PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Holy in Christ Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy
Murray, Andrew, 1828-1917 · 84,313 words · 137 reading sections
Part 1
Produced by Free Elf, David Wilson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)…
32 wordsSECTION 2HOLY IN CHRIST:
Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy.…
14 wordsSECTION 3AUTHOR OF 'ABIDE IN CHRIST,' 'LIKE CHRIST,' ETC.
_'I am holy: ye shall be holy.'_ FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY, CHICAGO, NEW YORK, TORONTO, Publishers of Evangelical Literature.…
20 wordsSECTION 4PREFACE.
There is not in Scripture a word more distinctly Divine in its origin and meaning than the word holy. There is not a word that leads us higher into the mystery of Deity, nor deeper into the privilege and the blessedness of God's children. And yet it is a word that many a Christian has never studied or understood. Ther…
822 wordsSECTION 5A. M.
Wellington, _16th November 1887_.…
4 wordsSECTION 6CONTENTS.
DAY PAGE 1. God's Call to Holiness--1 Pet. i. 15, 16, 11 2. God's Provision for Holiness--1 Cor. i. 2, 19 3. Holiness and Creation--Gen. ii. 3, 28 4. Holiness and Revelation--Ex. iii. 4-6, …
257 wordsSECTION 7HOLY IN CHRIST.
God's Call to Holiness. 'Like as He which called you is _holy_, be ye yourselves also _holy_ in all manner of living; because it is written, Ye shall be _holy_, for I am _holy_.'--1 Pet. i. 15, 16. The call of God is the manifestation in time of the purpose of eternity: 'Whom He predestinated, them He also _called_.'…
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The call equally reveals the _power_ of Holiness. 'There is none holy but the Lord;' there is no Holiness but what He has, or rather what He is, and gives. Holiness is not something we do or attain: it is the communication of the Divine life, the inbreathing of the Divine nature, the power of the Divine Presence restin…
861 wordsSECTION 9BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.
O Lord! the alone Holy One, Thou hast called us to be holy, even as Thou art holy. Lord! how can we, unless Thou reveal to us Thy Holiness. Show us, we pray Thee, how Thou art holy, how holy Thou art, what Thy holiness is, that we may know how we are to be holy, how holy we are to be. And when the sight of Thy Holiness…
473 wordsSECTION 10HOLY IN CHRIST.
God's Provision for Holiness. 'To those that are _made holy_ in Christ Jesus, called to be _holy_.'--1 Cor. i. 2. 'To all the _holy ones_ in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi. Salute every _holy one_ in Christ Jesus.'[1]--Phil. i. 1, iv. 21. HOLY! IN CHRIST! In these two expressions we have perhaps the most wonderf…
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And when Old and New Testament have each given their message, the one in teaching us what _Holy_, the other what _in Christ_ means, we have in the word of God, that unites the two, the most complete summary of the Great Redemption that God's love has provided. The everlasting certainty, the wonderful sufficiency, the i…
887 wordsSECTION 12BE YE HOLY, AS I AM HOLY.
O Most Holy God! we do beseech Thee, reveal Thou to Thy children what it meaneth that Thou hast not only called them to holiness, but even called them by this name, 'the holy ones in Christ Jesus.' Oh that every child of Thine might know that He bears this name, might know what it means, and what power there is in it t…
661 wordsSECTION 13HOLY IN CHRIST.
Holiness and Creation. 'And God blessed the Sabbath day, and _sanctified_ it, because that in it He had rested from all the work which God created and made.'--Gen. ii. 3. In Genesis we have the Book of Beginnings. To its first three chapters we are specially indebted for a Divine light shining on the many questions t…
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_Where God rests in complacency and love, He makes holy._ The Presence of God revealing itself, entering in, and taking possession, is what constitutes true Holiness. As we go down the ages, studying the progressive unfolding of what Holiness is, this truth will continually meet us. In God's indwelling in heaven, in Hi…
792 wordsSECTION 15BE YE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.
Blessed Lord God! I bow before Thee in lowly worship. I adore Thee as God the Creator, and God the Sanctifier. Thou hast revealed Thyself as God Almighty and God Most Holy. I beseech Thee, teach me to know and to trust Thee as such. I humbly ask Thee for grace to learn and hold fast the deep spiritual truths Thou hast…
477 wordsSECTION 16HOLY IN CHRIST.
