For many American evangelicals, "holiness" conjures up musty images of revival meetings, gospel trios, and old-time religion—along with stern prohibitions against drinking, dancing, and playing cards. And many are happy to leave these notions of holiness in the past. Yet even in our era of techno-savvy megachurches and postmodern emerging churches, holiness, when it is discussed at all, is often associated with moral behavior such as sexual purity, financial honesty, and commitment to private prayer.
If we talk about holiness with unbelievers, won't that present just another hurdle for them to overcome on their way to Christ? The way some people see it “Get them saved first then move to morality.” Holiness is more than Morality.
Recent polls show that many Christians show none or not much difference in the thinking of mainstream American in practices of divorce, spousal abuse, extramarital sex, pornography, materialism, and racism, just to name a few. In Leviticus 11:44 (KJV) it discusses and told about what we could eat to be holy. How do we justify that in our thinking about being Holy. Many in our culture don't view us as morally different in any meaningful way—except to see us as hypocrites.
I believe one crucial ingredient to healing our moral confusion is the recovery of the biblical idea of holiness, which includes private morality but so much more—the very life of God in us. God's call on all that we are to be more like him everyday: "Be holy, because I am holy" says the Lord. (1 Pet. 1:16; ).
Leviticus 19:15-18 (NLT)
15 “Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
16 “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people.[a]
“Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord.
17 “Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives.[b] Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.
18 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Holiness
I believe the Bible teaches there is more to Holiness than we think. Just staying away from known wrongs that are physically wrong, morally wrong and materially wrong are just a touch of God in our lives. We know there are moral things that the world thinks are wrong. The world thinks some things are OK to participate in. We Christians even perceive other things to be wrong morally within our lives and souls that the world thinks are ok to do.
Isaiah, using a tree and its branches, is telling us more than just the do’s and don't that we can and can’t do in Isaiah 11:1-2. If we can understand what he is explaining here to us then what is right or wrong in God’s sight will be made so clear to us.
Isaiah 11:1-2 (NLT)
The Branch From Jesse
11:1 Out of the stump of David’s family[a] will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Holiness that comes from Isaiah 11:1-2 can solve many things in our minds as we move on this journey to be with the Lord. It can keep us on the straight and narrow road that the Lord wishes us to be on.
Read Isaiah 11:1-2(NLT) again.
