Colossenses 1

Colossenses 1:2

Ryle - Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find it 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. He who most entirely agrees with God, he is the most holy man. Richard A. Young "The adjective hagios (holy) is often used as a noun, meaning 'that which is holy.' In the singular it can be used for the sanctuary, sacrificial items, and Christ. In the plural it is used for angels, believers, and other devout persons. In reference to believers it is usually translated 'saints'" (Intermediate New Testament Greek, 82). Hagios is Paul's favorite description of believers and designates the believer's position in Christ (see discussion of in Christ and in Christ Jesus) as holy or set apart from that which is secular, profane, and evil and dedicated unto God. Saints are now to live in this present evil age (Gal 1:4) in a manner which reflects what we were redeemed and "re-created" to be (1Pe 2:24, 25-note; cp 2Co 7:1 - note) --- holy ones in character (character is what God knows we are; reputation is who other people think we are) and conduct, set apart by God to be exclusively His possession (1Co 6:19, 20, Titus 2:14-note) manifesting holiness of heart. SAINTHOOD: A DECLARATION NOT AN ACHIEVEMENT! Gregg Allen - "A man or a woman doesn't become a "saint" by being good. Rather, they're already declared to be "saints" by God's grace; and are commanded to be good, because of what they already are." (God's Grace in a Greeting) Contrary to some religious teachings, the Bible itself never uses the word hagios or saint to refer to a "special class" of believers who are a "notch above" the rest. In other words, the term saint does not refer to a condition bestowed on someone after death. Although you may have been taught that saints are a special, higher order of Christians who have accomplished extraordinary good deeds and lived an exemplary life, the Bible teaches that sainthood is not an attainment but a state into which God by grace through faith calls men and women of all stations of life, whether under the Old or New Covenant. So now next time you meet a believer, address then as "Saint so-and-so" and watch the reaction! It goes without saying however that we often do not think or act like saints, in the popular sense. Remember that once we are saved, God sees us as He sees His Son, as "those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling." (1Co 1:2) Certainly the Christians at Corinth were not saints because of their spiritual maturity (many were very immature - cf. 1Co 3:1, 2, 3), but because they were “saints by calling” a reference to their call to salvation. A saint in Scripture is not flawless, but is someone who pursues holiness, which is a process, that begins at conversion and continues until death (Heb 12:14; 1Pet 1:16). And note that holiness is distinct from being "sanctimonious" ("religious") which often lacks true spirituality! Saints are people who sin less, but are not "sinless!" Remember that we are all equal at the foot of His Cross! (cp 2Cor 3:5,6, saints have "a faith of the same kind" as Peter! - 