Holiness and Revelation. 'And when the Lord saw that Moses turned aside to see, He called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place where thou standest is _holy_ ground. And Moses hid his face…
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It is thus as One who dwells in the fire, who is a fire, that God reveals Himself at the opening of this new redemption period. With Abraham and the patriarchs, as we have said, there had been little teaching about sin or redemption; the nearness and friendship of God had been revealed. Now the law will be given, sin w…
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Moses was to be the first preacher of the Holiness of God. Of the full communication of God's Holiness to us in Christ, His first revelation to Moses was the type and the pledge. From Moses' lips the people of Israel, from his pen the Church of Christ, was to receive the message, 'Be holy: I am holy: I make holy.' His …
215 wordsSECTION 19BE YE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.
Most Holy God! I have seen Thee, who dwellest in the fire. I have heard Thy voice, Draw not nigh hither; put thy shoes off from thy feet. And my soul has feared to look upon God, the Holy One. And yet, O my God! I must see Thee. Thou didst create me for Thy likeness. Thou hast taught that this likeness is Thy Holiness…
535 wordsSECTION 20NOTE.
The connection between the fear of God and holiness is most intimate. There are some who seek most earnestly for holiness, and yet never exhibit it in a light that will attract the world or even believers, because this element is wanting. It is the fear of the Lord that works that meekness and gentleness, that delivera…
423 wordsSECTION 21HOLY IN CHRIST.
Holiness and Redemption. '_Sanctify_ unto _me_ all the first-born.'--Ex. xiii. 2. 'All the first-born _are mine_; for on the day I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt _I sanctified_ unto _me_ all the first-born in Israel: _mine_ they shall be: I am the Lord.'--Num. iii. 13, viii. 17. 'For I am the Lord you…
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First of all, we want to realize how inseparable redemption and holiness are. Neither can exist without the other. _Only redemption leads to holiness._ If I am seeking holiness, I must abide in the clear and full experience of being a redeemed one, and as such of being owned and possessed by God. Redemption is too ofte…
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When Isaiah announced the second, the true redemption, it was given to him, even more clearly and fully than to Moses, to reveal the name of God as 'The Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.' The more we study this name, and hallow it, and worship God by it, the more inseparably will the words become connected, and we shal…
135 wordsSECTION 24BE YE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.
O Lord God! the Holy One of Israel and his Redeemer! I worship before Thee in deep humility. I confess with shame that I so long sought Thee more as the Redeemer than as the Holy One. I knew not that it was as the Holy One Thou hadst redeemed, that redemption was the outcome and the fruit of Thy Holiness; that a partic…
558 wordsSECTION 25HOLY IN CHRIST.
Holiness and Glory. 'Who is like unto Thee, O Lord! among the gods? Who is like unto Thee, _glorious in holiness_, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou in Thy mercy hast led Thy people which Thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in Thy strength to the habitation of _Thy holiness_ ... _The holy place_, O Lord, w…
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And now, observe further, how, as it is in the redemption of His people that God's Holiness is revealed, so it is in the song of redemption that the personal ascription of Holiness to God is found. We know how in Scripture, after some striking special interposition of God as Redeemer, the special influence of the Spiri…
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Blessed be God! the judgment is past. In Christ, the burning bush, the fire of the Divine Holiness did its double work: in Him sin was condemned in the flesh; in Him we are free. In giving up His will to the death, and doing God's will, Christ sanctified Himself; and in that will we are sanctified too. His crucifixion,…
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'_Who_ is like unto Thee, O Lord! glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?' With my whole heart would I join in this song of redemption, and rejoice in Thee as the God of my salvation. O my God! let Thy Spirit, from whom these words of holy joy and triumph came, so reveal within me the great redemption…
480 wordsSECTION 29HOLY IN CHRIST.
Holiness and Obedience. 'Ye have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you _unto myself_. Now therefore, if ye will _obey my voice indeed_, and keep my covenant, ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: ye shall be unto me an _holy_ nation.'--Ex. xix. 4-6. …
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To all seekers after holiness this is a lesson of deep importance. Obedience is not holiness; holiness is something far higher, something that comes from God to us, or rather, something of God coming into us. But obedience is _indispensable_ to holiness: it cannot exist without it. While, therefore, your heart seeks to…
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Let every believer study to realize this. When God sanctified the seventh day as His period of making holy, He taught us that He could not do it at once. The revelation and communication of holiness must be gradual, as man is prepared to receive it. God's sanctifying work with each of us, as with the race, needs time. …
327 wordsSECTION 32BE HOLY, AS I AM HOLY.
