Index To All Four Sections ON THIS PAGE
The Holiness of God
One of the primary attributes of God is that He is holy. However, He does not conform to a standard of holiness - He is the standard of holiness. The Call To Holiness - The Old Testament
One of the central themes of Leviticus is God's call for His people to be a holy people The Call To Holiness - The New Testament Holiness Is Not Optional
Too many modern day teachers say "just believe" -
the Bible says "Pursue... holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Who are you going to believe? The Warnings - You Cannot Serve God And Mammon.
Jesus did not say you should not serve God and mammon, but you cannot serve God and mammon Both Holiness and Sinfulness Have Eternal Consequences
A lack of holiness is an insurmountable barrier to a relationship with God. Modern 'Holiness'
Reading inspirational 'Christian' messages, daily doses of wisdom from Proverbs, uplifting Bible verses and listening to a 15-20 minute sermon every Sunday is NOT holiness.
The Holiness of God..
In today's day and age, churches go to extreme lengths to ensure that their congregations are 'comfortable' with God, usually seen as a wonderful loving God that would never hurt a flea. See The Wrath of God. And, if He did so in the Old Testament, well! We are under the new covenant now. All that matters is that we establish a "relationship" with Him.
Apparently we seem to know next to nothing about this Being we wish to have a relationship with particularly the fact that one of His the primary attributes is holiness. Note the following examples. Isaiah's vision of the "Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up" His train filling the temple, was accompanied by the cry of the seraphim who called out to another saying "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." (Isaiah 6:3 NABS)
In Revelation 4:8 "the four living creatures never cease saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy Is The Lord God, The Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come."
Because it is rare for a word to be repeated three times in Scripture, we need to sit up and take notice because it definitely indicates strong emphasis. And unless we consider that we are better than the prophet Isaiah in some way, we need to pay attention to his response to the vision. He did not fall on the floor, burst into uncontrollable laughter, immediately make his requests known, nor strike up a conversation. Instead the first words out of his mouth reflected an overwhelming conviction of his own unworthiness... Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5 NABS)
See Is There A Biblical Basis For "Holy Laughter"? In the New Testament, Peter had a similar reaction when confronted with visible evidence of the power of the Christ. After a night of unsuccessful fishing Jesus instructed the disciples to put their boats out again. When they did so, they caught so many fish that their nets were in danger of tearing. However, note Peter's reaction to this miracle. He immediately fell at Jesus' feet, and said, "leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man." Both men well understood the holiness they were confronted with and their own unworthiness in the face of it.
The Call To Holiness
The Old Testament
In Exodus 19, we are told that the nation of Israel arrived at the base of Mount Sinai some three months after they left Egypt. Moses then climbed the mountain where God gave him a message for the people camped below. His message was that they had seen what God had done to the Egyptians and how He had brought them out of slavery therefore if they would keep His covenant and obey His voice they would be His own possession, chosen by Him from among all the people of the earth. They would be unto Him a "holy nation".
'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy (Heb. qôdesh) nation.' ... (Exodus 19:5-6 NASB)
This meant that, just as the altar in the temple and the garments worn by the high priest, were used solely in the service of God, the nation of Israel was also to keep themselves separate from all the other nations... a unique people dedicated to the purpose of God. They were set apart and belonging exclusively belong to God, something that could be said of no other nation on earth. "For you are a holy (Heb. qôdesh) people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6 NASB)
You might notice here that the Israelites were not urged to become holy. The verses says "For you are a holy people" not so that you may become holy. Peter used exactly the same format when he told his readers that they were "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" which is pretty much the same wording used in Exodus 19:6. Christians were to be "God's own possession" - a unique people dedicated to the purpose of God. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy (Gr. hagios) nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10 NASB)
When Exodus 3:5 was quoted in the book of Acts the Greek hagios was used in place of the Hebrew qôdesh. Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy (Heb. qôdesh) ground." (Exodus 3:5 NASB) "but the Lord said to him, 'take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy (Gr. hagios) ground. (Acts 7:33 NASB)
Hagios (holy) was used repeatedly for the Holy Spirit and, as the example below shows, also for Jesus The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy (Gr. hagios) Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the Holy (Gr. hagios) Child shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35 NASB)
When used of believers hagios was translated "saints. But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints (Gr. hagios) at Jerusalem; (Acts 9:13 NASB) To me, the very least of all saints (Gr. hagios), this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, (Ephesians 3:8 NASB) To the saints (Gr. hagios) and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Colossians 1:2 NASB)
Leviticus
One of the central themes running throughout Leviticus was God's call for His people to be a holy people. In fact, Leviticus 19 that recorded a number of diverse commandments was prefaced with the words... "Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall be holy (Heb. qôdesh), for I the Lord your God am holy (Heb. qôdesh) (Leviticus 19:2 NABS)
Leviticus 20:26 echoed the thought 'Thus you are to be holy (Heb. qôdesh) to Me, for I the Lord am holy (Heb. qôdesh); and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine. (Leviticus 20:26 NABS)
And it didn't end with the Old Testament.
