Holiness Unto The LORD JESUS

"As He who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." —I Peter 1:15 [KJV]

Legal hearts turn evangelical exhortations into legal commands. So children of faith are brought back again from the land of promise to the house of bondage. Not more absurd to exhort a dead corpse to exert itself to perform actions of life in order to get life, than to suppose a believer destitute of the life of holiness, and excite him to holy actions in order to procure it. Zeal for holiness, without knowledge of the true nature of it, is unscriptural ignorance. Every believer in Jesus is holy. 

As being a member of the first Adam, he partakes of the life of sin and the spirit of unholiness; but being united to Jesus, Christ is his life. He partakes of the life of holiness and the spirit of holiness. This is evidenced by the outward holiness of his life. Therefore exhortations to excite such to a holy conversation, are as necessary as they are frequent. Art thou a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus? What inestimable honor is this! It should be thy daily care and constant concern to walk worthy of this high and honorable vocation. It degrades thy birth to stoop to gratify base lusts; it demeans thy character to take up in the least with the slavery of sin and drudgery of Satan. 

It was good advice a heathen gave a prince, lest he should learn evil from bad company, "Always remember thou art a king's son." So ever remember, O Christian, thou art a son of the KING OF KINGS. Thy Father is holy; study to be like Him; aim to resemble Him in thy daily walk. This day thou wilt be exposed to the snares of sin and temptations to evil; they ever beset thee. Remember thy calling, it is to holiness of life; think of the end of it, happiness in glory. It sounds as harsh in one's ears to hear of a wicked Christian as to hear of a dark sun. But beware of making an idol of thy own holiness. 

We read of Pygmalion, who had got an image so lively that he took it for a real person, and fell in love with it. This seems to be the case with some; they are more taken up with, talk more about, and seem more in love with an image they have made of their own holiness and perfection, than of the glorious righteousness of Jesus. Yea, they so esteem their own holiness, that they think it is to effect for them more than Christ's righteousness hath, even secure and make effectual their own salvation. 

Thus the imputed righteousness of Christ is cashiered out of their faith and affection, to make way for their pretended holiness. This is the very essence of a Pharisee. But "being made free from sin (the power of pride within, as well as of sin without) ye become servants of God, ye have your FRUIT unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."—Romans 6:22.

-preacher William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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