Holiness Is Wholeness

The United States: A Divided House

Matthew 12:25: “And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, ‘Every Kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.

The United States of America is no longer “United”; it is fractured in many different ways. In spite of our perceived strengths, we are weak and as a nation are falling into the hands of our enemies. It is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God that our nation can stand.

Matthew 12:25 was spoken in the context of Jesus’ answer to the scribes and Pharisees who had accused Him of casting out devils by the power of Beelzebub, Satan. He clearly declares that His power to cast out Satan is the power of the Holy Spirit of God. “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you,” verse 28. He did cast out devils by the Spirit of God, so, therefore, the Kingdom of God has come unto us.

Question: What will it take to unite us? Answer: Jesus.

Colossians 1:16-17: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

In Jesus and only in Him does everything “consist,” cohere, or hold together. It is impossible that our nation can hold together without Jesus.

For us, just as for Jesus, It is the Holy Spirit of God that binds the strong man, the devil, Satan. It is only by the wooing of the Holy Spirit that men can be drawn to salvation. It is only by the Holy Spirit of God that men’s hearts can be alive to bring forth the good fruit of the Spirit: love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

It is the Holy Spirit of God that makes us holy and binds us together.

How do we obtain this Holy Spirit? It is not by rituals, nor ceremonies, nor man-made laws, but by our repentance and whole-hearted searching for it. Jeremiah 29:13: “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” “All your heart” means total surrender.

You cannot create your own holiness; it only comes from the Lord. Yet, you can seek it, you can discover it, you can research, excavate as an archaeologist in the Word and in humility and prayer. You can experience it. It is the “good treasure,” Matthew 12:35.

It is this “good treasure,” as found in Jesus, that binds people together in unity of Spirit. This is the ingredient of any social group that makes it cohere, hold together, in wholeness. Without it, the unity is broken, and the group becomes dysfunctional, weak and dying.