What Holiness Isn’t
The Standard
After all of our talk these previous weeks about what holiness is and how God’s holiness stands alone, I wanted to take a turn and look at this topic from the other side of the fence. We have learned that being holy means to be set apart and that perfect holiness involves being set apart to a level that only our Lord Himself has achieved, but with all this being acknowledged, I find it vital to take an opposite approach and learn what holiness isn’t. Far too often I believe that evangelicals will call something holy or consider something that they do to be holy when in reality, it just doesn’t line up with the biblical answer. We are way too lenient with the label of ‘holy’ that we find ourselves slapping it on anything that just seems to be not normal. We must remember that just because we are called to be set apart from the ways of the world, doesn’t mean that we should isolate ourselves from sinners and become unapproachable to the lost. As TGC mentions, “Pride will bring destruction by isolating us from others who love us. We will become an island that can’t be challenged by others. We need to remember that we are not as smart, experienced or humble as we think we are.” As people who are called to be holy as God is holy, we must have our priorities line up with the Lord’s and have our hearts desire to reach the lost like His does as well. With that being said, let’s look at some of the most glaring ways in which we use holiness in an incorrect way.
Pride & Perfection
To start, I think we need to shoot down the idea that being holy means that we are perfect. As mentioned in our previous posts, no one is perfect in holiness because all have sinned. So to walk around like we have lived a perfect life wouldn’t just be arrogant, it would be incorrect. In fact, John tells us in 1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” The person who claims that they are living a perfect life and are holy to the degree of our Lord is simply lying to themselves and full of pride. This produces the opposite effect that holiness should have on our lives. If we are truly set apart from this world, then pride would have no place in us. However, when we claim to live perfectly in holiness, it ironically has the opposite effect on us and the lost because we are simply viewed as arrogant and hot-headed by those around us. Someone who is truly set apart from evil doesn’t brag about their lives, but brags about the Lord. This is what we saw last week when Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 13 to not boast in ourselves but to boast in the Lord. In case we need further evidence as to why we don’t live perfect lives like God and aren’t set apart to His magnitude, look at what Paul says in Romans 3:9-10 “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; “THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUS PERSON, NOT EVEN ONE;” There is no one on this earth who is holy and righteous apart from the sovereign guidance of the Holy Spirit. If we are truly living in holiness, we don’t claim to live perfect and prideful lives, but rather, our humility is seen in us as we realize just how lost we were before God truly saved us and made us holy by His Spirit.
Set Apart For God
Furthermore, probably the most abused form of holiness in this day and age is taking the term ‘set apart’ and not using it in biblical or theological matters. In other words, being holy according to the scriptures means to be set apart for God, not just set apart in general. Far too often there are crazy and ungodly things that are taking place in the Church and even the life of the Christian that is just being labeled as ‘holy’ when in reality, it’s just weird. If we are labeling something as holy, we must be able to see biblical evidence of this practice or mindset and not just claim, ‘Since no one else is doing it, it’s holy!’ Nothing could be further from the truth. Let’s remind ourselves of Jesus’ response to those who claimed to be doing ‘holy’ things in their day that didn’t honor and glorify God. Matthew 21:12-13 tells us, “And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He *said to them, “It is written: ‘MY HOUSE WILL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a DEN OF ROBBERS.” Our Lord drove out the crowds who were claiming to be doing holy things in the name of the Lord when in reality, all they were doing was making a mockery of God’s holiness.
This practice is something that is seen way too often in this day and age. If another church hasn’t done what we are about to do, it’s because we are ‘holier than thou’ and God has given us great creativity to partake in an act that isn’t even biblical. What a huge mistake these people in the temple made and what an equally huge mistake many leaders and pastors are making in the church today. As we live our lives and go to Church in this day and age, the reason we should stand out from the rest of society is that we are living as set apart for God, not living as crazy people claiming that God is approving of the unbiblical practices we are partaking in. I hope and pray that as we live our lives led by God’s Spirit, we will realize more and more that holiness doesn’t lead to pride and arrogance or craziness and unbiblical practices, but instead it leads us to be more like our creator. As Sinclair Ferguson so beautifully says, “Sanctification is not merely the process of overcoming our sin; it is, ultimately, becoming like the Lord Jesus.”
Sources
[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/
[2] Are you approachable? (2013, July 11). The Gospel Coalition. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/are-you-approachable/
[3] Ferguson, S. (2023, October 5). Holiness means more than killing sin. Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/holiness-means-more-than-killing-sin
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