The Root Of Holiness 

Text: I Thessalonians 4:7, “For God has not called us to uncleanness but to holiness.”

Over the last 36 years, as I pastored Berean Baptist Church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, I emphasized over and over again a number of principles that are characteristics of holiness in the life of the believer. For those who sat under my ministry during these years you will have heard me emphasize these principles many times. I have personally tried to practice these principles in my daily walk as a Christian. In my last message to Berean during the Bible study hour before our morning worship service on September 30th, 2018 I shared these principles for the final time making one last plea that those, who were hearing my message, would commit themselves to being Christ-like Christians who exemplified these principles in their private and public life. Whenever these principles have been missing in the life of the New Testament Church the cause of Christ has suffered immeasurably. An unholy church is a scandal and a disgrace before the watching world. Only eternity will reveal the damage that has been done to the cause of Christ, not by outward enemies who openly hate the gospel, but by those professing believers who, lurking in the church, bring shame and reproach on the gospel by their personal failures and hypocrisies that are evident in their walk and profession of faith.

I want to examine this subject of the Root Of Holiness. I trust that we can discover what holiness really is and also discover the root of holiness and then be exhorted to strive for personal holiness in our daily lives.

What Is Holiness?

The word for holiness in Hebrew, qadhosh, “holy. In Greek it is  hagios, “holy”. The concept of holiness contains a number of things.

1. Holiness is being set apart from that which is common or mundane.
2. Holiness is obeying the laws and will of God.
3. Holiness is being conformed into the image of Christ. Theologian R.C. Sproul made this observation regarding being conformed into the image of Christ:

“To be conformed to Jesus, we must first begin to think as Jesus did. We need the "mind of Christ." We need to value the things He values and despise the things He despises. We need to have the same priorities He has. We need to consider weighty the things He considers weighty.” 

4. Holiness is being God like in our attitude and actions.

J. C. Ryle said holiness is: “Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God’s judgment, hating what He hates, loving what He loves, and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word.”  

What Is The Root Of Holiness?

Anything that lives in the dirt of the earth that has been planted has roots. Trees, Plants of any kind, The crops that grow in our fields, etc. Roots draw forth from the ground the water, nutrients and minerals that are necessary for the life of any living thing.

Jesus is our root. From our spiritual union and connection to Jesus we draw from Him the spiritual power to live the Christian life. John 15:5, “I am the vine ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me the same bringeth forth much fruit for without Me ye can do nothing.” 

      By our mystical union with Christ we have the secret of our holiness and the secret of our power. Thomas Watson speaking of holiness said: “There is a great deal of difference between a stake in the hedge and a tree in the garden. A stake rots and moulders, but a tree, having life in it, abides and flourishes. When godliness has taken root in the soul, it abides to eternity; ‘His seed remaineth in him’ (I John 3:9). Godliness being engraved in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as with the point of a diamond, can never be erased.

The Godly Man's Picture, pg. 14.

The question we must all ask of ourselves is this, “Do we have a root of holiness in our lives? Do we live what we profess? Do we have any spiritual connection to Jesus that gives us the life giving power of His presence that enables us to produce spiritual fruit in our lives? Do we have an inner longing for holiness and conformity Christ? 

If we have a root of hotness, ie. A connection to the Vine, a mystical union with Christ, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we will produce the fruits of holiness. Here are the fruits of holiness:

John 13:34-35

• “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
• Love is the distinguishing mark or sign of the true Christian.

Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” 

• Christians are to forgive others just as God has forgiven them.
• Refusal to forgive is an indication of an unregenerate heart.

Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.”

• God’s children are to be mercy showers just as they have received mercy from the Lord.
• Being merciful is to be like God.
• No one can claim to be a Christian if mercy is misisng in their life.

Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” 

• God’s children are peacemakers.
• Far too. often those in the church want to fight, argue, dispute and stir up trouble. 

