Holiness vs A form of Godliness
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
PRELUDE: - The English way of defining words will often cause an obscure or circular definition which literally means a complicated systems to explain something which cause confusion and we so many times will draw the wrong conclusions of words and then we try to apply that same principal to other words which in fact are not explained or defined in that manner. For example, the opposite of good is bad, the opposite of on is off, the opposite of cold is hot. What we tend to do is take that and use it for other words especially Biblical words and we say the opposite of Holy is Unholy, when that is not true. Because we use the definition of Holy as good, sacred, or godlike we therefore say the opposite would be bad, not sacred, ungodlike. To truly understand Biblical words, we must go to the context in which that word is used. The word Holy comes from the Hebrew word Kodesh and the Greek word Hagios and these words literally translate as to set apart or separated from the common or ordinary and the opposite of that would be not set apart from, common, and ordinary.
QUESTION: - What is the difference between Holiness and a form of godliness?
PRAYER: -
SCRIPTURES: - 1 Peter 1:13-16 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy”.
Holiness vs a form of godliness.
DEFINITION: - Holy / Holiness according to the dictionary is the state of being holy (confusing). Biblically it is defined as being separate or set apart. WATCH THIS: - Leviticus 11:44 says, “For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy, for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”. This is the first time in scripture that the command to be Holy is given, the law of first mention dictates how something is described the first time in scripture is how it will be in scripture through all eternity. Here God sets the standard and says that there must be a difference - to be Holy is to be different than everything and everyone else. Just as He said there is a difference between the clean and unclean animals, there must be a difference between the Holy and the unholy. Now let me interject this right here - the opposite of Holy does not mean unholy or corrupt perse’ but to be common.
Holy is to be separated unto God for His use and purposes everything else is not corrupt or unhealthy but it is common, it is used by everyone for anything. The Holy becomes profane when there is an attempt to mix holy – what is separated to be used by God with that which is common used by everyone else. Acts 10:13-15 says, “And there came a voice to him, Rise Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, what God hath cleansed (set apart for His use) call not thou common”. So being Holy is not being common, occurring frequently, or familiar but is set apart to be used by God. Holiness / Holy is not a denomination that speaks in tongues because that is another lesson. Depending on what part of the country you are from you may think holiness is the people that handle snakes – well that is not holiness either. Holy / Holiness is a lifestyle that is set apart to be used by God for His purposes.
Holy / Holiness requires a connection with God. WATCH THIS:- Exodus 3:5 says, “And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground”. Now Moses was standing there keeping the flock on the backside of the mountain when he saw the bush burning and was not consumed when he turned to investigate the bush is when he heard the voice of God say the ground was holy ground. What was the difference between the ground he was standing on and the spot where the bush was burning, connection with God. Where the bush was burning was connected to the presence of God the other ground where Moses first saw the bush was common ground. So holy / holiness is separated from the common and connected to God who is holy. It is not based upon the name Holiness in the churches title, it is not based upon speaking in tongues, wearing or not wearing certain clothes it is based upon the separation from the ordinary or common and the connection to God.
A form of godliness is the act and system that does not change lives and brings a person into holiness, a separated life to be used by God. A form of godliness says like the world walk it out instead of guide me oh thou great Jehovah. Sure, a form of godliness can sing, dance, get people emotionally stirred up but so can the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Just as they cannot transform you into being a star football player the form of godliness can’t get you closer to God or to be used by God, regardless of the title a person has that says we are reaching the culture. WATCH THIS: - We not long ago came through the Covid Pandemic and it reached the culture, and we all know what devastation it caused as well – when the culture is reached by godliness and not Holiness it has the same effect - DEATH.
Understand if there is no transforming power it and them doing it are nothing but a tinkling brass and a sounding cymbal. The form of godliness is a lie, those that have a form of godliness are liars, and are operating in a false doctrine doing only what is right in their own eyes.
It doesn’t matter who says shut your mouth, then sign off, or misquotes a scripture isn’t going to change a lie. Revelation 22:11 says, “He that is unjust let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous let him be righteous still”. It’s time to come out from among them and be separated and God will receive you unto Himself. Stop playing church, stop playing with God, stop lying to the people, stop lying on God saying He said when He hasn’t spoken. We need true men and women of God to stand for holiness and put an end to all the foolishness and buffoonery that is happening in the church.
God calls for a Holy Life.
TEXT: - 1 Peter 1:13-16 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy”.
Vs 13:- gird up the loins of your mind. – this means to think properly, to have the same mind as Christ, that we think truth - Ephesians 6 tells us to have our loins girt about with truth. The armor of God is not a physical uniform but a spiritual one, so having our loins girt about with truth is having our minds truthful. What He calls holy I call holy and what He calls profane I call profane. None of this, well this is a new season, and we are going to do it differently now because that was good for grandma and grandpa but isn’t good for us today because this is a new generation, we need something new. Anyone that thinks like this don’t have the loins of the mind girt with truth but lies.
Be sober:- this is not talking about alcohol – this is not drunk with confusion and false doctrines, the rudiments of men, not with your own personal agendas and desires, not to be clouded by the form of godliness that is being preached by false preachers, but to be alert, to be vigilant, to think correctly. Don’t be like silly women that are laden with sins, led away with divers’ lust 2 Timothy 3:6. Let me explain this “silly women” prophetically speaking whenever you read about a woman in scripture prophetically it deals with a nation of people or the church such as the bride of Christ. So don’t be like these churches that are laden with sin (worldly acts) that are being led away with divers lust (the propensity for misconduct rather sexually, morally, or spiritually).
