Exploring the invitation to Follow Jesus - to ‘Pursue Holiness’
General Introduction
In this series we are building what we will refer to as the ‘One Page New Testament’ - #onepagenewtestament. Our approach is building a pictorial summary of the main messages for disciples of Jesus in a systematically derived, structured form. We aim to keep the descriptive text to a minimum and share with you the different Themes that are being created. We will consider the scriptures on their own merit, Theme by Theme, without introducing much in the way of theology. Within each Theme, we will let the scriptures speak for themselves - hopefully in a way that demonstrates the validity of the analysis.
Introduction to this Faith Article
This article is the tenth in a series that is unpacking some of the analysis work currently being undertaken to draw out the main teachings from the New Testament from a personal discipleship perspective. The previous articles can be found in the reference at Note [1] and focus upon the New Testament’s teaching that corresponds to the challenges of what we have called ‘Kingdom Fundamental 1 [KF1]’ - ‘Love God’, and ‘Kingdom Fundamental 2 [KF2]’ - ‘Follow Jesus’.
We have previously introduced that we consider there are four Kingdom Practices under the invitation to Follow Jesus [KF2]:
Submit to Jesus’ Lordship - [KP3] (explored previously in Systematic Discipleship Parts 3 to 9)
Pursue Holiness - [KP4] (being introduced here)
Live out kingdom values - [KP5]
Exercise discernment - [KP6].
In the previous article (Systematic Discipleship - Part 9) we explored New Testament teaching around what we have called Kingdom Action 12 [KA12] - (Persevere in personal discipleship) and the more detailed analysis that sits underneath it as the last component of the Kingdom Practice to ‘Submit to Jesus’ Lordship’ - [KP3].
Here we will begin to explore the Kingdom Practice to ‘Pursue Holiness’ - [KP4]. This is a Theme that is perhaps not particularly popular but is something that every follower of Jesus should be seeking to live out actively every day.
We have derived seven Kingdom Actions (sub-Themes) that sit below this heading which come from our ongoing analysis of the New Testament:
Control / guard our eyes (what we look at / watch / read) - [KA13]
Control / guard our tongues (what we say / write) - [KA14]
Control / guard our ears (what we hear / listen to) - [KA15]
Control / guard our hands and feet (what we touch / where we go) - [KA16]
Control / guard our reactions / emotional responses to kingdom events / situations - [KA17]
Control / guard our hearts / thoughts / minds (our focus) / knowledge - [KA18]
Control / guard our character (act with integrity) - [KA19].
The elements we will cover in this article are shown in light blue in Figure 1.
If readers take away nothing else from these articles than the sense, logic, and directive actions in the Figures - for disciples to put into practice in the strength God gives - we will hopefully have achieved our initial objective.
Figure 1 - Investigating the Kingdom Practice to ‘Pursue Holiness’ - [KP4]
Kingdom Practice 4 - Pursue Holiness
There are many occasions in the New Testament where the encouragement to live lives of holiness is set out for Jesus’ followers. We have identified 13 Greek words that can be linked with this Theme [2] and [3]. We set them out below:
Hagiazó (Strong’s 37) which is defined as ‘to make holy, consecrate, sanctify’. There are 28 occurrences in the New Testament [4] and [5].
Hagiasmos (38) which means ‘consecration, sanctification’. There are 10 verse references.
Hagios (40) which conveys the meaning ‘sacred, holy’ and is seen 235 times.
Hagiósuné (42) meaning ‘holiness’ and occurs 3 times.
Hagneia (47) used to convey the sense of ‘purity’ and occurs twice.
Hagnizó (48) which represents ‘to purify, cleanse from defilement’. There are 8 instances.
Hagnos (53) which means ‘free from ceremonial defilement, holy, sacred’. There are 8 verses where this appears.
Amómétos (298) which represents ‘blameless’ and appears once.
Akeraios (185) which is defined as ‘unmixed, pure (innocent)’. There are 3 occurrences.
Aspilos (784) referring to ‘spotless, unstained’ and is seen 4 times.
Rhantizó (4472) which means ‘to sprinkle’ and appears 4 times.