Matthew 5:38-42, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 

• This is the principal of the Extra-Mile.
• It was not uncommon in biblical times for Roman soldiers to compel citizens to carry a pack or a load for a Roman soldier.
• Jesus says we are to go the extra mile, or to give the shirt off our back so to speak. The world cannot understand this aspect of Christian character. The Christian life is a life of miracles as we are changed into the image of Jesus.

Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…”

• Enemies are those who usually are non-Christians. They have a tendency to hate Christians and to desire to do them ill.
• We are told to love our enemies.
• How much more should we love and be gracious, kind, and patient to those who are in the household of faith? 
• How terribly contradictory is the life of one who claims to be the reciprient of God's love who himself shows little of that same love to others.

Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 5:2, “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” 

John 8:7, “So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." 

Romans 14:20, “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.” 

James 4:11, “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.” 

Luke 9:23, “Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” 

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,  longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…”

How easy it is to:

• Take offense at something / or take up the offense of someone else.
• Criticize and complain
• Sow discord
• Judge others
• Be unforgiving
• Be unkind
• Throw the first stone
• Demand our rights
• Justify our ungodly attitudes and actions
• Lash our in anger
• Be a trouble maker rather than a peace maker
• Walk in the flesh
• Gossip
• Find joy in hurting others rather than serving others
• Destroy the work of God over petty and insignificant things
• Speak evil of another brother or sister
• To be carnal rather than Christlike
• To be like ourselves rather than being like Christ
• To forget we were saved to be holy
• To love self rather than Christ
• To refuse to take op our cross
• To follow the world rather than Christ
• To disobey rather than to obey
• Be filled with self pity
• Be jealous and envious

How Do We Maintain Holiness?

We maintains holiness by abiding in Christ, abiding in the Word of God, being filled with the Spirit, mortifying our flesh, maintaining fellowship with other believers, attending the means of grace, and spending time in prayer. C.H. Spurgeon hits the mark when he explains what makes holiness:

“Be dogmatically true, obstinately holy, immovably honest, desperately kind, fixed upright. I believe the holier a man becomes, the more he mourns over the unholiness which remains in him.A faith which works not for purification will work for putrefaction. Unless our faith makes us pine after holiness, it is no better than the faith of devils, and perhaps it is not even so good as that. A holy man is the workmanship of the Holy Spirit.I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him. In proportion as a church is holy, in that proportion will its testimony for Christ be powerful.”

Holiness must be the great longing of our hearts. All true Christians long to be holy. Far too many professing Christians spend too much time judging others without giving proper attention to the holiness in their own lives. A. W. Tozer wisely remarked:

“A Pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.”

Are you producing the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your life? I have given you 13 practical principles of godly living. Do these show up in your life? Puritan minister Thomas Watson described the difference between the godly man and the wicked man. Here are his comments:

 “…the difference between the godly and the wicked. The heart of the godly is a temple; the heart of the wicked is a dunghill, “a cage of unclean birds,” Revelation 18:2. His mind is the devil’s mint; he is continually minting unchaste, impure thoughts; his heart is the anvil where he is daily hammering of sin. He is far from being a temple; he is a Sodom wherein are the heavings and boilings of lust. Proverbs 10:20, “The heart of the wicked is little worth.” A sinner’s heart is a common inn where all who will, may lodge; it is not a temple—but a pest house. He has the plague of the heart. But a godly man’s heart is a sacred temple which God highly values, and which He has promised to dwell in and revive,” Isaiah 57:15. ~ Sermon, The Mystical Temple.

The Danger Of The Root Of Bitterness

“looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled…”

 Hebrews 12:15 

How Do We Define Bitterness?