Hope to the end for the grace that is brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ – we must fix our hope on Jesus Christ, not on man, not on gimmicks, not on music, but on Jesus Christ the solid rock as the song writer said my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and Righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name, on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground, all forms of godliness is sinking sand.
When we gird up the loins of our minds and think properly like Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”. When we think on these things our minds are not diluted with false hopes and dreams, confused with profane stuff that is perpetrated as gospel, but is nothing more than lies - then we can focus on Jesus Christ and are able to persevere through difficulties and stand strong on His blessed assurance.
Vs #14 – As obedient children – Now that we have become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, now that we have been adopted, we must be obedient in all things like Christ is obedient not just because that is what we should do but because that is who we are. Jesus was obedient unto God and as our example we must strive to imitate that same obedience. We must do His will and not ours. Obedience is the dutiful or submissive compliance to the commands of one in authority. It is our obligation to obey God just as Jesus fulfilled His duty by dying on the cross for you and me; therefore, we obey Him because He loves us, and we love Him. Ephesians 6:1-3 says, “Children obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth”. Now if that is the command for our natural parents how much more shall we be obedient as children of God.
Not fashioning yourselves to the former lust in your ignorance – This is pretty much just like Romans 12:2 “be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”. To be fashioned or conformed is to indulge in the things of the world, to make provisions for them, to obey them, to live or walk in them all these things should not be done by people who call themselves children of God and supposedly obedient unto the Word of God for that is contrary to what the word teaches. We don’t do the things we used to do. We don’t try to incorporate our past lives and bring the worldly lust into the church.
WATCH THIS: - in your ignorance means the lack of knowledge; however, biblically speaking ignorance is a form of deception not knowing our position or identity in Christ nor the divine resources that are available in Him. So, because people don’t understand their position or identity in Christ, they believe it is o.k. to operate in such foolishness and have a form of godliness thinking they are holy when they are not holy but are in fact profane before the Lord because they are trying to mix that which is separated to God with that which is common.
Vs #15 – But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Since God who has called us is Holy, we are to be Holy as well – in all manner of conversation – this word conversation means behavior; therefore, our behavior, the way one conducts themselves, the way we carry ourselves must be HOLY.
WATCH THIS: - Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” – walk in what – the good works which God hath ordained in other words our behavior both in church and as we walk about in the world should glorify God and portray Christ as real to others. We are called to live lives that are holy and pleasing unto God Romans 12:1. We are to exemplify the kind of behavior that shows that we are committed to God, empowered by the Holy Ghost to do the will of God and declare His praises 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”. If my behavior is not portraying Christ, if my behavior does not show the fruit of the spirit as Galatians 5:22-23 says, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance how can I truly be holy. Yes, we will never reach perfection this side of glory, but we are to live holy, we are children of God, and we must live accordingly that is the standard – that is His standard. We must fulfill Colossians 3:17 which says, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him”.
Vs #16 – Be ye holy for I am holy - Because He is holy, we must be holy, our lives must be lived in holiness, separated to be used by God. Our sacrifices must be holy, which is the fruit of our lips must offer up holy worship. We must offer up sacrifices that our pleasing unto the Lord - you can’t offer up strange fire to the Lord and expect him to accept it.
CLOSING: - Let me close with this the requirements of being Holy.
1. To be holy there must be separation from the common and all that defiles – there must be separation from the common and ordinary and all that defiles – remember the opposite of Holy is not unholy, profane but is common or ordinary. The ground that Moses was standing on was not unholy ground, it was common ground. In Leviticus 10 when God gave the command about the clean and unclean animals, the unclean animals where not unhealthy but the were common, they were not separated. So, to be holy there must be a separation from the ordinary, common ways of the world and all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22-23 says, “Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
2. To be holy there must be separation to – God. Exodus 19:5-6 says, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priest, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel”. Separated to is to be set apart for the use of a specific purpose and by a specific entity – God.
3. To be Holy there must be connection to the source of Holiness – God. For a lamp to work it must be connected to the electrical outlet, the power source if it is not connected it will not work. If we are not connected to God, we will never be Holy. Going to church doesn’t make you holy any more than driving a car doesn’t make you an automobile. The form of godliness will never connect you to the source. WATCH THIS: - Exodus 3:5 says, “And he said Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground”. QUESTION: - What made the ground holy from where Moses was standing – the connection to God. When there is the connection to God it no longer is common and ordinary but because of the connection is holy. God the source of holiness claimed the ground to be holy because of His presence, His connection to the ground caused it to be Holy. When we are connected with God, we become holy, not common or ordinary and thus are not able to behave in a way that is not holy. So, if someone can call themselves holy and behave differently then what Holy is – then you must question their connection and that they only have a form of godliness.
4. To be holy we must obey God – Obedience to God states that you are willing and committed to not living, acting, and behaving as you used to do. You cannot be holy unless you are obedient to the Lord, obedience must be our nature to be holy. Obedience is holy living any refusal to obey God is a refusal to be holy. Leviticus 22:31-32 says, “Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the Lord. Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the Lord which hallow you”.
Final Thought: - Holy means separated or set apart from the common for a specific purpose. The opposite of Holy is not unholy but common. When something is profane it is from trying to mix the holy with the common. Esau despised his birthright this means to treat with contempt he took what was hallowed and treated it as if it were common, thus profaning his birthright. When the Holy is treated as common then that which was holy is now profaned.
Don’t be fooled by these Blasphemous Bishops, Pulpit Pimps and Gospel Gigolos that have a form of godliness but are not Holy. Holiness without no man shall see the Lord. If it doesn’t sound like God, if it doesn’t look like God, if it doesn’t act like God then it’s not God and following after that which is not God will cause you to end up in hell.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
