His Passion for Holiness
William Greathouse was a Nazarene, and true to our denomination's character and calling, he had a passion for holiness. The emphasis of the Church of the Nazarene was, from the beginning, to declare the possibility of a holy and God-honouring life, through the cleansing, abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. And Greathouse was a holiness man, as you can see in his words quoted here on page 61 of his biography: "The message of holiness remains for me the essence of the gospel—God's pure love reigning in the heart and excluding sin. This experience is both the command of the law and the promise of the gospel. To the proclamation and exposition of this message I have dedicated my life."
Holiness: Command and Promise
In one sense, Greathouse was controversial because he explored some different theories and ideas about holiness which upset those in the church who favoured the more traditional Nazarene theories. But what really impressed me in this quote here is that he didn't back down and state that our call to holiness is too high. He said that holiness is "God's pure love reigning in the heart and excluding sin". This is a wonderful definition, and aligns very much with John Wesley's teaching on Christian perfection which I focused on in these devotions during this Lent.
Greathouse says that holiness, in this sense, is "both the command of the law and the promise of the gospel." Perhaps you need to hear this today. The command of God's law is for His people to be holy—and the promise of the gospel is that this is possible. And the key phrase here is "God's pure love reigning in the heart". It is this that is the command and the promise. God wants us imperfect creatures of His to have our hearts filled with His perfect love, and that being in this relationship with Him, our sinful natures are conquered and we live like Christ.
Beyond Rules to Relationship
Holiness is not rule-keeping. It's a dynamic relationship with God, whose presence within us gives us the victory over sin, if we claim it.
And Greathouse is correct in saying that this is "the essence of the gospel". Our forgiveness, through Christ, is only the beginning. It is that closeness with God through His Spirit, changing us into Christlike people, that is the essence of the gospel, that the world may be filled with worshippers of God who live like Jesus.
Is holiness the essence of your life? Have you heard the command, taken hold of the promise, and lived in this reality?
Greathouse did. It showed in his life. May it show in ours too.
