introduction To 1 John".¹ 1 John is about communion with God, fellowship in the family of God. It was written to believers, for believers, so that as believers, we might honor and glorify our God throughout our lifetime.

So as we begin verse five, we learn about a message of extreme importance for John says, "...that God as to His nature is Light and in Him there exists no darkness, not one bit". This message was repeatedly taught by John, "and I announce it again to you." The principle of repetition is an important principle related to teaching. As it was explained to me, "the first thing you do in a message is to tell your audience what you want to tell them. Then you tell them. Finally, you tell them what you told them." It is crucial that we know God. You cannot walk with God if He is a stranger to you. You cannot love God if you don't know God. John says, "God wants us to have fellowship with Him, and here is the first thing you need to know "...God as to His nature is Light, and in Him, there exists no darkness, not one bit". This point of doctrine has a direct bearing on our fellowship with God and should be repeated over and over again. John asserts that to know God is the key to walking (conducting one's life) with God, so I am pausing our study of 1 John 1:5 to explore the Holiness of God. Why? The characteristic of God that is being revealed in this statement is that our God is a Holy God. Although John does not use the word HOLY ² in this verse, he has just defined it, and for this reason, we will take a brief look at divine holiness.

THE HOLINESS ADDENDUM

Definition

When defining holiness, we come to find there are two aspects, like a coin that has two sides. The first is the non-moral side of God, which we will call "The Godhood of God." The second aspect of the non-moral side has to do with "the Godliness of God." Here is a definition by Dr. Renald Showers that focuses solely on the Godhood side of holiness:

"The root term for the word "holy" means to divide. A holy person, then, is one who is divided from other persons and things--divided in the sense of marked off, set apart or separated from others. One should not conclude, however, in order to be holy, a person must divide from the presence of others by dropping out of society and becoming a recluse or hermit. Historically that wrong conclusion led to the development of the monastic movement. That conclusion is not the thrust of the Biblical concept of Holiness. The biblical concept is as follows: To be holy is to be divided from others in the sense of being different or distinct from them. Sometimes it can go as far as carrying the sense of being unique." ³

The Godhood of God is the perfection of the divine nature, which teaches us the profound truth of God's greatness and superiority. He is eternal, immutable, and infinite and we are creatures locked up in time and subject to death.

Then the second aspect of holiness is the moral side of God, "the Godliness of God." This teaches us about the absolute purity of God in character, the one who is free from sin and evil and who is perfectly righteous in all His ways. We are fallen creatures and unworthy of His love and grace. This also separates us from Him.

The Godliness of God

John says, "...God as to His nature is light, and in Him, there exists no darkness, not one bit". You can see from the above description of holiness that John is emphasizing the Godliness of God. This fact about God is relevant to our fellowshipping with Him for if we are going to live in the light, 1 John 1:7, we must understand the light. The fact of God's sinless perfection is taught in the double negative, "no darkness, not one bit. Our God is absolute purity, free from sin and evil, untainted by the cosmic evil that pervades our world. This is what makes our God different-- Holy!. Sometimes both aspects can be found in a passage:

The Case Of Isaiah The Prophet

The prophet Isaiah had been serving God for some time, but one day God opened the door of heaven and allowed him an to see all its splendor:

Isaiah 6:1–4

1) In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

2) Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3) And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

4) And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

Isaiah In Heaven

Place yourself in Isaiah's sandals standing in Heaven. As God enters the scene, the six-winged seraphim's begin to herald the name of God, "Holy, Holy, Holy." The mentioning of those words cascaded throughout the throne room of God, and everything in Heaven trembled upon hearing this name HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. Even inanimate matter recognized the Sovereign greatness of God. The magnitude of His glory was on full display. This is a picture of The Godhood of God.

The Conviction of Isaiah

All that Isaiah could say was, "Woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips." It is a wonder that he could speak. Isaiah, that day saw his unworthiness of being in the presence of God. He understood at that moment, remember he had been walking with God and preaching for years, that he stood in the audience of a thrice Holy God. He stated the obvious, "I am not fit to be in His presence." He was right! This is a picture of the Godliness of God.