Psuché (5590) meaning ‘breath, the soul’. It occurs 104 times.
Kardia (2588) defined as ‘heart’. There are 158 instances.
Let’s look at some example Bible verses [6] where these words appear that support our Theme:
Romans 6:19 - I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness (Strong’s 38).
2 Corinthians 7:1 - Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness (42) out of reverence for God.
Philippians 2:15 - so that you may become blameless and pure (185), "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.
1 Thessalonians 4:4 - that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy (38) and honorable.
1 Timothy 4:12 - Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity (47).
1 Timothy 5:22 - Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure (53).
2 Timothy 1:9 - He has saved us and called us to a holy (40) life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
James 4:8 - Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts (2588), you double-minded.
Hebrews 10:22 - let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled (4472) to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
1 Peter 1:16 - for it is written: “Be holy (40), because I am holy (40).”
1 Peter 1:22 - Seeing ye have purified (48) your souls (5590) in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart (2588) fervently: (King James Version)
2 Peter 3:14 - So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless (784), blameless (298) and at peace with him.
Revelation 22:11- Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy (40) person continue to be holy (37).
We have identified 55 verse references that relate to this topic where these words appear.
Investigating this further, we can use some of these words to draw out three further aspects of pursuing holiness:
Recognise that only God / Jesus are truly holy - [KP4.1]
Know God sanctifies (makes holy) believers by his Holy Spirit - [KP4.2]
Put our sinful nature to death / stop sinning - [KP4.3].
Kingdom Practice 4.1 - Recognise that only God / Jesus are truly holy
As part of the process of looking at the verses that include the Greek words Hagiazó (37), Hagios (40), and Hagiósuné (42) we have also considered the following that highlight the holiness of Jesus and God:
Hosios (3741) which is defined as ‘Righteous, pious, holy’ and is found 8 times.
Amomos (299) which represents ‘Amomum (a fragrant plant of India)’. It is found 9 times.
Example scriptures that demonstrate this sub-Theme include:
Mark 1:24 - “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy (40) One of God!”
Luke 1:35 - The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy (40) one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Acts 2:27 - because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one (3741) [i.e. Jesus] see decay.
Romans 1:4 - and who through the Spirit of holiness (42) was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Peter 1:19 - but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish (299) or defect.
1 Peter 3:15 - But in your hearts revere (37) Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, respect.
Revelation 15:4 - Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy (3741). All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
There are 25 verse references where these words appear that relate to this subject.
Kingdom Practice 4.2 - Know God sanctifies (makes holy) believers by his Holy Spirit
Some of these same Greek words (Hagiazó (37), Hagiasmos (38), and Hagios (40)) when they are used in different verses tell us that believers are made holy. The Holy Spirit is identified as the agent of this sanctification process in some verses. The Greek words for Holy and Spirit are shown below.
Hagiotés (41) defined as ‘Sanctity, holiness’ and appears once.
Pneuma (4151) which means ‘Wind, spirit’ and is found 383 times.
Relevant scriptures that support this include:
John 17:17 - Sanctify (37) them by the truth; your word is truth.
Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified (37) by faith in me.’
Romans 15:16 - to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified (37) by the Holy (41) Spirit (4151).
1 Corinthians 6:11 - And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified (37), you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit (4151) of our God.
Ephesians 1:4 - For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy (40) and blameless (299) in his sight. In love
Colossians 1:22 - But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy (40) in his sight, without blemish (299) and free from accusation—
2 Thessalonians 2:13 - But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work (38) of the Spirit (4151) and through belief in the truth.
Hebrews 12:10 - They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness (41).
Hebrews 13:12 - And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy (37) through his own blood.
1 Peter 1:2 - who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying (38) work of the Spirit (4151), to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
We have identified in the region of 64 verse references, where these words appear, to support this sub-Theme.
Kingdom Practice 4.3 - Put our sinful nature to death / stop sinning
We know from our experience of the Christian life that, as followers of Jesus, we are constantly having to battle against our natural (fleshly) self. The New Testament tells us repeatedly to put our sinful nature to death.
There are a number of Greek words that apply here:
Hamartanó (264) which is defined as ‘To miss the mark, do wrong, sin’ which is found 43 times in the New Testament.