2Pe 1:1-note) Those who are holy in position (in Christ) now have the responsibility (and the power) to live holy in their experience (Christ like). Positional holiness is tantamount to justification, while experiential holiness represents progressive sanctification (growth in holiness or Christ likeness). (See related topic - Three Tenses of Salvation) Hagios - 233x in 221v in the NT NAS - Mt 1:18, 20; 3:11; 4:5; 7:6; 12:32; 24:15; 27:52, 53; 28:19; Mk. 1:8, 24; 3:29; 6:20; 8:38; 12:36; 13:11; Lk 1:15, 35, 41, 49, 67, 70, 72; 2:23, 25, 26; 3:16, 22; 4:1, 34; 9:26; 10:21; 11:13; 12:10, 12; Jn. 1:33; 6:69; 14:26; 17:11; 20:22; Acts 1:2, 5, 8, 16; 2:4, 33, 38; 3:14, 21; 4:8, 25, 27, 30, 31; 5:3, 32; 6:5, 13; 7:33, 51, 55; 8:15, 17, 19; 9:13, 17, 31, 32, 41; 10:22, 38, 44, 45, 47; 11:15, 16, 24; 13:2, 4, 9, 52; 15:8, 28; 16:6; 19:2, 6; 20:23, 28; 21:11, 28; 26:10; 28:25; Ro 1:2, 7; 5:5; 7:12; 8:27; 9:1; 11:16; 12:1, 13; 14:17; 15:13, 16, 25, 26, 31; 16:2, 15, 16, 1Co 1:2; 3:17; 6:1, 2, 19; 7:14, 34; 12:3; 14:33; 16:1, 15, 20; 2Co. 1:1; 6:6; 8:4; 9:1, 12; 13:12, 13; Ep 1:1, 4, 13, 15, 18; 2:19, 21; 3:5, 8, 18; 4:12, 30; 5:3, 27; 6:18; Php 1:1; 4:21, 22; Col 1:2, 4, 12, 22, 26; 3:12; 1Th 1:5, 6; 3:13; 4:8; 5:26; 2Th 1:10; 1Ti 5:10; 2Ti 1:9, 14; Titus 3:5; Philemon 1:5, 7; He 2:4; 3:1, 7; 6:4, 10; 8:2; 9:1, 2, 3, 8, 12, 24, 25; 10:15, 19; 13:11, 24; 1Pe 1:12, 15, 16; 2:5, 9; 3:5; 2Pe 1:18, 21; 2:21; 3:2, 11; 1Jn 2:20; Jude 1:3, 14, 20; Re 3:7; 4:8; 5:8; 6:10; 8:3, 4; 11:2, 18; 13:7, 10; 14:10, 12; 16:6; 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:8; 20:6, 9; 21:2, 10; 22:11, 19) Hagios - Translated (NAS) Holy(92), holy(62), Holy of Holies(1), holy one(5), holy ones(1), holy place(7), most holy(1), saint(1), saints(59), saints'(1), sanctuary(2). Hagios - some 523 uses in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) - Ex 3:5 (holy ground); Ex 12:16; 15:11, 13; 16:23; 19:6; 22:31; 23:22; 26:33f; 28:2ff, 23, 30, 35, 38, 43; 29:29ff, 33, 37; 30:10, 13, 24f, 29, 31f, 35f; 31:11, 14f; 35:2, 19, 21, 35; 36:1, 3f, 6, 8; 37:29; 38:24, 26; 39:1, 30, 41; 40:9f, 13; Lev 2:3, 10; 4:6, 17; 5:15f; 6:16f, 25ff, 29f; 7:1, 6; 8:9, 31; 10:4, 10, 12ff, 17f; 11:44f; 12:4; 14:13; 16:2ff, 16f, 20, 23f, 27, 32f; 18:21; 19:2, 8, 24, 30; 20:3, 7, 26; 21:6ff, 12, 22f; 22:2ff, 6f, 10, 12, 14ff, 32; 23:2ff, 7f, 20f, 24, 27, 35ff; 24:9; 25:12; 26:2, 31; 27:3, 9f, 14, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30, 32f; Num 3:28, 31f, 38, 47, 50; 4:4, 12, 15f, 19f; 6:5, 8, 20; 7:9, 13, 19, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 67, 73, 79, 85; 8:19; 10:21; 15:40; 16:3, 5, 7; 18:1, 3, 5, 9f, 16f, 19, 32; 19:20; 28:7, 18, 25f; 29:1, 7, 12; 31:6; 35:25; Deut 7:6; 12:26; 14:2, 21; 23:14; 26:13, 15, 19; 28:9; Josh 5:15; 6:19; 24:15, 19; Jdg 13:7; 16:17; 1 Sam 2:2, 10; 6:20; 21:4; 1Kgs 6:16; 7:50f; 8:4, 6ff, 10; 2Kgs 4:9; 12:4, 18; 19:22; 1Chr 6:49; 9:29; 16:10, 29, 35; 22:19; 23:13, 28; 24:5; 26:26, 28; 28:12; 29:3, 16; 2Chr 3:8, 10; 4:22; 5:1, 5, 7, 9, 11; 6:2; 8:11; 15:18; 20:21; 23:6; 24:7; 29:5, 7, 21; 30:19, 24, 27; 31:14, 18; 35:3, 6, 13, 15; Ezra 2:63; 8:28; 