What Standard? Series

Pt. 1 - What Standard?

I. Introduction

You can just say the name of the city and most people instantly, without any additional information, recognize what you are talking about. Canton, OH, Springfield, MA, Cooperstown, NY. Hall of Fame for football, basketball and baseball. These special places enshrine the best of the best. Their hallowed halls pay homage to the heroes of the fields and courts. Each of these places see over 200,000 people come through their doors annually to catch a glimpse of a photo, a glove, a helmet or some other piece of sport's history. There are arguments, blogs, tv specials debating who is in these halls of fames that should not be and who has been held out that should be included. There are those enshrined that everyone would agree on and then there are those on whom the jury is split for a variety of arguments ranging from lack of certain stats or lack of character. So, their worthiness is up for debate. It is a conversation that will rage on until eternity. There is also a Hall of Fame for faith. Unlike these other establishments, this Hall of Fame isn't connected to a geographical location. Nor is it contained inside a building of brick or steel. Instead these people are enshrined in the ink of a page. One chapter. As synonymous with a Hall of Fame as Canton or Cooperstown. It is Hebrews 11. The Hall of Fame for faith records the heroes of faith. However, since the list includes names like Abraham (a bonafide liar), Jacob (a professional con man), Moses (a murderer), Rahab (a prostitute), Samson (a womanizer), and David (an adulterer) there is very little debate about the fact that most of those included, if not all, don't seem to belong! There can be no argument about that. The folks in this hall were not those of stellar character or perfect credentials. They didn't always perform up to our expectations. They were just a little suspect. So why are they in the Hall of Fame of Faith?

The simple but extremely complicated answer is the standard is . . . holiness.

You can simply go back to some of the earliest instructions given by God to the chosen people of Israel and see the standard that is in demand.

Leviticus 11:44 (NIV) - I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.

Leviticus 11:45 - be holy, because I am holy.

Leviticus 19:2 - “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel

and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,

am holy.

Leviticus 20:7 - “‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.

You can even fast forward into the New Testament and see the same standard demanded.

1 Peter 1:15 - "But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy."

So, it is apparent that God demands that we are holy. This rattles many of us because we know ourselves and we know we are not perfect. Fortunately, I can point you back to the Hall of Fame and say perfection is not the standard. In fact, the writer of Hebrews makes this clear in Hebrews 12:14 - Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Holiness is the qualifying feature of inclusion in the ranks of the Hall of Fame of Faith.

I don't do this much but, in this case, I think it is helpful to us. The Hebrew word for holy is “qodesh” and means “apartness, set-apartness, separateness, sacredness” and “otherness, transcendent and totally other." In the New Testament, the word for holy is “hagios” and means "set apart, reverend, sacred, and worthy of veneration.”

So, for a working definition of holiness that gives us some direction or help in living a Hall of Fame of Faith worthy life (SLIDES 7&8) "holy" literally means "To be set apart."

You will remember that last week I stated that we should have shared morals and there should be a collective ethic. I believe that with all my heart and think Paul backs that up in his writings. The question then is what is the collective ethic? Who determines it? Who/what sets the standard of holiness that we are supposed to subscribe to? That has been a debate for decades and the result is we have made the standard of holiness either unnecessary or unobtainable and both positions are wrong and a mess because we made it about rules instead of relationship.

How many grew up in holiness background? If you did, then you know holiness was a mess because we made it about clotheslines and hemlines. Did you notice that the standard was generally more difficult for women and lenient on men? The agreed upon standard also hardly ever addressed the sins we were the most comfortable with. The result was people running around with no makeup and very modest clothing who wouldn't go to a movie but wouldn't pass up a buffet. The standard usually had very little to do with inward transformation and much to do with outward conforming. So, holiness became a mess. It became the fodder for arguments about legalism vs. license. Rules that were out of reach or in a knee jerk reaction we would swing the pendulum to an extreme other side where there were no rules so that we could explore the limits of grace.