Holy Brethren

I love hymns. So many of them are chock full of good doctrine, uplifting words, strong melodies without any off beats, and praise to our Lord. There are thousands of them, many that have fallen out of use, much to our shame. Here is one that probably almost everyone is familiar with, no matter what their denomination:

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty!
God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which wert and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Tho' the darkness hide Thee,
Tho' the eyes of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, Holy, Holy! merciful and Mighty!
God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!

This wonderful hymn was written by Reginald Heber in western England. He was vicar there in his family's church from 1807 to 1823. Heber was said to be an "uncommon man", born into a family of wealth and culture, but he gave his life to the service of God in England and far away in India, in response to his long standing interest in missions.

This powerful, majestic hymn takes it's meaning from Isaiah 6, and Revelation 4. Holy. What is holy? Well, it just so happens that I read some about that this morning with my morning devotions. Now ain't that a "coincidence" ?

The following is taken from the Days of Praise, Dec. 22, 2007, by Dr. Henry H. Morris.

"I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren" (1 Thessalonians 5:27).

There is probably no word more misused - even abused - than the word "holy." In our day and age, it usually conjures up and image of sanctimoniousness, or even hyposcrisy, and thus often becomes a term of snide ridicule.

Nevertheless, it is a Biblical term of highest significance, most often used in connection with God Himself, the Holy Spirit. Since it is also used in connection with things ("the holy place," as in Hebrews 9:12), it does not in itself necessarily have a moral connotation. Its basic meaning is evidently "set apart" and can refer either to people or objects that have been dedicated to God and His service.

Christians are all "holy brethren" in this sense, regardless of their individual behavior. They are all also called "saints" (same word as "holy" in the greek - e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:2, even though many of the "saints" at Corinth were far from Christlike in their actions).

By all means, however, we who are called "holy brethren" ought to try, by God's grace, to bring honor to such a name, rather than ridicule. "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him" (Hebrews 3:1,2).

The term "saints", or "holy brethren", applies both to men and women, of course, adn to believers of Old Testament times as well as New Testament. Peter, for example, mentions the "holy women" who honored and served the Lord "in the old time" (1 Peter 3:5) and also the "holy men of God" through whom God gave the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21). The eternal admonition of God to all believers of every age is "Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).