O my God! Thou hast redeemed me for Thyself, that Thou mightest have me wholly as Thine own, possessing, filling my inmost being with Thy own likeness, Thy perfect will, and the glory of Thy Holiness. And Thou seekest to train me, in the power of a free and loving will, to take Thy will and make it my own, that in the …
557 wordsSECTION 33HOLY IN CHRIST.
Holiness and Indwelling. 'And let them make me _a holy place_, that I may _dwell_ among them.'--Ex. xxv. 8. 'And the tent shall be _sanctified_ by my glory, and I will _dwell_ among the children of Israel, and will be their God.'--Ex. xxix. 43, 45. The Presence of God makes holy, even when it descends but for a litt…
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Not less intimate, yea rather, far more wonderful and real, is the indwelling of the Spirit of the New Life, through whom God dwells in the heart of the believer. And it is as this indwelling becomes a matter of conscious longing and faith, that the soul obeys the command, 'Let them make me a holy place, that I may dwe…
760 wordsSECTION 35BE HOLY, AS I AM HOLY.
We bow our knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus, that He would grant unto us, according to the riches of His glory, what He Himself has taught us to ask for. We ask nothing less than this, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith. We long for that most blessed, permanent, conscious indwelling of the Lord Jesus in …
568 wordsSECTION 36HOLY IN CHRIST.
Holiness and Mediation. 'And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the _holy_ things, which the children of Israel shall _hallow_ in all their _holy_ gifts; and it shall always be upon his forehead, that…
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And is not just this the lesson that many earnest seekers after holiness need? They know all that the Word teaches of the blessed Atonement, and the full pardon it has brought. They believe in the Father's wonderful love, and what He is ready to do for them. And yet, when they hear of the childlike simplicity, the assu…
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O my God and Father! my soul doth bless Thee for this wondrous revelation of what Thy way and Thy grace is with those whom Thou hast called 'Holy in Christ.' Thou knowest, O Lord, how continually our hearts have limited our acceptance with Thee by our attainments, and conscious shortcoming has wrought condemnation. We …
516 wordsSECTION 39HOLY IN CHRIST.
Holiness and Separation. 'I am the Lord your God, which have _separated_ you from other people. And ye shall be _holy_ unto me, for I the Lord am _holy_, and have _separated_ you from other people that ye should be _Mine_.'--Lev. xx. 24, 26. 'Until the days be fulfilled, in the which he _separateth_ himself unto the …
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The separation consisted specially in three things--temperance, in abstinence from the fruit of the vine; humiliation, in not cutting or shaving his hair ('it is a shame for a man if he have long hair'); self-sacrifice, in not defiling himself for even father or mother, on their death. What we must specially note is th…
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Let us study step by step the wondrous path in which Divine Love does it separating work. In redemption it prepares the way. Israel is separated from Egypt by the blood of the Lamb and the guiding pillar of fire. In its command, 'Come out and be separate,' it wakens man to action; in its promises, 'I will be your God,'…
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O my God! who hast separated me for Thyself, I beseech Thee, by Thy mighty power, to make this Divine separation deed and truth to me. May within, in the depths of my own spirit, and without, in all my intercourse, the crown of separation of my God be upon me. I pray Thee especially, O my God, to perfect in power the …
594 wordsSECTION 43HOLY IN CHRIST.
The Holy One of Israel. 'I am the Lord that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be _your God_; ye shall therefore _be holy_, for _I am holy_. I the Lord which _make you holy, am holy_.'--Lev. xi. 45, xxi. 8. 'I am the Lord Thy God, _the Holy One of Israel_, Thy Saviour. Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, _th…
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The original Hebrew word, whether derived from a root signifying to separate, or another with the idea of shining, expressed the idea of something distinguished from others, separate from them by superior excellence. God is Separate and different from all that is created, keeps Himself separate from all that is not God…
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The Divine Holiness is thus that infinite Perfection of Divinity in which Righteousness and Love are in perfect harmony, out of which they proceed, and which together they reveal. It is that Energy of the Divine life in the power of which God not only keeps Himself free from all creature weakness or sin, but unceasingl…
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O God! we have again heard the wonderful revelation of Thyself, 'I am holy.' And as we felt how infinitely exalted above all our conceptions Thy Holiness is, we heard Thy call, almost still more wonderful, 'Be ye holy, as I am holy.' And as every thought of how we were to be holy, as Thou art holy, failed us, we heard …
650 wordsSECTION 47HOLY IN CHRIST.