Bitterness is a feeling of resentfulness that creates hostility toward others. This attitude is like a cancer that eats away at us until we are consumed with anger, resentment or jealousy. Bitterness can be caused by a number of things such as misunderstandings, taking offense to some alleged wrong, judging another person unfairly, impugning the motives of some one’s actions or behavior. Bitterness can be caused by  jealousy or resentment over the success and achievements of others. Bitterness can also be caused by pride where we set ourselves up as judge and jury over some one else. At the heart of bitterness is the feeling that I have been hurt or wronged. This feeling of being hurt fuels the fire of anger and resentment. This feeling grows and grows and gnaws away at our soul until we are we are blinded to reality and we can only see something evil, sinister, or negative about that which has stung our heart. 

A person over taken by bitterness is in a very dangerous place spiritually. Bitterness has no place in the life of a true believer. A bitter person does not practice the practical and gracious teachings of Jesus. There is no desire to understand. There is no gentle spirit of kindness and grace. There is no effort to give the offending person the benefit of the doubt. There is no attempt to be a peace maker. There is no desire to find a middle road. Bitterness is quick to take up an offense. It is quick to judge and condemn. Bitterness refuses to be reconciled, and bitterness will not allow us to even consider the possibility that we may be wrong. For the ones who are stung by bitterness there is only the desire to prove themselves right and others wrong. There is only the desire to condemn and criticize. There is no desire to listen to anyone who may have more information that would defuse or heal the situation. Rarely will a bitter person come to the offending brother or sister first with a spirit of grace and kindness seeking to understand. Rather, the lines are quickly drawn, judgments are made, attitudes are formed, opinions are planted in cement, and words, letters, calls, emails fly like bullits zinging the one who is the alleged culprit who has caused us such bitterness. When ever you see a bitter person just ask yourself, “What is in their behavior that is in any way like Christ?

The bitter person is a person who is characterized by resentment and jealousy, The bitter person is cynical, cold, cruel, harsh, mean spirited, and unpleasant to be around. As the bitter person wages their private war against another brother or sister, some leader, pastor, friend, or relative, they delude themselves into thinking that they are spiritual for having these ungodly attitudes. They have been duped into thinking that they are the ones who are truly spiritual. How sad it is that they cannot see that their attitudes are of the flesh and not of the Spirit. As they continue in their bitterness they walk around in a proud show of false piety and fail to see that true spirituality is the fruit of the Spirit that manifests itself by love, joy,  peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, graciousness and mercy.

Some one described the way bitterness works in the soul:

“Bitterness starts out small. An offense burrows its way into our hearts. We replay it in our minds, creating deep ruts that will be hard to build back up. We retell our hurts to any available listener, including each sordid detail. We enlist support, pushing us further into our resentment. We hear the offending person's name and cringe.

We decipher the offense as intentional and our offender as full of spite. We look for other reasons, both real or imagined, to dislike our villain. With each new piece of information, we form another layer of bitterness.

We fool ourselves into thinking no one will know, but anger and resentment have a way of seeping into everything. Resentment is like a beach ball we try to submerge in the water. No matter how valiant our efforts, it pops up with all its vitality,” 

As bitterness does its deadly work, it poisons the soul, hardens the heart, blinds our spiritual eyes, puffs us up with pride and makes us more like Satan than the Savior. When professing Christians succumb to bitterness it is a very, very, serious sin. Bitterness is a mark of the unregenerate. Bitterness is not a good indication of spiritual life in the soul. Those who profess to be the Lord’s should flee bitterness like the plague. To persist in a bitter spirit is to be in danger of hell fire. 

The Negative Impact Of Bitterness

1. Bitterness poisons the soul.
2. Bitterness destroys our ability to reason correctly.
3. Bitterness can ruin our marriage.
4. Bitterness can hurt our children.
5. Bitterness can influence and harm others around us.
6. Bitterness fills our heart with pride.
7. Bitterness closes our heart to the wise counsel of godly leaders.
8. Bitterness turns us into rebels.
9. Bitterness can end life long friendships.
10. Bitterness turns us into a walking, talking hypocrites.
11. Bitterness fills the heart with self-righteousness.
12. Bitterness grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit.
13. Bitterness robs us of true joy in life.
14. Bitterness blinds us so we don’t realize how nasty, ugly, and disgusting we have become.  
15. Bitterness is a product of the flesh and not a fruit of the Spirit.
16. Bitterness is deadly as it deceives the heart and causes it to be filled with pride. 
17. Bitterness is the pathway to hell.
18. Bitterness is the attribute of Satan not an attribute of God. 

