Holiness Unto The Lord

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Holiness unto the Lord

Jeremiah 2:3 Israel [was] holiness unto the LORD, [and] the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him
shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

Zechariah 14:20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and
the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

Zechariah 14:21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and
all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no
more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

Holiness unto the Lord


God has chosen men from eternity to be holy. “This is the will of God, even your sanctification.” [1
Thessalonians 4:3.] God’s law tolerates no sin, but demands perfect obedience. The echo of God’s voice
comes to us, ever saying, “Holier, holier still.” And ever our answer is to be, “Yes, Lord, holier still.”
{Ms113-1902.24}

Holiness is within the reach of all who reach for it by faith, not because of their good works, but because
of Christ’s merits. Divine power is provided for every soul struggling for the victory over sin and Satan.
{Ms113-1902.25}

Justification means the saving of a soul from perdition, that he may obtain sanctification, and through
sanctification, the life of heaven. Justification means that the conscience, purged from dead works, is
placed where it can receive the blessings of sanctification. {Ms113-1902.26}

“The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance
forever.” [Isaiah 32:17.] Knowledge of God brings power. It is by the virtue of the Word of God, as we
put its truths into practice, that we are enabled to accomplish any good thing. Simplicity and godly
sincerity win God’s commendation. The grace of Christ revealed in the daily experience shows that His
words have been eaten and have become a part of the life. {Ms113-1902.27}

Go forward to perfection; living on the Word of God, the source of spiritual life. This word is to be
received into the heart. Christ speaks of it as His flesh and blood. “Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh
My blood, hath eternal life;” He declares, “and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat
indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me
and I in him.” [John 6:54-56.] It is in obedience to God’s Word that we find eternal life. {Ms113-1902.28}

Holiness unto the Lord


God has from eternity chosen men to be holy. “This is the will of God concerning you, even your
sanctification.” The echo of His voice comes to us, ever saying, “Holier, holier still.” And ever our answer
is to be, “Yes, Lord, holier still.” {ST December 17, 1902, par. 1}

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No man receives holiness as a birthright, or as a gift from any other human being. Holiness is the gift of
God through Christ. Those who receive the Saviour become sons of God. They are His spiritual children,
born again, renewed in righteousness and true holiness. Their minds are changed. With clearer vision
they behold eternal realities. They are adopted into God’s family, and they become conformed to His
likeness, changed by His Spirit from glory to glory. From cherishing supreme love for self, they come to
cherish supreme love for God and for Christ. {ST December 17, 1902, par. 2}

“Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Justification means
pardon. It means that the heart, purged from dead works, is prepared to receive the blessing of
sanctification. God has told us what we must do to receive this blessing. “Work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”
“Do all things without murmurings and disputings; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of
God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in
the world.” {ST December 17, 1902, par. 3}

The love of God, cherished in the heart and revealed in the words and acts, will do more to elevate and
ennoble human beings than all else can. In the life of Christ, this love found full and complete expression.
On the cross of Christ the Saviour made an atonement for the fallen race. Holiness is the fruit of this
sacrifice. It is because He has died for us that we are promised this great gift. And Christ longs to bestow
this gift on us. He longs to make us partakers of His nature. He longs to save those who by sin have
separated themselves from God. He calls upon them to choose His service, to give themselves wholly
into His control, to learn from Him how to do God’s will. {ST December 17, 1902, par. 4}

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted
Him, and given Him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” {ST December 17, 1902, par. 5}

Jesus is the light of the world. Those who do not receive Him as a personal Saviour can never, never
come to the light. They can never have eternal life. But those who follow Him have the light of life. He
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness shines into their hearts, revealing through their lives
the light of the knowledge of Christ. In His light they see light. {ST December 17, 1902, par. 6}

Accepting Christ as a personal Saviour, and following His example of self-denial,—this is the secret of
holiness. God exalted Christ above every name that is named. But Christ first reached to the depths of
humiliation, working out in behalf of the human race a perfect character, and drawing men and women
to God by His unselfish ministry. He has set an example that all who engage in His service are to follow.
The more Christlike our efforts for God, the wider will be their influence for good, and the greater the
work they will accomplish. {ST December 17, 1902, par. 7}

