In my blog, The Fear of the Lord, I mentioned how over the years as I stood within Christianity how difficult it was to hear definitions to the words the pastors used. Even after making a point of asking for a definition many times none were believable, understandable or logical. I was told the fear of the Lord means to respect God. However, the Bible tells us the fear of the Lord means to hate evil as stated in Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil.” Comprehending the meaning of “the fear of the Lord” also helps one to understand holiness. You perfect holiness by hating evil as stated, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). A person perfects, achieves holiness, by fearing God or you can say by hating evil. Once again, we need a definition of evil. I have defined evil as unnatural sex. Evil began in Eden with a man and his wife. Holy people do not commit unnatural sex—evil. God made vaginal intercourse and Satan made oral and anal sex.
Holy and holiness are two words I have yet to hear a definition for. Yet God without question tell us we must be holy. “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). God commands us to be holy and considers being holy reasonable. God also tells us we will not see God unless we are holy. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Holy, holiness, holiest, hallow, hallowed—occurs nearly 700 times in the King James Bible. Beyond doubt, these words are important. A survey was taken and 21% answered, “I don’t know” when asked what is holiness. Others said, to be Christ like, making faith your top priority, living a pure and sinless life, accepting and practicing biblical truth. There is no understanding of holiness in those answers. Most Christians of today cannot define holiness.
Two other words need to be understood before holiness can be. Those words are fornication and sanctification. A correct definition of the word fornication is a requirement before one can understand holiness. That definition is found in Jude 1:7, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them…giving themselves over to fornication…” Fornication is the sex of Sodom and Gomorrah—all who commit unnatural sex. Fornication is evil, also called the lust of the flesh, filthiness, whoring and it makes a person unholy. One must understand that fornication is not only same-sex partners but refers to all who commit oral and anal sex. Lot’s daughters were married to men in Sodom and Gomorrah. His daughters were delivered. His sons in law were not delivered. Lot had asked the men who married his daughters to do only that which was good. They honored that request; therefore, his daughters were in a heterosexual marriage but did not commit evil. His sons in law were in a heterosexual marriage and did commit evil. They had to have committed evil (fornication) outside of their marriage. “Job was perfect and upright, and one that feared God (he hated evil” (Job 1:1.) Job was in a heterosexual marriage and he hated evil. Job’s wife wanted Job to die and be like her. Job said, “You talk like a foolish person” and did not consent to commit evil (fornication) with his wife. If sinners entice you do not consent even if the person enticing you is your spouse. Be ye not unequally yoked together is good advice. If a person does not believe in oral and anal sex do not marry a person who does practice such acts.
One must stop committing fornication to be holy. “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). A sanctified person does not commit fornication. A sanctified person is a holy person, a Godly person. This verse is stating that when you put an end to fornication you are sanctified. When you are sanctified you are holy. Holy people do not commit fornication –the sex of Sodom and Gomorrah.
It takes the absence of the original sin in Eden to be holy. Everlasting life comes from being holy. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6:22). Being made free from sin is how a person attains holiness. It takes the absence of sin to be holy. Everlasting life comes from being holy. A sanctified person abstains from fornication. They are set free.
A holy person hates evil as stated in Psalms 96:9, “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth” Fear before him means to hate evil. Try to imagine the earth when everyone hates evil—fears God. When no one commits fornication, all our social ills will come to an end.
When looking at the Christianity of today do you see holy people? God was not joking when he said He would conclude the world in unbelief. He wasn’t lying. God does not lie. Today, there is no belief in God. But the good news is after God concludes the world in unbelief, he will sanctify those calling themselves Christians; for Jesus comes to sanctify the church. Ephesians 5:25-26, “Husbands love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he (JESUS) might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” Jesus will love this unholy church and he brings the truth—the word that will remove unnatural sex from church members and he tells husbands you must love your wives and remove fornication from marriage. Yes, we need a holy church. We need the people in the church to be holy. “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7).
“O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, (hate evil) all the earth” (Psalms 96:9). To fear God is to hate evil. When all the earth hates evil, we will have heaven on earth.
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