A title of the Holy Spirit
The Spirit of Holiness
Paul opens his letter to the Romans by declaring that Jesus was proved to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. This title names the Holy Spirit in terms of His defining character, holiness itself, and links Him to the mighty act that vindicated Christ as the Son of God.
“And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”Romans 1:4
What the title means
The very name Holy Spirit tells us that holiness is His essential nature, and this title presses that truth. To call Him the Spirit of holiness is to say that separateness from sin and perfect purity belong to Him inseparably, and that He is the source of all true holiness in others. Paul sets this Spirit of holiness in contrast to the flesh: according to the flesh Christ came of David line, but according to the Spirit of holiness He was declared Son of God by the resurrection. The title points to the divine, holy nature at work in Jesus and displayed in His rising. Wherever this Spirit comes, He sanctifies, setting people apart for God and conforming them to His purity. He cannot be indifferent to sin, for holiness is who He is.
What it shows of His work
This title reveals the Spirit as the great sanctifier, whose presence always makes for purity. He works by setting people apart for God and steadily transforming them into holiness, opposing the corruption of the flesh at every point. The resurrection displays His power, for it was according to the Spirit of holiness that Jesus was raised and vindicated, showing that this Spirit brings life out of death and glory out of the grave. He cannot dwell in a heart and leave it unchanged; He presses toward the purity that reflects God own character. Every hunger for holiness, every grief over sin, every advance in Christlike living is His work within the believer.
The Spirit of Christ
The Spirit of holiness is displayed in raising and vindicating Jesus as the Son of God, publicly declaring who He truly is. This same holy Spirit who marked out Christ now works to conform believers to Him, for the goal of all His sanctifying is likeness to the Son. He does not pursue a holiness of our own invention but the very character of Jesus reproduced in us. The resurrection that proved Christ deity is the pledge of the transforming power now at work in His people. To be filled with the Spirit of holiness is to be drawn steadily into the image of the risen Lord, sharing by grace the purity that was His by nature, until we are made like Him at last.
Questions people ask
What does the Spirit of holiness mean in Romans 1
It names the Holy Spirit by His essential character, perfect holiness, and links Him to the resurrection that declared Jesus to be the Son of God with power. Paul contrasts the flesh, by which Christ came of David line, with the Spirit of holiness, by which He was vindicated in rising. The title points to the divine, holy nature at work in Jesus and displayed in His resurrection.
How does the Spirit of holiness make us holy
He sanctifies, setting believers apart for God and steadily conforming them to His purity, opposing the corruption of the flesh at every point. He cannot dwell in a heart and leave it unchanged. Every hunger for holiness and grief over sin is His work, and His goal is likeness to the risen Christ, the same power that raised Jesus now transforming us.