Q. What is necessary that we keep before the degraded as the standard of righteousness?

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The so-called medical missionary work gathers into the net both good and bad; and the larger proportion
of these will not stand as overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. It is very
necessary that we keep before the degraded the law of God, as the standard of righteousness. “Holiness
unto the Lord” must be our standard, else the work of rescuing this class will lower their ideas of what
God requires in practical character building. There can be no such thing as a cheap class of Christians who
like Moab, keep their scent in themselves, because they have not changed from vessel to vessel—from
character to character. {1MR 230.1}{Ms109-1899.14}

Q. What is the signature of heaven and motto of the Christian?

The important interests of a great nation were entrusted to men whose talents fitted them to handle
these responsibilities. Some were chosen to direct the business affairs; others were chosen to look after
spiritual matters connected with the worship of God. All the religious service and every branch of the
business was to bear the signature of heaven. “Holiness unto the Lord” was to be the motto of the
laborers in every department. It was regarded as essential that everything be conducted with regularity,
propriety, fidelity, and dispatch. —Manuscript 81, 1900, p. 6 (Diary, Solomon’s Reign). {ChL 41.4}

God’s service is not committed to one man’s judgment and option, but is divided among those who are
found willing to labor interestedly and self-sacrificingly. Thus all, according to the skill and ability God has
given them, bear the responsibilities that He has appointed to them. The important interests of a great
nation were entrusted to men whose talents fitted them to handle these responsibilities. Some were
chosen to direct the business affairs; others were chosen to look after spiritual matters connected with
the worship of God. All the religious service and every branch of the business was to bear the signature
of heaven. “Holiness unto the Lord” was to be the motto of the laborers in every department. It was
regarded as essential that everything be conducted with regularity, propriety, fidelity, and dispatch. {3BC
1129.4}{CTr 156.5}

“Holiness unto the Lord” is to be the motto of the laborers in every department. The human agent
should strive to attain to perfection, that he may be an ideal Christian, complete in Christ Jesus. {RH
October 5, 1905, par. 24}

In the life of man things sacred and secular are to be done, some in business lines, some in the ministry
of the Word, and some in various trades; but when a man gives himself to Christ and loves God with the
whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, he serves with a devotion that takes the whole being to perform
the work. He recognizes the ownership of his powers, and the ownership of himself. This consecration
invests his whole life with a sacredness which makes him in his work gentle, kind, courteous. His every
act is a consecrated act. “Holiness unto the Lord” is his motto. [Exodus 28:36.] He is under Christ, being
trained for the higher grade above. {Lt107-1900.14}{Ms21-1911.14}

Q. What is God’s design for the Christian?

God Appointed the Inclinations and Appetites—Our natural inclinations and appetites ... were divinely
appointed, and when given to man, were pure and holy. It was God’s design that reason should rule the

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appetites, and that they should minister to our happiness. And when they are regulated and controlled
by a sanctified reason, they are holiness unto the Lord. {CG 378.1}{Te 12.1}{Lt103-1896.19}

Our foes are within and without. We are assailed by temptations which are numerous and deceiving, the
more perilous because not always clearly discerned. Often Satan conquers us by our natural inclinations
and appetites. These were divinely appointed, and when given to man, were pure and holy. It was God’s
design that reason should rule the appetites, and that they should minister to our happiness. And when
they are regulated and controlled by a sanctified reason, they are holiness unto the Lord. {14MR 294.3}
But men’s natural appetites have been perverted by indulgence. Through unholy gratification they have
become “fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” Unless the Christian watches unto prayer, he gives
loose reign to habits which should be overcome. Unless he feels the need of constant watching,
ceaseless vigilance, his inclinations, abused and misguided, will be the means of his backsliding from
God. {14MR 295.1}

Christ requires the service of the whole being, the physical, mental, and moral powers combined. These
are to be enlisted in God’s service. Man is to remember that God has the ownership of all, and that his
pursuits are invested with a sacredness that they did not possess before he enlisted in the army of the
Lord. Every action is to be a consecrated action, for it occupies God’s entrusted talent of time. Holiness
unto the Lord is inscribed on all the actions of such a one, because his whole being is brought under
subjection to God. {6BC 1087.6}

