Category Archives: Holy

Bible, Confession, Dwelling, Holiness, Holy, Indwelling, Scripture, Sin

DO YOU HEAR AN ECHO?

ROMANS 7:20

“But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.”

Have you ever gone to a cave or a cavern and yelled in it to hear your echo? Pretty cool, isn’t it? Your voice bounces off the walls of the cave or cavern and comes back to you. Depending on the depth of that cave or cavern, it may take a few seconds for the echoed sound to reach you. I can still remember doing that as a child.

Are we hearing an echo in today’s verse? Didn’t Paul just say this back in verse 17 which reads, “But now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.” Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible says this about verse 20. “The same conclusion is formed here, as in Romans 7:17, not with any view to excuse himself from blame in sinning, but to trace the lusts of his heart, and the sins of his life, to the source and fountain of them, the corruption of his nature; and to ascribe them to the proper cause of them, which was not the law of God, nor the new man, but sin that dwelt in him.”

APPLICATION

I could just point you back to my devotional blog on verse 17, but I won’t do that. This subject bears more explanation. Let’s look at what Paul is saying here. First of all, he says, “But if I do the very thing I do not want…” Don’t skip past the little word “if.” This little Greek word is ei and means an assumption which is viewed as factual. It should not be translated as “since” because it is an assumption. Paul did not say “since I do” but “if I do.” Doing the undesirable thing is not automatically assumed.

Then look at “no longer.” The Topical Lexicon says this refers to the “Transformation of identity (Romans 7:17, 7:20). Sin is ‘no longer’ the true self; regeneration creates a new person.” The Greek word is ouketi. This word is used in Matthew 19:6 when Jesus was talking about marriage of a man and a woman. “‘So they are no longer two, but one flesh.’” Something changed in the relationship from two individuals to one couple. Our identity changed at salvation. We are “no longer” the same.

And then we have that all too familiar conjunction “but.” The Greek word alla often changes the conversation from a human perception to God’s perspective. It’s the same conjunction used when Jesus said in the wilderness to Satan, “‘It is written: “MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT COMES OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.”’” Paul knew that although his life had been transformed, he was still prone to sin because of the sin nature within him. Sin wasn’t a guarantee, but it was probable.

Conclusion: Don’t beat yourself up over sin that you commit. I am not giving you a license to sin by saying that. I mean we are all still living in our fleshly bodies and are susceptible to sin. Sin should never be premeditated by followers of Christ, but when you do sin, be quick to confess that and seek to return to holy living. Amen? Amen!

O Lord, I am so tired of this sinful flesh. Help me shun the things to the evil one and cling to Your sweet Spirit.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Good, Holy, Holy Spirit, Righteous, Scripture

HOLY, RIGHTEOUS AND GOOD

ROMANS 7:12

“So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

Few things in this world could be called holy, righteous and good. The Bible is all these things. It is the holy word of God Who is Himself holy. It is righteous as is God, and it is good as is God. But you will never see this unless you spend time in it. Only by immersing yourself in it will you discover all that it entails.

Paul, being a Jew, did not want to give the impression that the Law was bad. Just the opposite. The Law served God’s purpose of pointing men to the need for a Savior. Paul has been telling us in the past few verses that it pointed out their sins which should lead them to repentance. Initially, that was accomplished through the sacrificial system. But now, once those sins are revealed, they should run to the Savior, Jesus.

APPLICATION

It is holy. The Greek word is hagios, which means set apart or different than the world. There has never been another book like God’s Word. It is the best-selling book of all time, far surpassing any other. The words it holds, straight from the mouth of God to the writers through His Holy Spirit, are life-altering. They have the answer to any question you could ever have.

It is righteous. That word is dikaios, which means that which conforms to God’s own being. The words are just. They are right. What it says about sin is right. What is says about holy living is right. What is says about marriage between one man and one woman is right and just. Because it is righteous and just it can judge your heart and your motives.

And finally, it is good. That’s the Greek word agathos and “describes what originates from God and is empowered by Him in their life, through faith.” (HELPS Word-studies) God is good, therefore His words are too. They are beneficial for us because they originate from God Himself.

Which book of the Bible is your favorite? How about memorizing some passages from it? Which is your least favorite? Mine used to be Leviticus. All those rules and descriptions bored me until…I realized practically every word of the book is God talking. If God is talking, it must be important. Right? That made me see it differently. Spend some time today in His Word. It is holy, righteous and good.

