Holiness and the resurection

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. – Romans 1.1-4

Paul’s letter to the Romans is an amazing letter. It is something like a Bible College by letter. There were believers in Rome that needed some direction. We are not sure how the gospel there, but Paul knew he was not going to get there anytime soon and that they needed direction. He took on the task of writing to the church and giving them basic doctrinal and practical teaching.

Paul gets right to the point. The first thing he does is make clear that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of God, full of power. That fact is evidenced by a couple of things – the Spirit of holiness and His resurrection.

Those are two interesting things. They are both thing that God calls us to emulate. Peter tells us to be holy just as Jesus is holy. Paul tells us to live our lives in newness of life as we walk in the light of the resurrection.

If we are striving for holiness in our personal walk and walking in newness of life it is going to evidence the reality of our faith. Do people see Christ’s holiness in you and me. Do they see our lives and wonder at the newness in our lives since salvation?