By God’s appointment each man has his post of duty. The careful, prayerful inquiry is to be made, What
duty is assigned us individually, as men and women under accountability to God? And whether our labor
be wholly limited to spiritual things, or whether it is temporal and spiritual combined, we are to faithfully
discharge our work. Things secular and things sacred must be combined, but spiritual things are not to be
hidden by secular matters. Christ requires the service of the whole being, the physical, mental, and
moral powers combined. These are to be enlisted in God’s service. Man is to remember that God has the
ownership of all, and that his pursuits are invested with a sacredness that they did not possess before he
enlisted in the army of the Lord. Every action is to be a consecrated action, for it occupies God’s entrusted
talent of time. Holiness unto the Lord is inscribed on all the actions of such a one, because his whole
being is brought under subjection to God. {OHC 220.3}{21MR 28.5}

Our Saviour is a Saviour for the perfection of the whole man. He is not the God of part of the being only.
The grace of Christ works to the disciplining of the whole human fabric. He made all. He has redeemed
all. He has made the mind, the strength, the body as well as the soul, partaker of the divine nature, and
all is His purchased possession. He must be served with the whole mind, heart, soul, and strength. Then
the Lord will be glorified in His saints in even the common, temporal things with which they are
connected. “Holiness unto the Lord” will be in the inscription placed upon them. {AG 230.7}{OFC
244.7}{TMK 331.5}

The importance of little things is underrated, just because they are small; but the influence of the little
things for good or for evil is great. They supply much of the actual discipline of life for every human being.
They are part of the training of the soul in the sanctification of all our entrusted talents to God.
Faithfulness in the little things in the line of duty makes the worker in God’s service reflect more and
more the likeness of Christ. Our Saviour is a Saviour for the perfection of the whole man. He is not the
God of part of the being only. The grace of Christ works to the disciplining of the whole human fabric.
He made all. He has redeemed all. He has made the mind, the strength, the body as well as the soul,

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partaker of the divine nature, and all is his purchased possession. He must be served with the whole
mind, heart, soul, and strength. Then the Lord will be glorified in his saints, in even the common,
temporal things, with which they are connected. “Holiness unto the Lord,” will be the inscription placed
upon them. {YI April 14, 1898, par. 3}

Q. How do we manifest the character of God?

The Christian in his business life is to represent to the world the manner in which our Lord would conduct
business enterprises. In every transaction he is to make it manifest that God is his teacher. “Holiness
unto the Lord” is to be written upon daybooks and ledgers, on deeds, receipts, and bills of exchange.
Those who profess to be followers of Christ, and who deal in an unrighteous manner, are bearing false
witness against the character of a holy, just, and merciful God. Every converted soul will, like Zacchaeus,
signalize the entrance of Christ into his heart by an abandonment of the unrighteous practices that have
marked his life. Like the chief publican, he will give proof of his sincerity by making restitution. The Lord
says, “If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without
committing iniquity; ... none of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: ... He shall
surely live.” Ezekiel 33:15, 16. {DA 556.1}{FLB 132.3}

The Christian in his business life is to represent to the world the manner in which our Lord would conduct
business. In every transaction he is to make it manifest that God is his teacher. “Holiness unto the Lord”
is to be written on ledgers, deeds, receipts, and bills of exchange. Every converted soul will signal the
entrance of Christ into his heart by abandonment of unrighteous practices. Like Zacchaeus he will give
proof of his sincerity by making restitution. “If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had
robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity, he shall surely live.” Ezekiel 33:15. {HLv
369.3}

Every Christian needs to be guarded in his expression of opinion. One thing he may settle forever. True
prosperity can never come to the soul that is constantly aspiring to get higher wages, and who yields to
the temptation that leads him away from the work that God has appointed him. There never can be
prosperity for any man, or any family, or any firm or institution, unless the wisdom of God presides. Every
right effort should be made to know what we are voicing. We must know whether it is the mind of the
Lord, or the suggestions of minds controlled by the stealthy foe of righteousness. Now, just now, every
right effort should be made to bring the minds of men under the influence and power of truth, that our
work, our merchandise and hire, shall be holiness unto the Lord. The workmen may rank themselves as
doing worldly business, when they are doing the very work that will call out questions. If they are of the
right spirit, they will be able to speak a word in season. Thus it may be said of our workers, our artisans,
as it was said of those of old, of whom we read, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and
in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work
in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work
in all manner of workmanship.” {PH162 4.2}

