THE FRUITS OF HOLINESS PART 2

 THE FRUITS OF HOLINESS - PART 2

BIBLICAL PROOFS OF HOLINESS

Earlier this week, we started out on understanding Holiness; what it means to be Holy and how possible this is in our contemporary world today. One thing I have come to understand is that for every effective accomplishment of any task, you don't just delve in without knowledge. You go in search of that knowledge from sources that possess them and you use them to better your odds. There is a wise saying which goes thus; "if I have seen far than others, it's because I have stood on the shoulders of giants before me". The same goes in the kingdom; for us to live a life of Holiness, there must be persons whose path we follow; such ones as with proofs to what living holy is all about. 

In our preceding article, we have looked at the Trinity- God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as the primary source of Holiness. Our God is a Holy God and if we follow after Him and do as His word commands, it becomes easy for us to live like Him.  But today, we will look at men like us from the scriptures as reference to what Holy or Godly living is. Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses...". 

We shall be looking at the lives of such witnesses as we have from the Scriptures.

The first is a man called NOAH. We all remember his story in the book of Genesis; how God used him to save procreation and how he procured a trans-generational blessing for mankind. The Bible makes us understand that God had searched all through. In verse 5 of chapter 6, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth". For this reason he had vowed to destroy the earth, but as He is a just and righteous God, he found another. Verse   9 tells us about the character of this man Noah - a JUST man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 

Here we see all this holy attributes in a single man. For this reason verse 8 says he found grace in the eyes of the LORD. One touching part as I have always seen in the account of godly men from scriptures, they walked with God. According to the law of physics, it is said that unlike poles attract and like poles repel; this is not the case with God. You must be like Him to live like Him.  Genesis Chapter 9; God then made a covenant with Him which still speaks today, just on the platform of a man's righteousness. Verse 1 of this same chapter, we see God avert the curses he had placed on man from the fall of Adam. This is what a life of Holiness can do.

The second proof is our Father, ABRAHAM. Another thing I have come to understand is that God calls us as individuals, he doesn't call in groups. So if you are indulging in sin because of what others will think of you, then you are really missing it. A life of Holiness is personalized. You walk with God on an individual level and it reflects even in your other relationships. From the Scriptures, little was said about Abraham's beginning, but according to the scriptures, Abraham demonstrated all fruits of righteousness. In him was found OBEDIENCE (Genesis 12:1-9), in him was found FAITH (Galatians 3:6), in him was found TRUST IN GOD (Genesis 22:1-12), in him was found LOVE (Genesis 14:12-16), in him was found PERSEVERANCE and LONGSUFFERING (Genesis 21:1-5 he had received the promise at 75 but was fulfilled at 100 still he against all hope believed in hope). When we study the life of our patriarchs, they are always a motivation. At the time of Abraham, the Holy Spirit had not been given to man, but we see him show forth the fruits (Galatians 5). Abraham was a righteous man and in His righteousness, He was pleasant before God. Once the ways of a man are pleasant before God, he is granted access to all secrets. Abraham was even referred to as a friend of God. All on the platform of walking and living right with God.

The third proof is a man, JOB. The Bible makes us understand in Job 1:1 "and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil". See another set of qualification in another man. These are all attributes of a Holy living. He FEARed God, was PERFECT, UPRIGHT. To eschew evil is to hate evil that is, he loved righteousness. Hence, God could boast of him. We saw the early life of Job, how he was blessed and the greatest of all men in the East. This is what a life of Holiness can procure for us. Job 29 gives us an account of Job's living "as I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; when the Almighty was yet with me...on and on". Still when he was afflicted, he chose not to listen to the voice of hatred towards God and he steadfastly maintained his ways before Him. Such is a life of Holiness; and we see God restore back unto Job all that He had lost. His latter end was recorded much greater than his beginnings.

There are so many biblical accounts of Holiness as a lifestyle and so many attributes; MEEKness, JOY, LOVE, PEACE, FAITH, OBEDIENCE, PERSEVERANCE, RIGHTEOUSness, LONGSUFFERING, so many... 

For a man who is Holy, he is always in the heart of God. Such a man is guaranteed of the blessings in righteousness. 

Proverbs 16:7 "When the ways of a man pleases God, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with Him".

TO BE CONTINUED...

THE MEN THAT LEAD

Building manhood...