The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter calls the church “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Pet. 2:9).

We as Christians confess in the Apostles creed, “I believe a holy catholic church…” and in the Belgic Confession art. 27, “(its members) are washed by (Christ’s) blood and are sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit”.

What does it mean that the church is holy? Is the church holy now, or only some day when Christ comes back again? When I look at the church I see a lot of sinners. Who needs the church?

O young person, what is your attitude towards the church? Do you love the church? Do you need the church? Is the church holy?

THE MEANING OF HOLINESS

“I believe a holy catholic church.” What do we mean that the church is holy? In what sense is it holy? The Spirit says that the church is a “holy nation.”

The church is holy first of all in the sense that as such she is the creation of the Holy God. Jesus Christ gathers, builds, defends, and preserves His church. God is taking out his people from the world, separat­ing them for His glory and His service.

In the O. T., the tabernacle and the temple, together with all its furniture and dishes were dedicat­ed to the service of the Lord and were therefore holy. The priests, taken out from ordinary labor in the fields and other occupations, were to labor only in the tem­ple service and therefore were holy unto the Lord. This holiness lies not in the things themselves whether it be the furniture, animals, or the priests. These things were holy in virtue of God separating it from the world and assigning it to His service. That is the great honor that God has given to His church. Do you know your­self as bestowed with that honor: taken out of the world, separated for God’s service?

But the holiness of the church also consists of Christ’s work within us. We are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We have received hearts of flesh instead of hearts of stone. We are no longer servants of sin (Rom. 6:17) but saints (I Cor. 1:2; II Cor. 1:1). We are washed clean in the blood of Jesus Christ and are made new creatures (II Cor. 5:17). We were quickened from death to life (Eph. 2:1, 5). There we are admonished in Eph. 4: 24 to put on the new man which after God is creat­ed in righteousness and true holiness. Thus those who are true and living members of the church, born again, love God and walk in his ways. They “delight in the law of God after the inner man”(Rom. 7:22), Young person, are you a true and living member of the church? Are you born again? Do you love God? Do you strive to walk in his ways?

HOLINESS AND SIN

“I believe a holy catholic church.” Obviously, the church is not perfect. Its individual members are imperfect. As the Catechism describes it, “We have only a small beginning of obedience”. The very best member is a poor Christian. Therefore the very best church has many spots and wrinkles.

The visible church has hypocrites and sinners in it. Just as all the priests who served in the O.T. taber­nacle and temple were not true and living members of the church. They were holy in the sense that they held the office of priest, but many of them were exceedingly wicked. A striking example, is Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, whose behavior God was so thoroughly displeased that he destroyed them. Or think of the wicked high priest Caiaphas who pronounced Jesus worthy of death because he claimed to be the Son of God.

So there are many tares in the visible church on earth. They will be separated out only when Jesus returns and burns them with fire and gathers the wheat. But true and living members of the church have also their spots and wrinkles. None of them are without sin. Daily they must fight their old sinful natures. But notice what we confess. “I believe a holy catholic church”. We do not say, “I see a holy church”. Do you remember Elijah when he complained to the Lord that only he was left? The Lord told him, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”

Although Elijah could not see them, he could believe because God said it. So also as regards a holy church. We cannot always see it, but we believe because God tells us in His Word. What a glorious fact to know. Not merely a few outstanding members of the church are saints, as Rome would have us think: all true members of the church with all of their blemishes are saints.

HOLINESS AND DISCIPLINE

The church’s holiness is not only a glorious fact but also a most solemn duty. “Be ye holy for I am holy” says the Lord (Lev. 11:44; I Pet. 1:16). God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph. 1:4). Christ died to reconcile us “to pre­sent us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight. Young person, you are called to be holy! Yours cannot be the motto, as the world, “I’ll do as I please”. No, we are called to reflect Christ’s holiness as a shin­ing light in the world. That is the calling not only once one makes profession of his or her faith, but of all true and living members of the church, baptized or profess­ing.

How can we do this? First of all, by fighting. We must fight the world, the devil, and our old sinful nature. We must fight worldliness. Worldliness is the opposite of holiness. That does not mean fleeing the world, but walking antithetically in the world. In our thoughts, in our words, in our actions, in our work, in our recreation, and in our dating, in all that we do, seeking to be pleasing to God and be in obedience to his commandments. And we must progress in this holiness. We do that by delving even more deeply into the truth of God’s Holy Word. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth . . . thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). Do you pray for the holiness of Christ’s church, beginning with yourself?

*Rev. Spriensma is the pastor of Grandville Prof. Ref. Church.