Father God, I praise You for giving us Your holy, righteous and good Word.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Blameless, Holy, Reconciled, Scripture

HOLY AND BLAMELESS

COLOSSIANS 1:22

“yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—” 

The last two words I would use to describe myself is “holy” and “blameless.” I know we are commanded to be holy as He is holy (Lev. 11:44; 19:2; 20:7; 1 Pet. 1:15-16), but that is hard, isn’t it? And blameless? Are you kidding me? I have done so many things against the Lord I can hardly be called blameless. Yet, here we have today’s verse.

Take a good look at the verse. Notice that it does not say you or I have done anything to make ourselves holy or blameless. No amount of effort on our part will do that. It is because “He has now reconciled you” that you are called holy and blameless. That word “reconciled” is the same word we looked at two days ago in Colossians 1:20. Only God can declare us holy and blameless. The second we declare ourselves with those terms, we have ceased to be that very thing.

APPLICATION

You need to understand what these two words mean. “Holy” is the Greek word hagios which means to be set apart for a purpose. God sets you apart for His work. It’s used 235 times in the New Testament, so you need to do your own word study on hagios. That would be a great study. You could take one day for each time you find that word and dig out that verse. I give you that challenge.

And “blameless” is the Greek word amomos which means without blemish or faultless. Which one of you could describe yourself that way? Not me! But God declares me to be just that. Remember, His Son shed His blood to make us this way. His blood covers us and purifies us. We see this in 1 Peter 1:18-19. “18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

So, if God declares us holy and blameless, shouldn’t we do our best to live that way? We can if we choose to. We can live holy lives. We can live blameless lives. I am not saying we can be sinless, but we can stay covered by His blood. We can choose to live to honor Him and only allow those “accidental” sins to happen. We do not choose to sin. If we do that, we can honor His description of us.

O Lord, I praise You for making me holy and blameless. Strengthen me today to live like that.

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Bible, Blameless, Bride, Church, Holy, Scripture

HIS BRIDE

EPHESIANS 5:27

“that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

I’ll never forget the scene of my lovely bride walking down the aisle of the church on December 7, 1985. What a sight for a young man to behold. As the music played and the people stood, all eyes were on her as she slowly walked the aisle with her dad. That was almost 39 years ago. Wow! But she still has my eye. She still is my beautiful bride and the one I am pledged to.

In this verse, Paul jumps headlong into a description of Christ’s bride, the church. He has been comparing our earthly marriages to this for the past few verses, but now all attention is on this holy union. The original Greek emphasizes this presentation a little more. It literally says, “that He Himself might present to Himself.” It is Christ Who will cleanse the church in preparation for her presentation.

APPLICATION

In Revelation 19:7-9, we read, “7 ‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.’ 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’” One day, His bride (the church) will be united with her bridegroom (Jesus). All eyes in heaven will be on her at this marriage supper in heaven.

Right now, we can’t say the church is without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. We are a flawed church full of flawed people. The Father knows that, so He is perfecting us so that we will be presentable to His Son. That perfecting can be painful at times as He drives the sin and corruption out. We are being purified for that holy day in heaven.

Let me ask you this – are you ready, as part of the church, to be presented to the bridegroom? Have you purified yourself? Are you free of spot or wrinkle? Work on your marriage gown. Make yourself presentable for the Holy One in heaven. We will never reach perfection here on earth, but we should strive to make ourselves ready for the marriage feast. I’m getting dressed. How about you?

Father, I cannot wait to behold that wonderful, glorious day that is described in Your Word.

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Bible, Greed, Holiness, Holy, Immorality, Impurity, Scripture

DON’T MENTION IT

EPHESIANS 5:3

“But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints;”

There are some things you just don’t want to talk about. For instance, I don’t want to talk about a gruesome, elaborate surgery. Just the thought makes me squeamish. I don’t want to hear about possible side effects of medications. If I hear them, I am bound to get them. And some sports fans don’t want to hear their biggest rival’s name mentioned.

Paul is dealing with something much more serious – spiritually serious. He warns the Ephesians (and us) to not even mention sexual immorality, impurity or greed. Why? Because these are not “proper among saints.” Paul knew if you talked about such things your mind would be focused on them. If I say, don’t think about ice cream, what did you just think about? Ice cream! What’s on our tongues originates in our minds.