The Thrice Holy One. 'I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. Above Him stood the seraphim. And one cried to another, and said, _Holy, holy, holy_ is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.'--Isa. vi. 1-3. 'And the four living creatures, they have no rest day and night, saying, _Holy,…
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The Triune God whom we adore is the Thrice Holy One: the mystery of the Trinity is the mystery of Holiness: the Glory and the Power of the Trinity is the Glory and Power of God who makes us holy. There is God dwelling in light inaccessible, a consuming fire of Holy Love, destroying all that resists, glorifying into its…
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Would you apply this in the life of holiness, let faith in the Holy Trinity be a living practical reality. In every prayer to _the Father_ to sanctify you, take up your position _in Christ_, and do it in the power of _the Spirit within you_. In every exercise of faith _in Christ_ as your Sanctification, let your postur…
336 wordsSECTION 50BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.
Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God Almighty! which wast, and art, and art to come! I worship Thee as the Triune God. With face veiled and feet covered, I would bow in deep humility and silence, till Thy mercy lift me as on eagles' wings to behold Thy glory. Most merciful God! who hast called me to be holy as Thou art holy…
758 wordsSECTION 51HOLY IN CHRIST.
Holiness and Humility. 'Thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is _Holy_: I dwell in the High and _Holy_ place, with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.'--Isa. lvii. 15. Very wonderful is the rev…
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Such breaking down and humiliation is painful. Its intense reality consists in this, that the soul can see nothing in itself to trust or hope in. And least of all can it imagine that it should be an object of Divine complacency, or a fit vessel for the Divine blessing. And yet just this is the message which the Word of…
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Believers, who profess to be nothing, and to trust in grace alone, I pray you, do listen to the wondrous message. The High and Lofty One, whose name is Holy, and who dwells in the Holy Place, and who can dwell nowhere but in a Holy Place, seeks a dwelling here on earth. Will you give it Him? Will you not fall down in t…
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O Lord! Thou art the High and Lofty One, whose Name is Holy. And yet Thou speakest, 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit.' Yes, Lord! when the soul takes the low place, and has low thoughts of itself, that it feels it is nothing, Thou dost love to come and comfort, t…
545 wordsSECTION 55HOLY IN CHRIST.
The Holy One of God. 'Therefore also that _holy_ thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.'--Luke i. 35. 'We have believed and know that Thou art _the Holy One of God_.'--John vi. 69. 'The holy one of the Lord'--only once (Ps. cvi. 16) the expression is found in the Old Testament. It is spoke…
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3. But what avails that we have seen in Jesus that a man can be holy? His example were indeed a mockery if He show us not the way, and give us not the power, to become like Himself. To bring us this, was indeed the supreme object of the Incarnation. The Divine nature of Christ did not simply make _His_ humanity partake…
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Most Holy Lord God! I do bless Thee that Thy beloved Son, whom Thou didst sanctify and send into the world, is now to us _the Holy One of God_. I beseech Thee that my inner life may so be enlightened by the Spirit that I may in faith fully know what this means. May I know Him as the revelation of Thy Holiness, the inc…
591 wordsSECTION 58HOLY IN CHRIST.
The Holy Spirit. 'But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believed on Him were to receive: for _the Holy Spirit_ was not yet: because Jesus was not yet glorified.'--John vii. 39. 'The Comforter, even _the Holy Spirit_, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things.'--John xiv. 26. 'God…
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And yet, it is all beyond our reach, except as the Holy Spirit brings it to us and inwardly communicates it. But this is the very work for which He bears the Divine Name, the _Holy_ Spirit, to glorify Jesus, the Holy One of God, within us, and so make us partakers of His Holiness. He does it by revealing Christ, so tha…
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The Holy Spirit. All true knowledge of the Father in His adorable Holiness, and of the Son in His, which is meant to be ours, and all participation of it, depend upon our life in the Spirit, upon our knowing and owning Him as abiding in us as our Life. Oh, what can it be that, with such a Thrice Holy God, His Holiness …
316 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.