9:2; Neh 7:65; 8:9ff; 9:14; 10:31, 33, 39; 11:1; Job 5:1; 6:10; 15:15; Ps 2:6; 3:4; 5:7; 11:4; 15:1; 16:3; 18:6; 20:2, 6; 22:3; 24:3; 28:2; 29:2; 33:21; 34:9; 43:3; 47:8; 48:1; 51:11; 56:1; 60:6; 63:2; 65:4; 68:5, 17, 24, 35; 71:22; 74:3; 77:13; 78:41; 79:1; 83:3; 87:1; 89:5, 7, 18, 20, 35; 96:9; 98:1; 99:3, 5, 9; 102:19; 103:1; 105:3, 42; 106:16, 47; 108:7; 110:3; 111:9; 134:1; 138:2; 145:21; 150:1; Prov 9:10; 30:3; Eccl 8:10; Isa 1:4; 4:3; 5:16, 19, 24; 6:3; 10:20; 11:9; 12:6; 14:27; 17:7; 23:18; 26:21; 27:1, 13; 29:23; 30:11f, 15, 19, 29; 31:1; 33:5; 35:8; 37:23; 40:25; 41:16, 20; 43:3, 14f, 28; 44:28; 45:11; 47:4; 48:2, 17; 49:7; 52:1, 10; 55:5; 56:7; 57:13, 15; 58:13; 60:9, 13f; 62:9, 12; 63:10f, 15, 18; 64:10f; 65:9, 11, 25; 66:20; Jer 2:2f; 3:16, 21; 4:11; 11:15; 25:30; 31:23; 50:29; 51:5, 51; Lam 4:1; Ezek 5:11; 7:24; 8:6; 9:6; 10:6f; 20:39f; 21:2; 22:8, 26; 23:38f; 24:21; 25:3; 28:14; 36:20ff, 38; 37:26, 28; 39:7, 25; 41:4, 21, 23, 25; 42:13f, 20; 43:7f, 12, 21; 44:1, 5, 7ff, 11, 13, 15f, 19, 23, 27; 45:1, 3f, 6f, 18; 46:19; 47:12; 48:8, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20f; Dan 4:1, 8f, 13, 17f, 22f, 34; 5:12; 6:3; 7:8, 18, 21f, 25, 27; 8:11, 13f, 24f; 9:16f, 20, 24, 26; 11:28, 30f, 45; 12:7; Hos 11:9, 12; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Amos 4:2; Obad 1:16f; Jonah 2:4, 7; Mic 1:2; Hab 1:12; 2:20; 3:3; Zeph 3:4, 11; Hag 2:12; Zech 2:12f; 8:3; 9:16; 14:5, 20f; Mal 2:11; In the Old Testament many things and people were divinely set apart by God for His own purposes. The Tabernacle and Temple and all their furnishings-supremely the Ark of the Covenant and the holy of holies-were set apart to Him. The tribe of Levi was set apart for His priesthood, and the entire nation of Israel was set apart as His people. The tithes and offerings of the people of Israel consisted of money and other gifts specifically set apart for God. Under the New Covenant, however, such holy things as the Temple, priesthood, Ark, and tithes no longer exist. God’s only truly holy things on earth today are His people, those whom He has sovereignly and graciously set apart for Himself through Jesus Christ. The new temple of God and the new priesthood of God are His church. Hagios is used throughout the New Testament to speak of anyone or anything that represents God’s holiness: Christ as the Holy One of God, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Father, holy Scriptures, holy angels, holy brethren, and so on. The secular and pagan use pictured a person separated and dedicated to the idolatrous "gods" and carried no idea of moral or spiritual purity. The manmade gods were as sinful and degraded as the men who made them and there simply was no need for a word that represented righteousness! The worshipper of the pagan god acquired the character of that pagan god and the religious ceremonies connected with its worship. The Greek temple at Corinth housed a large number of harlots who were connected with the "worship" of the Greek god. Thus, the set-apartness or holiness of the Greek worshipper was in character licentious, totally depraved, and sinful.