The Signs And Evidences Of A Bitter Heart

1. Have others mentioned to you that you are bitter? Bitterness leaves behind its ugly footprints and slimy finger prints. We don’t see it but those around us do.
2. Have you allowed resentment to destroy a life long friendship?
3. Have you allowed a disagreement, a misunderstanding, or a disappointment to effect the way you look at someone you once loved and respected?
4. Have you withdrawn from or broken fellowship with someone you were once close to?
5. Have you discarded your mentors, pastors, counselors or friends who once had an influence over your life because you disagree with them on some issue?
6. Have you made mountains out of mole hills?
7. Do you pass by friends and look the other way and try to sneak by without speaking?
8. Do you find yourself justifying why you are so upset or angry with people you once loved, respected, or trusted?
9. Do you allow hurt feelings, misunderstandings or even disagreements to cause you to break your promises, quit your obligations, or forsake your commitments?
10. Do you stew over the things that upset you and come up with a millions reasons to justify your behavior?
11. Do you find yourself obsessing over some event, situation, or offense till it fills you with anger, resentment and bitterness?
12. Have you walked away from any family members, friends, or people you once fellowshipped with?
13. Do you hold a grudge and won’t let it go finding reasons to keep the flames of anger burning in your heart?
14. Are you resentful or jealous of others?
15. Do you find yourself living in a state of negativity with a critical spirit?
16. Do you feel that you are right and never consider that maybe you don’t have all the information or that there is a possibility that you are wrong?
17. Can you allow one hurt, one disagreement, one misunderstanding to destroy a friendship of many years?
18. Do you keep a record of past alleged wrongs or offenses and keep bringing them up and share them with others?
19. Do you look for situations, signs, or circumstances to justify your feelings or give you confirmation that you are right?