APPLICATION

I don’t think I have to go into a deep discussion here about these three things Paul mentions. These new believers were well acquainted with these sinful behaviors, having come out of the pagan worship scene of Ephesus. Sexual immorality and impurity were part of the normal behaviors for many in Ephesus. Greed was commonplace. So, Paul tells them to get those thoughts out of their minds.

He uses a strong negative here in the verse which really means “don’t even mention.” Let it be the furthest thing on their minds. They have a new life now in Christ. Paul tells them so in the last phrase. They are holy people now, bathed in the blood of Christ. The word translated as “proper” can mean “fitting or suitable.” This is usually referring to godly behavior. They have been changed and should live like it.

When we come to Christ and surrender our lives to Him, we have chosen a new life. We cannot continue to frequent the same bars we once frequented. We cannot continue to live in a fleshly relationship with someone outside of marriage. We cannot… You get the message. Our inward change is reflected in an outward change. I am not saying we become perfect but are commanded to live lives that reflect God’s holiness that is within us. Let His light shine through you.

Lord, I know I will never achieve perfection this side of glory, but I want to strive for that every day.

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Abiding, Bible, Forgiveness, Holy, Imitation, Righteousness, Scripture

IMITATE

EPHESIANS 5:1

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;” 

Isn’t it cute when you see a small child imitating their parent? When we lived in South Carolina, my son when he was three or four years old would follow behind me as I mowed the lawn with his little bubble mower. Do you remember those? They would blow out tiny little bubbles as you pushed it. He loved that thing and would pretend to be cutting the grass with me. (Don’t worry, we had him following a safe distance.) And now, guess what he does for a living. Yep, he has his own lawncare and landscaping business.

Paul begins chapter five (there really weren’t any chapters in the original) with a continuation of the idea he was writing in the previous verses. The word “therefore” ties these two chapters together. Then he says, “be imitators of God.” Okay, Paul, let’s keep that bar high. Imitate God? It’s not possible, right? God does not expect us to be just like Him, only to strive to be like Him. We will not reach perfection until we receive our glorified bodies in heaven. Until then we imitate Him.

APPLICATION

The word used by Paul here for “imitators” is mimētḗs. It is used five other times in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2:14 and Hebrews 6:12) and each time in a positive manner. It means to act like or mimic someone. In fact, we get our English word “mimic” from the root of the word. It refers to emulating someone worthy of it. And certainly, God is worthy. Amen? So, mimic Him. But what does that mean?

In Gill’s Exposition we read, “Be ye therefore followers of God,…. Not in his works of infinite wisdom and almighty power, which is impossible; but in acts of righteousness and holiness, and particularly in acts of mercy, goodness, and beneficence; as in forgiving injuries and offences, and in freely distributing to the necessities of the saints; as the connection of the words with the preceding chapter, and the instance and example in the following verse show: and this should be done by the saints,.”

Can you be righteous and holy? Yes! Can you show mercy and goodness and be benevolent? Yes! Can you forgive someone? Yes! Can you provide for the needy? Yes! So, we can all mimic or imitate God, if we want to. Do you want to?

Father, help me follow Your example each and every day.

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Bible, Blood, Chosen, God's Will, Holiness, Holy, Offering, Scripture

HOLY TO THE LORD

ZECHARIAH 14:20

“On that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ‘HOLY TO THE LORD.’ And the cooking pots in the LORD’S house will be like the bowls before the altar.”

It seems everyone is trying “normalize” everything. Things we thought were abnormal a generation ago are now mainstream. Same sex marriage has been made equal with normal heterosexual marriage. Pregnancy before marriage is now accepted. Nobody bats an eye. We have “dumbed” down society to a level that is hardly recognizable.

That is not what is happening in today’s verse. In verse 20 of Zechariah 14, Zechariah is bringing these everyday items up to a level of holiness. Holiness isn’t brought down to their level. They are lifted up. That is exactly what the Lord does for us, isn’t it? He lifts us up out of the mirey clay, cleanses us and places us in the heavenlies.

APPLICATION

We need to do the same. We need to reach down and pull up the things that are unholy, change them through Jesus and declare them holy. 2 Timothy 2:21 says, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” Whew! Wow! “Useful to the Master.”

Let me ask you something. Are you useful for the master? Just like the bells on the horses and the cooking pots will be made holy, you may also be made holy through the blood of the Lamb. He wants to use you for His special tasks. He has plans for you. And He needs you to be a holy vessel, worthy of Him.

