THE DEITY AND HOLINESS OF JESUS CHRIST

I.  Scriptural Basis for Holiness of Christ.  

Premise:  God is holy.  God is a Trinity:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Jesus Christ is God the Son.  Jesus Christ is identical in essence to the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, Jesus Christ is holy.

A.    Essence of God.   Holiness is a characteristic of God that describes His moral excellence “there is none holy like the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:2). 

1.     Absence of sin; pure; blameless (“God is Light” “no darkness”1 John 1:5.)

2.     Separation from all that is common or profane (1 John 1:6; Hab. 1:13)

B.  Deity of Christ. 

1.  Preincarnate Appearances of Christ

a.      Angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah and his wife.   “We shall surely die,  for we have seen God” (Jud. 13:20-22)

b.     Appearance to Isaiah in the temple (Isa. 6:1-4; John 12:41)

2.  New Testament references to Jesus Christ as God. 

a.      Titus 2:13 - “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”  [compound noun]

b.     John 1:18 - “the only begotten God”  Only Jesus Christ became incarnate

     C.   Holiness of Christ.

1.     Witness of the Angels.  He was called holy by angels (Isa. 6:1-3). 

2.     Witness of the Demons.  They recognized Jesus as the “Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34).

3.     Witness of the Apostles.   Peter described Christ to the Jews as the “Holy and Righteous One.” (Acts 3:14).  He referred to Jesus as the Holy One of God (John 6:69)

4.     Witness of Scripture.  Jesus is our “high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners” (Heb. 7:26).  He was “without sin” (Heb. 4:15).   [reference to His humanity]

II.   What is the significance of the holiness of Christ to our salvation?   Christ has to be sinless in order to qualify as our substitute when He died on the cross. 

A.    Forgiveness of sin requires a blood sacrifice.  “ . . . without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22).

B.     Jesus Christ was qualified to pay the debt for man’s sin.  He was “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners” (Heb. 7:27).  He “knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21).

C.     Jesus Christ became our sacrifice.  He willingly offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins to fulfill God’s righteous demands (Heb 9:26-27).   He took on sin in our place in order that we might be made righteous in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

III.   What is the significance of the holiness of Christ to our Christian life?  

A.    Fellowship with a holy Christ requires holiness.   As Light, God both exposes our sin and condemns it.  If we walk in darkness, we are hiding from the truth which the Light reveals (cf. John 3:19-20; 1 John 1:1-10).  

B.    The Father’s goal is to present us “holy and blameless” (Col. 1:22; Eph. 1:4).

C.    When Jesus Christ appears, we will be like Him.  In the meantime, we are to purify ourselves as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3).

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