Those Who Have These Tell-Tale Signs of Bitterness 

Should Consider How A spiritual Person Acts

1. A spiritual person may get angry but does not let his anger overwhelm him or last very long. Paul the apostle said, “Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Ephesians 4:26.
2. A spiritual person is filled with the Holy Spirit and practices agape love as Paul describes it in I Corinthians 13. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.”
3. A spiritual person remembers what Jesus taught when He said, “He who is without sin let him throw the first stone…” John 8:7
4. A spiritual person follows Ephesians 4:32, “Be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
5. A  spiritual person knows that among the seven things that God hates and are an abomination to Him is “…he that sows discord among the brethren.”
6. A spiritual person does not let one moment, one disagreement, one conflict destroy a life time of blessings, memories, and relationships.
7. A spiritual person can agree to disagree without destroying a life long friendship.
8. A spiritual person does not assume he or she is always right.
9. A spiritual person seeks to understand, and responds with love, patience, kindness, and grace. 
10. A spiritual person has learned to turn the other cheek to those who may have offended or wounded them.
11. A spiritual person does not take up an offense.
12. A spiritual person does not keep a grudge.
13. A spiritual person is slow to anger and slow to speak.
14. A spiritual person follows Philippians 2:1-4. “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
15. A spiritual person will respond to biblical authority and repent and make things right and if necessary humbly ask for forgiveness.
16. A spiritual person, when they realize that their attitude is unbiblical, ungodly, and unChristlike will make adjustments to correct it.
17. A spiritual person realizes that bitterness is not compatible with those who are really born again. Have you ever heard of a godly-bitter Christian? A spiritual-bitter Christian? A Christlike-bitter Christian? A holy-bitter Christian? A saintly-bitter Christian? The two concepts are mutually exclusive. 
18. A spiritual person remembers that the Lord does not reject us or cast us  away because of one sin, failure or some disagreement.
19. Spiritual Christian remembers the example of our Father in Heaven of whom it was said in Psalm 103, “
20. A spiritual Christian does not forget that the very essence of a Christ- like life is patience, pity, kindness, love, forbearance and grace. Far too many Christians talk about grace but fail to display grace.
21. A spiritual Christian takes counsel from wise biblical authorities and listens to the exhortations of others.
22. A spiritual Christian pursues peace with all men! Hebrews 12:14
23. A spiritual Christian fears lest a root of bitterness in his or her heart defiles many in the flock. Hebrews 12:15.
24. A spiritual Christian knows that bitterness can poison the heart and chain our soul to evil. Acts 8:23.
25. A spiritual person remembers what Jesus said, “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:15.
26. A spiritual person knows that bitterness is an evidence of an unregenerate heart, “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” Romans 3:14
27. A spiritual person does not forget that the Father loved them when they were unlovely. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. How unlike Christ we sometimes act! We hold grudges, show contempt, act disgusted, break off fellowship, nurse our hurts, and treat others with unkindness just because we have been offended, insulted, disappointed, or had a disagreement with someone.
28. A spiritual person knows that the way of the cross is the way of humility, love, forgiveness, patience and kindness. 
29. A spiritual person will obey Romans 12:17-21 no matter how hard it may be. “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
30. A spiritual person does not stir up wrath and cause divisions among the brethren, “A wrathful man stirs up strife…” Proverbs 15:18.
31. A spiritual person will slay the dragon of bitterness. A bitter person will not admit he or she is bitter. Suggest to them that they are bitter and they will pour out a torrent of reasons why the other person is wrong and why they are right. The opinions of a bitter person are elevated to the status of the laws of the Medes and Persians. “It’s my opinion and it’s quite true” is the sad attitude of the bitter heart.
32. A spiritual person, even if they are right about someone, they will seek to understand, be a peacemaker, and will find a way to remove the issue without conflict. I have learned over the years that unreasonable men are unspiritual men. Proud men are the children of hell not the children of heaven. 

“If” by Amy Carmichael

Amy Carmichael wrote a marvelous book entitled, “If”. This Book Teaches Us How To Die To Self. Here are a few quotes from that book that every Christian should read.

“if I can write an unkind letter, speak an unkind word, think an unkind thought without grief and shame, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

“if I can hurt another by speaking faithfully without much preparation of spirit, and without hurting myself far more than I hurt that other, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

“if I put my own happiness before the well-being of the work entrusted to me; if, though I have this ministry and have received much mercy, I faint, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

“if I cannot be at rest under the Unexplained, forgetting the word, “And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me”; or if I can allow the least shadow of a misunderstanding, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

“If I take offense easily, if I am content to continue in a cool unfriendliness, though friendship be possible, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

“if I say, “Yes, I forgive, but I cannot forget,” as though the God, who twice a day washes all the sands on all the shores of all the world, could not wash such memories from my mind, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

“if I wonder why something trying is allowed, and press for prayer that it may be removed; if I cannot be trusted with any disappointment, and cannot go on in peace under any mystery, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

“if I refuse to be a corn of wheat that falls into the ground and dies (“is separated from all in which it lived before”), then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

“if I forget that the way of the cross leads to the cross and not to a bank of flowers; if I regulate my life on these lines, or even unconsciously my thinking, so that I am surprised when the way is rough and think it strange, though the word is, “Think it not strange,” “Count it all joy,” then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

“if I covet any place on earth but the dust at the foot of the cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

My dear Berean brothers and sisters, do we know anything about Calvary Love? The poet wrote:

“O the love that drew salvations plan,

O the grace that brought it down to man, 

O the mighty gulf it spanned, 

On Calvary!”

My love and prayers are with you all, 

Pastor Robert L. Dickie