All work in business lines should be done on scriptural lines. The tact that the Lord has given us should
be used not to defraud but to encourage holiness unto the Lord. Of one whom the Lord chose to do a
certain work, He said, “I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in
knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver,

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and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of
workmanship” [Exodus 31:3-5]. Here we have assurance that from God comes the talent of wisdom to do
the work He has appointed. Read verses 6-11. There was no need for any man to be exalted in this matter.
It was the Holy One of Israel who had commissioned these men to do this work, and who had given them
wisdom to accomplish it after His own plan. {2SAT 132.5}{Lt108-1898.13}

Now, just now, every right effort should be made to bring the minds of men under the influence and
power of truth, that our work, our merchandise and hire, shall be holiness unto the Lord. The workmen
may rank themselves as doing worldly business, when they are doing the very work that will call out
questions. If they are of the right spirit, they will be able to speak a word in season. Thus it may be said
of our workers, our artisans, as it was said of those of old, of whom we read, “I have filled him with the
Spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship:
to devise cunning works, to work in gold and in silver and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them
in carving of timbers, to work in all manner of workmanship.” [Exodus 31:3-5.] {Lt2-1898.12}

Q. What is represented by the white banner, and what is written upon it?

It was presented before me in the following manner: A large company of heathen idolaters bore a black
banner, upon which were figures of the sun, moon, and stars. This company seemed to be very fierce
and angry. I was then shown another company bearing a pure white banner, upon which was written,
“Purity and holiness unto the Lord.” Their countenances were marked with firmness and heavenly
resignation. I saw the heathen idolaters approach them, and there was a great slaughter. The Christians
melted away before them; and yet the Christian company pressed the more closely together, and held
the banner more firmly. As many fell, others rallied around the banner and filled their places. {EW 211.3}

Q. What was written on the mitre set upon Joshua’s head and what was the condition for the change?

The Lord does not deny the charge of Joshua’s unworthiness, but demonstrates that He has bought him
with a price. He clothes him with His garments of righteousness, not putting these garments over the
filthy garments of disobedience and transgression, but first He says, “Take away the filthy garments from
him. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee
with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon
his head,” upon which was written, “Holiness unto the Lord.” {20MR 190.3} The change is given on
condition, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge,
then thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk
among these that stand by” [Zechariah 3:7]. {20MR 191.1}

Q. How did Christ see that Jerusalem might have been?

He says, “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye
shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city
to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous
Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily

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I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest
the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” But now the
irrevocable sentence must be passed, “Your house is left unto you desolate.” Past opportunities,
privileges, and blessings rise up before him. He could see Jerusalem as she might have been,—holiness
unto the Lord. For ages Judah had been the repository of sacred truth. Here the knowledge of Jehovah
had been cherished and preserved, when God had not been acknowledged among the nations, and his
worship was lost in the earth. The streets of Jerusalem had been trodden by angel feet, and its very soil
had been sacred to God. From its temple prayer and praise had ascended to God. From its altar the
bleeding sacrifice had testified to human guilt, pointing to the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of
the world. The Lord had sent them messages of warning and reproof, of consolation and promise, by his
prophets, rising up early and sending them, but they had beaten one and stoned another, and it could not
be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. Finally God had sent his Son, and from the highest
bough to the lowest he had searched for fruit, and had found none. For their sakes he had clothed his
divinity with humanity, made himself of no reputation, fled before the feet of his accusers and haters, and
yet carried a rebellious people upon his heart. He had done all that could be done, but they turned from
him, demanding still more evidence. His life was one continual miracle, but they knew it not, and
demanded that he should show them a miracle. But in the face of their utter rejection of his love, their
unbelief in his mission and divinity, when he knew that the representative men of the nation were
plotting for his destruction, he wept over the city of his love. His prophetic eye read the history of the
past, and the woe and the guilt of the future, and his heart was breaking with agony because the people
of God knew not the time of their visitation. Hell moved by a power from beneath, that the guilty
inhabitants of Jerusalem might carry out the will of the prince of darkness. Stirred with enmity they would
yield themselves to the control of the malignant foe, and make the Prince of life their victim. Clouds of
wrath were gathering over the doomed city; for they called down upon themselves judgment, crying, “His
blood be on us and upon our children.” That blood by virtue of which the repentant sinner might be
forgiven—that blood by which a guilty world might be saved, by which the Jewish nation might be saved
and purified, which was paid a ransom for the sins of the world, was to them the final guilt in the cup of
their iniquity. Jesus knew that his chosen people were to put him, the Prince of life and glory, to an
ignominious death. He knew what was to be their doom. With prophetic glance he saw the Roman legions,
he heard the tramp of armies, saw the city encompassed and in flames, and the temple a smoking ruin.
The miseries of the people whom he longed to save, rose up before him. He beholds their guilt and agony,
but they are as unrelenting as was Satan in his rebellion against God. {RH April 18, 1893, par. 2}{1888
1059.2}