Paraptóma (3900) which means ‘A false step, a trespass’. It is seen19 times.
Kakos (2556) which refers to ‘Bad, evil’ and occurs 50 times.
Dikaiós (1346) which refers to ‘Righteously, justly’. There are 5 instances.
Euthus (2117) & Hodos (3598)together are an idiom meaning ‘Straight road / way’ and is seen once.
Example scriptures where these words and idioms are found include the following:
1 Corinthians 15:34 - Come back to your senses as you ought (1346), and stop sinning (264); for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
Galatians 6:1 - Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin (3900), you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Ephesians 4:26 - “In your anger do not sin (264)” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
Colossians 3:5 - Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil (2556) desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Hebrews 10:26 - If we deliberately keep on sinning (264) after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.
1 Peter 3:11 - They must turn from evil (2556) and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.
2 Peter 2:15 - They have left the straight (2117) way (3598) and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.
1 John 3:6 - No one who lives in him keeps on sinning (264). No one who continues to sin (264) has either seen him or known him.
There are around 24 verses where these words and idioms are found that relate to this topic.
Summary
In this tenth Faith Article we have explored some of the Greek words (presented in Louw and Nida’s [2] and Mounce’s [3] reference materials) and scriptures that can be used to support our analysis that has created the summarising Theme that we have called ‘Kingdom Practice 3 - Pursue Holiness’. In addition, we have also identified and explained our reasoning for describing three sub-Themes that sit below this.
Just as with many English words, Greek words can have more than one meaning and consequently when translated into Biblical texts can be used to convey several different sentiments. Which is used is dependent upon the context.
Ultimately, this analysis and these groupings are subjective, as will be the inclusion (or exclusion) of many verses within each Theme and sub-Theme. We should note that some verses have a much stronger relevance to the derived Themes than others.
During this analysis, the aim has been to restrict the number of Themes that can be associated with any specific Greek word to eight or less - as any more implies poor analysis technique and the wrong heading choice / naming process.
In the next Faith Article, we shall begin to explore Kingdom Practice 4 in more detail by considering KP13 (Control/ guard our eyes (what we look at / watch / read)) and KP14 (Control/ guard our tongues (what we say / write)). These are some of the practical things that we need to be conscious of as we seek to respond to the call to ‘Pursue Holiness’ as part of our response to Following Jesus. As ever, the aim will be to try and make it informative, but manageable, in terms of the time and effort needed to look at and understand each area.
Any constructive thoughts on this Article, the process being undertaken, and related constructive feedback are welcome.
Notes:
[1] - All previous Faith Articles focusing on the One Page New Testament can be found at this page: www.teachthemtoobey.co.uk/blog/
[2] - “Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, based upon Semantic Domains” Volumes 1 and 2 - Louw and Nida - Published by and © United Bible Societies - 1988
[3] - “Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words” - © William D Mounce, 2006 - Published by Zondervan
[4] - biblehub - https://biblehub.com/greek/
[5] - The number of instances of specific Greek words can vary considerably depending upon the Greek manuscript(s) that is / are referenced by the data underpinning a particular program or website. For example, there can be differences in the number of instances of a Greek word depending upon whether your information source is, say: biblehub.com, blueletterbible.org, or Accordance Bible software. For example: the word Kurios (Lord) appears:
722 times according to biblehub
748 times in the Textus Receptus (TR) Greek for the blueletterbible
717 in the Morphological Greek New Testament (MGNT) in the blueletterbible
717 times for the Legacy Standard Version in Accordance
711 times for the ESV in Accordance.
In general, we have used the biblehub.com counts for the number of instances of the Greek words we are presenting. If there are major discrepancies with the other resources we are using we will try to highlight these explicitly.
[6] - Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM.
The Bible references presented are illustrative rather than aiming to be ‘proof texts’. They are examples only as there are, generally, many more we could look at. Please note that when looking at any Bible verse references, you should ideally consider more than one translation / respected version to get a more rounded view, and look at the wider context for each verse too. When Greek words are translated, Bible scholars do not always use the same English word every time it appears in the Greek. This is why it is useful to look at more than one Bible version.
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