The New Testament
Consider the following
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify (Gr. hagiazo) you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NABS) Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness (Gr. dikaiosune), faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22 NASB) Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (Gk. hagiasmos) without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14 NASB) For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? and if it is with difficulty that the righteous (Gr. dikaios) is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? (1 Peter 4:17-18 NASB)
Holiness Is Not Optional
I dread to think what would happen if someone in the 21st century church were to preach that you have to attain to a certain level of righteousness to be saved. The hue and cry from one end of the Christian world to the other would be deafening - the preacher soundly denounced for teaching salvation by works. But, consider for a moment Jesus' words in the Sermon On The Mount (Emphasis Added)
"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20 NASB)
In fact, Jesus greatly stressed the fact that obedience was indispensable in salvation. In the closing verses of Matthew 7, He said (All Emphasis Added) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. (Matthew 7:21-25 NASB)
An Unholy Person Cannot Even Approach a Holy God
If we think back for just a moment, perhaps we would remember God's instruction to Moses to remove his sandals,for the very ground he walked on was holy ground (Exodus 3). God did not try and put Moses at ease or make him comfortable, but very bluntly told him there were changes he had to make before he was even allowed to approach. In Exodus 19, at the foot of Mount Sinai, God made it very clear that sinful man could not approach Him. The Lord also said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ... "Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them." (Exodus 19:10-11, 22 NASB)
Additionally, only one man (the High Priest) was allowed into the holy of holies once a year only after the blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins had been made. One has to wonder whether those that claim to regularly read the Scriptures actually absorb what they are reading or have the words become so familiar that they are no longer taken literally - or even seriously? Something like putting on a comfortable old sweater that one scarcely notices the rest of the day. Never once did Jesus say that all we had to do was believe. Instead He taught that we had to do the will of the Father... as did the author of the book of Hebrews And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, (Hebrews 5:9 NASB)
Yet, in spite of this and many other passages, what is commonly heard from the pulpit today is that a person only has to believe in order to be guaranteed a place in heaven. Too many modern day teachers say "just believe" - the Bible instructs us to... Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14 NASB)
Who are you going to believe?
The Warnings - You Cannot Serve God And Mammon.
We are warned that our allegiance is to God's Kingdom which means we are not to be shaped and influenced by this world or even be friends with it. Jesus taught that no man can serve two masters, Paul emphasized that Christians should be shaped and influenced by God not by the world, while James in his usual blunt style minced no words in describing friends of the world as enemies of God..
Jesus: Note carefully that in Luke 16:13 Jesus did not say you should not serve God and mammon, but you cannot serve God and mammon. As He told His disciples.. they were in the world, but not of the world. "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Luke 16:13 NASB) If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. (John 15:19 NASB)
Paul: The apostle Paul warned his readers not to be ... conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NASB)
James: In today's language James would probably be called a "straight shooter" - his book marked by a refreshing directness without so much as a hint of subtlety or evasion. In his characteristic outspoken way James bluntly stated... You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4 NASB)
John: When John penned the following words it in unquestionably clear that he was referring to a love of the things the world has to offer... material objects, power, prestige, influence, etc.
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15 NASB)
In other words, the minute believers are born again, they are adopted as sons and daughters of God, and become citizens of His heavenly kingdom. However they cannot maintain a dual citizenship. Their allegiance has to be to one or the other and, if it is to this world, they become enemies of God with no inheritance in His Kingdom.
Eternal Consequences
This life is the only opportunity we will ever have to choose where we will spend eternity (See What and Where is Heaven?. When we close our eyes for the last time and step into what lies beyond we will take nothing with us. Not our money, fame, power, influence, looks, skills, achievements, eloquence, or intelligence. All we will take with us is whether or not we obeyed the commandments of God. Whether or not were true followers of Jesus Christ. and whether or not we lived a righteous life.
In no uncertain terms Ezekiel warned of the consequences of living a holy and obedient life Vs. a life Let us take the words of one of the ancient prophets very seriously Righteous Living: "But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period — if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man, if he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully — he is righteous and will surely live," declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 18:5-9 NASB) Unrighteous Living: Then he may have a violent son who sheds blood and who does any of these things to a brother (though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines, and defiles his neighbor's wife, oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore a pledge, but lifts up his eyes to the idols and commits abomination, he lends money on interest and takes increase; will he live? He will not live! He has committed all these abominations, he will surely be put to death; his blood will be on his own head. (Ezekiel 18:10-13 NASB)
In fact, a lack of holiness is an insurmountable barrier to a relationship with God. Yet, in our world all too many professing Christians are a long way from being aliens and strangers in the world (1 Peter 2:11), their morals often indistinguishable from the morality of the world.
Modern 'Holiness'
'Christian' culture has so weaseled its way into our thinking that Christian living has been reduced to a church service once a week, using 'Christian' T-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, jewelry etc. and, of course, reading the latest 'Christian' book - most of which bear no resemblance to Biblical Christianity. See Why The Fire Hasn't Fallen
In fact, quite a percentage of modern Christians survive on a diet of Christian quotes, inspirational messages, daily doses of wisdom from Proverbs, and uplifting (and probably out of context) Bible verses conveniently delivered by e-mail. Add to this a 15-20 minute sermon every Sunday, and the modern Christian is suffused with a warm glow of "spirituality". He basks in the fact that he has done what God expects of him. He is dead wrong because this type of Christian is the whitewashed tomb Jesus spoke about (Matthew 23:27). The pristine looking exterior hides the fact that there is nothing inside but dead man's bones. As the prophet Amos so clearly pointed out holiness is not participating in ceremonial rituals but is in everything we say and do. I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. "Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. "Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. "But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:21-24 NASB)
The scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day fell into the same error as the ancient Israelites. They were meticulous about ceremonial righteousness, but they did not care about their neighbors nor protect the widows and orphans. As Jesus said... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. (Matthew 23:14 NASB)
The tragedy is that like the Pharisees we have lost sight of how the Bible defines sin. We have forgotten that the Bible tells us that without holiness no one will see the Lord and further warns us not sell our birthright as cheaply as Esau sold his - giving in to the very temporary pleasures of the world and forgoing the permanent ones. See Why it is crucially important to understand how the Bible defines sin. All of which brings up the question as to what exactly "holiness" is.
Continue To Part II - Considering that holiness is not optional if we ever hope to gain entrance to the Kingdom it behooves us to understand exactly how the Bible defines holiness HERE
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