Holiness

Want to see God in worship? In the sermon on the mount, Jesus says that happens for those whose hearts are pure.

I am fascinated by the word “holiness.”

There’s a denomination that bears that name. I have a stereotype in my mind that probably isn’t fair. Or kind. And it may color my thinking about the concept of holiness to have such an unfavorable bias. I regret this.

There’s a Puritan association with the word. It seems antiquated, oppressive, and unwelcome. But how can that be helpful? Holiness is a substantial biblical concept. Few passages are as clear, convicting, or intimidating as 1 Peter 1:15 and 16:

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 

For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

Peter is referencing three different passages from Leviticus. In other words, this isn’t a one-off comment. 

So if holiness--being like God who is holy--is such a priority for us, what do we do with those negative associations?

First, I like to think of holiness in two ways, things we enter and things we exit.

ENTER

We choose to care for the poor. We love (that’s a verb) our enemies. We give the benefit of the doubt. We face difficult circumstances with faith—not in ourselves, but in the Christ-in-us. We engage in generosity. We are creative, especially toward beauty. We embrace those far from God. In short, we try to look like the active side of God who came for us.

EXIT

We choose to leave behind the things of the world. This is the more familiar side of holiness. It’s the side that seems judgmental and puritanical. But the teachings of scripture here are clear too. Perhaps even clearer. Wasn’t it Mark Twain who said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.” 

Examples of this exit?

Colossians 3:8 — “Get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.”

Ephesians 5:3-4 — “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you.”

There are just as many, if not more examples of the kind of Godliness we should enter:

Galatians 6:2 — “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”

Romans 12:9-11 — “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

A beautiful summary verse comes from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, “you have been called to live in freedom… But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”

Sounds like holiness to me. And if you want to see God, seems holiness is the way to get there.

Be holy, even as He is holy.