The words iyja* and kyii^M occur very fre<|uently in NT. The three nouns {ifytv^u.ot, etyiirttt, aiymrCtn), winch are kindred to them, are not of frequent occurrence. The most common amon^ the.-te three nouns, »yietirui<. is found ten times (1 Th 4S. 4. 7, 2 Th 2'3, Kg 616 2a. 1 Co I'M, 1 Ti 2l5, He ISU, 1 P l'^). In live instances it ia rendered in AV hotitwss. and in Ave ganctiji- cation. In UV it is unifonnly rendered eanctijication. 'Aynrr.c oocur? twice (2 Co 112, He 121"), and is rendered holiness in both AV and UV. "Ayi^iri.i occurs tliree times (I Th S", Ko H. 2 Co 7*), and is tr. in both VS.S fidlitvss, ' AytvTr,< (sanctitas). iiyM^yri (sanctitudo), etyictffLccf {sanctijicatioXdQnotc the qualit}/. tlie state, tlie process, respectively (Liglitfoot, Sotes, p. 49). 'OfficTY.t occurs twice (Lk l'^*, Eph 424), and is rendered holiyiess in both. AV render! ivri/Sus (piety) in Ao 3*^ holiiiess, RV t/odlinest.
Let us next illustrate the use of the group of words under review, directing sjjccial attention to the fifteen passages in which the nouns denoting hoHrtess are used. There does not appear to be anything distinctive in the use of the words by the ditlerent NT writers. We .shall therefore have no occasion to treat tlie NT books separately. We liiid 57105 applied to God in Jn 17" : ' Holy Father, Keep them in thy name which thou hast given me,' etc., where God, as the One who is ab.solutely good — wholly separate from all that is sinful and wrong — is besought to guard from evil those whom He has given to His Son. The idea closely resembles that which is found in IT'-" : ' O righteous (oiKoioi) Father, the world knew thee not, but I knew thee,' etc. The idea of God's righteousness here appears to be the quality which prevents Him from passing the same judgment upon Christ's dis- ciples as He passes upon the sinful world. It is the equitableness of God. In both cases the attri- bute of God which is referred to is not the forensic or retributive element in the di\'ine nature, but God's moral self -consistency, His justice to His own equity. In Rev 4' God is addressed as ' Holy, Holy, Holy,' because He is worthy of all praise and honour. His holiness is His supreme ana absolute excellence.
The term holy is constantly applied throughout NT to the divine Spirit. As proceeding from God, as the bearer of revelation, and as the mediator of spiritual life, the Spirit is pre-eminently holy. It is the special function of the Holy Spirit to make holy the souls of those in whom He dwells. This conception of the Spirit's nature .and function is not prominent in 0 T, where the Spirit is scarcely more than a name for the power or presence of God. There He bestows strength upon heroes, skill upon artificers, and the knowledge of the divine will upon prophets. The de.signation of the Spirit as Holy accords entirely with the NT idea of the sanctifying function of the Spirit, and the hallowing of the people of God by inward consecration to Him. The Holy Spirit is con- ceived of as revealing the inner nature and essen- tial goodness of God, and as accomplishing the transformation of men into His moral likeness. Hence the sin against the Holy Spirit represents
the acme of wickedness. It is hatred of supreme and alisolute goodness. It despises the perfect purity and unsellisli love which dwelt in Him to whom CJod gave the Spirit without measure, and thus treats perfect goodness as if it were evil. Such a state of mind involves complete moral obduracy. In this, and not in the limitation of the divine mercy, lies the impossibility of its for- giveness. See further lloi.v Sl'luiT.
With special appropriateness is Christ, as the Son and Kevealer of (iod and the Redeemer of mankind from sin, dcsign.ated as holy. He is the fulfilment of the OT picture of the true and faith- ful servant of J". He is accordingly spoken of as God's 'holy servant' (6 37105 ttois, Ac 4**), by whom He accomplishes His gracious, saving pur- poses. So evil spirits are represented as recog- nizing in Jesus ' the Holy One of God,' the long- promi-sed Messiah, the niessenger of the divine mercy, and the Conqueror of Satan.
Christians are frequently designated as 47101, holy ones, saints. Tliey are such as the elect or beloved of God, wlio by faith and love have entered into fellowship with Him, and who by obedience to His will and by purity of life have become conformed to the image of His Son. St. Paul speaks of believers as KX-qrol 47101 (I Co 1'^), saints by a divine call, in the s.ame sense as he speaks of himself as a kKtitM a.Tr6crTo\oi (Ro 1'), an apostle who became such by having presented to him, and by accepting, a divine commission. Esp. are men represented as holy when they have been made the special instruments of the divine will and have been taken into close fellowship with <iod in the work of revelation and redemption. In this sense the prophets are de.signated (ace. to the common reading) as ' holy men of God,' oi 47101 ffeou dvOpuToi (2 P 1-'). In like manner, the 'holy prophets' declared the divine purpose to restore all things through the Messiah (Ac S^'). So the ' mystery of Christ,' viz. that the gospel was for the Gentiles, was made known to God's ' holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit' (Eph 3').