By Festus Ndukwe.
There are two kinds of holiness. One, there is positional holiness. Two, there is the holiness wrought in us by the Holy Spirit.
The first is given us as soon as we receive Christ. It is to give us identity in Christ, 1Cor.1:30. It is put on us as a garment. It is given us as a gift. It is outside of our effort. Either you feel you are holy or not, you are holy. If you feel miserable or unworthy you are still holy. You have to believe it irrespective of your feelings. If you believe, you will find yourself in a very high position over the lies and accusations of Satan.
Towards God it is to make you accepted by Him. Towards Satan it is for your covering. It is to give you a standing before God. It is also to give you a standing or ground before Satan so that he is unable to push you down even if he comes with thousands of demons. Like the gift of righteousness, it is very powerful in spiritual warfare or the warfare of the mind, especially in the face of condemnation.
This position is accepted by faith. It is a gift God has given to every Christian, either he or she is a young convert or an old Christian. The Bible says, “…but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God,” 1Cor.6:11. What a wonderful and glorious position!
Though wonderful this is how far it can take you. It does not make you useful or effective in service. This gift would have been great if once you are saved the Lord takes you to heaven, but because God will still leave you in this world to handle offence and contradictions of wicked men, and also to serve Him, you will need the Holy Spirit to do a further work in your life. So, we bless God for positional holiness but it is not enough.
The second one is different. It is not given you at spiritual birth. It is worked out in you by your cooperation with the Holy Spirit. It is wrought in you over time through God’s dealings with you. The more you yield to Christ the more the Holy Spirit realizes this. The less you yield the less He realizes it in your life.
When you yield and give the Master Potter all the right to break and remould you, the more holy you become.
This kind of holiness is more for usefulness and effectiveness in kingdom service, and readiness for the coming of the Lord. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord,” Heb.12:14.
Bro. Ndukwe can be reached for clarifications on this and other life issues at: festus.felicia@gmail.com or through whatsapp on +234 8055178972.