The great thing about us being holy is it is not up to us. We don’t have to do a bunch of works to earn it. We don’t have to keep 613 laws, drawn up by fallible men. We only have to rely on His holiness. We simply submit and let His holiness pour over us. Are you ready for some holiness on you?

Father, You are holy so I want to be holy. Use me as Your vessel.

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Accountability, Accused, Battles, Bible, Enemies, Evil, Holy, Innocent, Reputation, Scripture, Testimony

REMOVE ALL DOUBT

ZECHARIAH 13:5

“‘but he will say, “I am not a prophet; I am a cultivator of the ground, because a man sold me as a slave in my youth.”’”

One thing I truly hate is to be falsely accused of something. If I am guilty, I will admit it. I will take the consequences. But to be accused of something I haven’t done and have my name be called into question, well, that really bothers me. Of course, we can expect nothing less from the evil one. He loves to set up falsehoods against us. That is why we must live above reproach.

Today’s verse reminded me immediately of the prophet Amos. In

Amos 7:14 we read, “Then Amos replied to Amaziah, ‘I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.’” Amos wanted to distance himself from being seen as a prophet. But here is Zechariah, we see this declaration a little differently. These people wanted to make sure they were not seen as a false prophet. They wanted no part of that.

APPLICATION

We need to be diligent in keeping ourselves away from actions or deeds that could call our testimony into question. I have to admit that I haven’t always done that. But I have discovered a little secret (it’s not a secret really). When I slack off my Quiet Times, I am prone to fall. I have to spend time every day in the Word and in prayer. That keeps my defenses up.

My memory verse this week is Psalm 34:4. “I sought the Lord and He answered me and rescued me from all my fears.” I must (and you must) seek the Lord daily. That means spending time digging out His Word and discovering His truths. Then we must meditate and memorize that Word and find ways to apply it to our lives. Doing those simple things each day helps protect you from falling along your walk.

That does not mean the enemy won’t try to malign you and bring your testimony into question. But if you are living holy, your life will be like Teflon, nothing will stick. Put that armor on each day and watch the fiery darts bounce off. Don’t give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27). Live above the lies.

Father, help me live in such a way that no attack of the enemy can find its target.

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Altars, Appointed, Bible, Blood, Holy, Sacrifice, Scripture

A SACRIFICIAL BASIN

ZECHARIAH 9:15

“The LORD of armies will protect them. And they will devour and trample on the slingstones; and they will drink and be boisterous as with wine; and they will be filled like a sacrificial basin, drenched like the corners of the altar.”

I was visiting my older sister recently in our parents’ home place. My sister still has some of my mom’s dishes and bowls in the china cabinet. I remember as a child that those “vessels” were only brought out on special occasions. They were handled with extreme care. I don’t recall ever washing them after a meal. Those vessels were cared for by my mom. She cherished them.

The Lord describes the people of Israel as sacrificial basins. Actually, in the Hebrew the word “sacrificial” isn’t there. The Hebrew word is zaraq. It is a bowl or basin used for sprinkling. These golden basins collected the blood from the sacrifices and the blood was sprinkled as part of the worship. These were holy vessels used only for this purpose. God is saying His people are like that – holy, special, set apart.

APPLICATION

Did you know that as a believer, you too are set apart, holy and special? We are called saints, which means set apart ones. When is the last time you were called a saint. Next Sunday when you see one of your friends at church, walk up to them and say, “Hi, Saint _____.” You will probably get stared at. People are not used to being called saints.

I recall a story I heard about two brothers. They were wicked men who never set foot inside a church. Their reputation was known far and wide. One day, one of the brothers died. The other brother, wanting to give him a “proper” burial, called the local Pastor and asked him to do the service. He even offered the Pastor $1 million if the Pastor would call his brother a saint during the service.

The Pastor thought long and hard about it and agreed to do it. At the service, the Pastor gave the eulogy and told the truth about the brother who had died, recounting his evil lifestyle and no interest in God. But then he said, “But compared to his brother sitting here, he was a saint.”

We are not comparing ourselves to someone else to be called saints. Our sainthood is given through the blood of Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:2, “… to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling,…” Those words apply to every believer. Are you a saint?

Father, thank You for calling me a saint, a set apart one, dedicated to Your use.

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