Christ was approaching Jerusalem for the last time. He knew that His entrance within the gate would fill
up the measure of their guilt, and He lingered a moment as though He could not give up His chosen people.
The Sun of Righteousness had been shedding forth divine beams of light upon the inhabitants of the
doomed city, but the light was persistently rejected. He lingered on Mount Olivet, and His body swayed
as a tree before the tempest, as He wept in agony over the rejecters of His mercy. In the parable of the
unfruitful tree and the gardener, He had represented His attitude toward the Jewish nation, and had
pleaded that they might be spared yet one year more that He might make new experiments of mercy
and grace, but now the irrevocable sentence must be passed, “Your house is left unto you desolate.”
[Matthew 23:38.] Past opportunities, privileges and blessings now rise up before Him. He could see
Jerusalem as she might have been—holiness unto the Lord. {Ms13-1892.29}

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Q. How did Israel depart from holiness unto the Lord?

We read in Jeremiah, “Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying, Go and cry in the ears of
Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee in the kindness of thy youth, in the love of thine
espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness
unto the Lord, and the first fruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend: evil shall come upon
them, saith the Lord. Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of
Israel: Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from
me, and have walked after vanity and are become vain?” [Jeremiah 2:1-5.] This is again expressed in
regard to after generations, who have not learned wisdom. {Ms55-1898.9}

Q. How does the church achieve holiness unto the Lord?

There has been a great need of genuine earnestness in the churches. We read that the first seven
churches did not keep their garments white, restraining the purity and simplicity of their faith. This is
truly the condition of our churches in Michigan. Form has taken the place of inward piety, and the work
which should have been done is left undone. This state of things has come in gradually, growing out of
doubt and unbelief. The light in these churches should have been growing brighter and brighter unto
the perfect day. Then poor souls who are in darkness and sin would have been convinced of the truth. It
is because the church has not been led onward and upward and improving the light the Lord has
graciously given, that many are in moral darkness and inefficiency. O that God’s people had fulfilled His
design, gathering the light from Jesus Christ, and sending forth its bright rays to a crooked and perverse
generation, leaving the things that are behind, we need to go forward to perfection. A faithful
improvement of the talents entrusted and privileges conferred will place the church on vantage ground,
and inscribe on her every work, Holiness unto the Lord. {Ms8-1889.8}

Outward connection with the church is worthless unless the principles of the truth are cherished in the
heart and practiced in the life. Many make a profession of service to God and really show zeal in church
work, and yet they do not cherish an abiding Christ. If the heart is given wholly to Christ, the life will
reveal the fruit of the Spirit. There will be seen a zeal that is according to knowledge, a zeal in harmony
with Bible truth and with duty. Holiness unto the Lord will be manifest in the experience. A kind spirit,
full of usefulness and helpfulness, will be cherished. {Ms156-1901.69}

God has commanded us, “Be ye holy; for I am holy;” and an inspired apostle declares that without
holiness “no man shall see the Lord.” Holiness is agreement with God. By sin the image of God in man
has been marred and well-nigh obliterated; it is the work of the gospel to restore that which has been
lost; and we are to cooperate with the divine agency in this work. And how can we come into harmony
with God, how shall we receive His likeness, unless we obtain a knowledge of Him? It is this knowledge
that Christ came into the world to reveal unto us. {5T 743.1}

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