But a loving and gracious God solved this problem:

Isaiah 6:5–7

5) Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

6) Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.

7) He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

The Confession of Isaiah

Isaiah, the believer, confesses his sin, "Woe to me." He was in a helpless, hopeless state and was a man in much need of grace. One of the angels took from an altar burning coal, remember we're looking at Shadow Christology ⁴. The altar with the smoke and fire and the burning coals is a picture of judgment. The words are a portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ being judged for our sins. Because of that altar, a picture of the cross in the Old Testament, there is a solution to the problem of our sinning. This is an Old Testament version of 1 John 1:9, "A Believers Confession."

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John and Isaiah intersect in teaching this all-important truth about the Godliness of God.

The Prophet Learned Humility

Sadly there is a level of pride that has come upon the Christian church where we no longer see our need to confess our sins. Possibly Isaiah saw that day that he had been doing the right thing, preaching God's message, but for the wrong reasons. Again, he was promoting himself instead of God. Whatever God revealed to him that day, Isaiah was humbled. He said, "Woe is me, or I am in trouble now!" When pride rules our hearts, we achieve nothing of value for the Lord because we are being lifted up. If you are a believer, your approach to God must be the path of humility. One thing about humility is that it is the absence of pride. James says:

James 4:6

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:7

7a) Submit therefore to God

James 4:10

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

The Prophet Also Learned About the Exalted Nature of God

Isaiah's God was small, but that day his God became big, really Big! His view of himself diminished in the light of the Greatness and Majesty of God. Isaiah was serving as God's prophet, doing his prophet thing every day, but when he stood face-to-face with God, he was immediately humbled. As the temple post shook in the presence of God, Isaiah looked around and saw lifeless things quaking in His presence, yet he and the people of Israel had no sense of His breathtaking power and greatness. This is what we mean by the Transcendence of God.⁵

A Reality Check is Needed

What about us? Are we prideful people? Are we unappreciative of the grace of God? Are we not much better at complaining and griping, moaning and groaning, fretting and brooding, rather than experiencing the joy of fellowship? John wants us to know that we can live in His gracious presence now.

The Godhood of God

The second factor, The Godhood of God, is frequently mentioned in Scripture and sometime in the same context as in our Isaiah example, "I saw God the Lord sitting on a throne LOFTY AND EXALTED."

Teaching by Comparison

In Eastern religions God, is in everything; everything is God. This is called Pantheism. There is no distinction made between the Person of God and the Creation of God. Their god is not a Holy God. He is not KAHDOSH (Hebrew) / HAGIASMOS(Greek), separate from His Creation. What someone might say, isn't God omnipresent. Yes, He is everywhere present in a personal way, but He is separate from His creation. I can say, "God is in me, God is in you, God is in this place," but it is false to say, "I am God, you are God, this place is God." I mention this to make it clear that an omnipresent God and a pantheistic god are not the same. It is one thing for you to say, "Pantheism is wrong," and to do so because some Christian Bible teacher told you so, but it is another thing to know why it is wrong. Why is it wrong; because you are related to a HOLY God. A God who is distinct from His creation. Let me document this from the Scriptures. God speaks to Israel through Isaiah the Prophet:

Isaiah 40:25

"To whom then will you liken me or (to whom) shall I be equal, says THE HOLY ONE. [Expanded translation]

God desires to know what idols compare to Him. The background of this inquiry is Israel's idolatry. Israel sought to be like other nations. She wanted to have a god she could see and touch, and this resulted in the foolishness and folly of Idolatry. Here is a nation whose God was the unique God of the Universe, the only true and living God. He is incomparable and unique - the HOLY One.

Israel sought to fashion their God out of a lump of cheap coal, or carve His image in a piece of granite, or whittle a hunk of wood, in order to be like other nations. God strongly forbid this:

Exodus 20:3,4

3) “You shall have no other gods before Me [or beside Me].

4) “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.

