For the gospel is all about God’s Son. As a man he descended from David’s royal lineage, but as a mighty Son of God he was raised from the dead and miraculously set apart with a display of triumphant power supplied by the Spirit of Holiness. And now Jesus is our Lord and our Messiah. Romans 1:3-4 TPT
“Holiness” is God’s theme for me lately. This passage in Romans is just one of the many examples of “holiness” surfacing in my readings. Here the Holy Spirit is referred to as the “Spirit of Holiness.” It seemed like an interesting twist of semantics at first. But actually, their word choice was deliberate. And it adds weight and significance to the passage.
If we say “Holy Spirit,” that indicates that the Spirit of God, Himself, is Holy. We are saying that Holiness as His nature. “Holy” is who He is. But if we say “Spirit of Holiness” that indicates that The Spirit of God is the One who makes others holy. The Spirit is the One who sets apart people for Himself. The Spirit is the One who flows through people, making them holy (set apart).
That idea fits with the context of these verses. The Apostle Paul is talking about how Jesus was promised through the many prophets. Jesus was descended from the royal line of David. Jesus raised from the dead. And Jesus was miraculously set apart (holy) with a display of triumphant power. Of course, that triumphant power was supplied by the “Spirit of Holiness.”
This is significant because this same “Spirit of Holiness” lives in us! He miraculously sets us apart with a display of triumphant power! It is His power flowing through us that makes us miraculously set apart (holy). The more we yield to Him and His power flowing through us, the holier (more set apart) we become.
This is more than just “good news.” This is awesome news!! We Christians have had the misconception that we make ourselves holy (set apart) by following all the rules. And as one who has tried, I’ll let you know up front: that is impossible!
Praise God!! He knew all along that we could never be holy on our own. God has provided a Way for us to be holy (set apart). God has given us the “Spirit of Holiness,” to live inside of us! Thank You, Lord!! When we allow His power to be displayed in our lives, THEN and ONLY THEN are we made holy! Praise God!!!