The First Commandment to Israel was clear. How can you compare the unique God of the Universe to a fish - the god Dagon of the Philistines, or a quadruped - the golden bull of Bashan, or to some astrological symbol? Isn't it interesting that man takes the things that God has created, and worships them? It doesn't take a whole lot of intelligence to recognize that the Creator of the thing must be greater than the thing He created. This is precisely the point here. Sin has affected the thinking of man so that in the midst of this folly, God says: "To whom will you liken me or to whom shall I be equal."

This is the principle: Our God is a Holy God, the unique and incomparable Creator of this world. This is what the Holiness of God means!

Isaiah 45:21

Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me.

This is God speaking to Isaiah. Either He is a liar, or He is Lord! He can't be both.

Isaiah 45:18

For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am the Lord, and there is none else.

Or again:

Isaiah 46:9

“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,

Summary

1. Holiness is the divine perfection of God's nature, which separates Him from His creation.

2. Although His creation depends entirely upon Him for existence and continuance, He is entirely independent of it.

3. Holiness refers to God and describes Him as unique and incomparable and a God of sinless perfection. He is a Holy God, the only one worthy of our reverence, attention, honor, and worship.

ENDNOTES

¹ See Topic #1 Introduction

The three phases of the Plan of God is taught in Titus 2:11-13:

Titus 2:11–13

11) For the grace of God [the title of the plan of God] has appeared, bringing salvation to all persons [Phase 1: Salvation - bringing us to Christ]

12) instructing us [Phase 2: Shepherding us in our daily walk - bring us into a likeness of Christ] to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,

13) looking for the blessed hope [Phase 3: Spending Eternity with Him - bring us into the presence of the Lord] and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

Excerpt From Topic #1 Introduction:

"What true Christian doesn't want to fellowship with God? I am not talking about when we get to Heaven. Everyone wants to go to Heaven, but what about now. If your're going to walk with God and share a daily close and intimate relationship with Him, then study this epistle. It is designed to instruct, to encourage, to challenge, yes even if necessary to reprove us, so that we might live in His presence and abide in Him today, tomorrow, and until He comes for us.

As incredible as this might seem, it is true. The infinite, eternal, and holy God, our heavenly Father, has created us for this purpose. His plan involves three phases:

Phase 1: Salvation - bringing us to Christ.

Phase 2: Shepherding us through time - helping us become more like Christ.

Phase 3: Spending eternity with Him - bringing us into the presence of the Lord.

This plan stands or falls on one Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, this book is not a manual on how to be saved. It is written to those who are already in the Body of Christ, to those who have already received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savoir. Of course, it does contain the Gospel. It is a favorite theme of the Apostle. He loves the expression "born of God" ( See 1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1,4,18). He learned this from the Lord Jesus, who said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again if you are to enter the Kingdom of God," John 3:3." The gospel will be clearly given in 1 John 5:9-13. For instance:

1 John 5:11–13

11) And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12) He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

13) These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

However, this is written to believers to teach them how to live in God's presence, to live each day in the audience of One. John will explain in simple, practical, and with direct principles what will hinder our fellowship with God and what will help us live our lives in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

The Epistle of First John is a little book with a great big message. If you are the kind of Christian that desires to live in a manner that is worthy of the Lord and you are seeking to please Him in all things, then this letter is for you. If you want to honor and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, then First John will show you how."

² When John uses this word, holy, it is always in conjunction with the Godhead: referring to Christ as The Holy One in 1 John 2:20; John 6:69; the Holy Spirit as in John 14:26; and the Father as in John 17:11. Furthermore, the concept of holiness is seen in the Epistle in other ways, such as, "He is pure" 1 John 3: 3; He is righteous as in 1 John 2:1; 2:29; 3:7.

³ Dr. Renald E. Showers, The Holiness of God, Israel My Glory, Issue Vol. 44, No 6, December/January 1986-1987.

⁴ Shadow Christology is the teaching that Christ is seen in the Old Testament in shadow form. A shadow casts an image of reality, but it is not THE reality. It exists because there is something real which it portrays. Jesus Christ is the reality, and in the Old Testament, His shadow casts an image on His Person and Work, Luke 24: 25-27,44.

⁵ Transcendence is defined as God being separate from and independent of all creation and created beings. He is superior to all and above all, Isaiah 55:7; Ephesians 4:6.