What is Holiness?
This morning I would like for us to take a look at one of the most amazing, overwhelming, misunderstood appeals in scripture.
Leviticus 11:45 NIV
I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
That’s quite a challenge! A call, from God Himself, for and me to be holy. Peter reiterated this appeal…
1 Peter 1:16 NLT
For it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
The Church of the Nazarene is a holiness church. We believe God has called us to be holy people. That seems consistent with God’s Word and certainly with these and many other passages of scripture.
I’ll never forget discussing doctrinal differences with a fellow pastor a few years ago. He said, “Steve, is your church a holiness church?” I said, “Absolutely!” His next comment was so shocking to me. I haven’t gotten over it. He said, “Our church is not a holiness church.” That statement hit me like a ton of bricks.
I knew there were holiness churches, and I knew there were churches that did not preach or teach holiness. But I had never heard anyone come right out and make such a bold statement. “Our church is not a holiness church.” His remark made me uneasy.
Didn’t God call us to live a holy life? “Be Holy because I am holy.” What’s so hard to understand about that? And I could give you numerous passages of scripture, Old and New Testaments, that affirm the same appeal. We are all familiar with Romans12:1-2.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. [2] Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
That’s a great verse on holiness. God has called us to a life of holiness. There is no question about that.
What might be confusing is the term itself. What is holiness? How is holiness is lived out? What does true, biblical holiness look like in the life of a committed Christian? I want to look at a few of the qualities of the holy life this morning.
I am sorry to report that the church has done a very poor job at times, representing Christ to our world. And in the most basic sense, that’s what holiness is all about. We are to reflect the image of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.
Holiness is Christ-likeness. Holy people are in the process of becoming like Jesus
I know that word “process” scares some people. There have been some who have taught that holiness is strictly a crisis experience that happens in a moment of time.
When we talk about a crisis experience, we are not talking about a tragedy or something that is bad. A crisis, when used in this context, is an experience that takes place at a particular moment in time. It can be measured by a date and time and place.
So, how do we become holy? Is it a crisis or is it a process?
I believe it is both. A decision is made to surrender our will to Christ in a moment. I decide to turn over ownership and control of my life to Him. At that point we initiate a process of growth that will continue until we die. We may stop that process through rebellion, disobedience or neglect. But God’s plan is to grow us up in Christ. He wants us to be like His Son. That’s His goal for you and me. And through people, circumstances, trials, tribulations and life itself He will begin the process of making you like His Son. But He does not force this experience upon us. It is our choice.
My concern is that some have given up on holy living believing it to be an impossibility this side of heaven. I want you to see that holiness is God’s will for all of us, but it may not look like what you think. But first, we need to define our terms.
How many have ever heard or said, “We sin in word, thought and deed every day”?
I believe that statement, that has almost become a cliché in certain pockets of Christianity, is false teaching, it leads to misunderstanding among well meaning Christians and it is contrary to God’s will for His people.
First, it is important that we know what sin is. Sometimes statements like this are confusing because of semantics. We have different definitions of what sins is. Some think that nobody bats 1,000, no body is perfect, so that means we sin. That’s not a Wesleyan definition of sin. We come from a Wesleyan perspective in our theology and we therefore have a Wesleyan definition of sin.
The best definition of sin that I have ever seen or heard is this. Sin is a willful transgression of God’s known law. That’s the basis for my statement a moment ago. If you accept that definition of sin, then the statement “We sin in word, thought and deed every day” is false teaching according to the Bible. It can lead to misunderstandings especially among new Christians, and it stands in direct opposition to Scripture. I’ll show you what I mean.
Romans 6:1-2 NIV
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? [2] By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Simply enough?)
Romans 6:18a NIV
You have been set free from sin…
(Sin is a choice.)
Romans 6:23 NIV
For the wages of sin is death…
Does that verse make you want to continue in sin?
1 John 3:9 TLB
The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him--he has been born again.
God and sin do not co-exist. And what we need to do is cultivate a sensitivity to the Spirit of God working in our lives until we get to the place that we are keeping in step with the Spirit of God rather than nursing the old sinful lifestyle that God wants to save us from.
SIN - I know what God says I should do and I choose not to do it. That is sin. I know what God says I should not do and I do it anyway. That’s what sin is. A willful transgression of God’s known law.
They key word there is willful. Sin is not an accident. Sin is not a mistake. It is not an error in judgment. Sin is deliberate. It is intentional. It is on purpose. I know when I do it. And it is not God’s will.
Are you with me?
Susanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley, had this to say about sin:
"Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of your body over mind, that thing for you is sin."
That’s great counsel
The problem with Christians today is that we don’t hate sin like God hates sin. We don’t try to get away from sin. We don’t shun it or avoid it like we should. As a result, we have been desensitized to sin. It seems like we want to try to get as close to the world and the sin of the world as we can possibly get. We walk the tight rope.
2 Corinthians 6:17 NIV
"Therefore come out from them and be separate.”
That’s the meaning of sanctification. Holy living and sanctification are synonymous. A sanctified person is a holy person. And sanctification means that we are set apart for sacred use. God wants His people to be set apart from the world.
Christian people are not to live like the world lives. We are not to look like the world looks. The truth is, we are to be in the world, but not of the world.
Did you know that we can walk though the gutter without having to lie down and wallow in it? Too often, that’s what we have done. That’s why there is so little distinction in how the world lives and how professing Christians live. That ought not to be. There should be a distinct difference in how a sanctified believer lives.
This is not about being some kind of weird side show attraction just because you are a Christian. Christian people, who bear the fruit of the Spirit, will be beautiful and appealing to the world. A holy life will create a hunger in the lives of others to know God like you know Him.
So, instead of asking, “Can I do this and still go to heaven?” why not ask, “how can I be more like Jesus?” That’s the right question. Holy people want to be like Christ.
Richard Wurmbrand spent 14 years in a Nazi concentration camp. He spent several years in solitary confinement. He was tortured by brutal prison guards. One day he said that he had learned from the guards. Listen to what he said…
"As they allowed no place for Jesus in their hearts, I decided I would leave not the smallest place for Satan in mine."—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
How about you? Have you left even a small place for satan, for sin, in your heart? If so, do you think that is pleasing to God?
God has called us to live a holy life. And some of you are thinking, that sounds good for others, but I could never do it. I couldn’t live a holy life. I am weak. I am inconsistent. I tried it before. I could never do it! And you’re right! This isn’t about what you can do on your own. It’s about what we can do with His help! And with God’s help, I am here to report with absolute confidence today, that you can live a holy life, a clean life, a Christ centered life. Let me show you what I mean.
How many believe the Bible is the Word of God?
I suspect the majority of you are people who believe that God created the heavens and the earth. After all, that’s what the Bible says in the very first book, the very first chapter, the very first verse.
Genesis 1:1 NIV
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Five words into the Word of God, we are told that God created. I believe it.
People who do not believe in God as the Creator would like to portray themselves as people with no faith. I disagree with them. If you believe in the big bang theory or that this earth and everything on it just kind of evolved from a monkey and an ameba, I have to hand it to you, you have way more faith than I do. I mean it!
I have to admit that I don’t have enough faith to believe in those theories. I believe that this creation came from the hand of a Creator. I believe this book is a Divinely inspired book and that it contains everything I need to know about how to live the life God has called me to live and how to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
So, if I choose to believe God’s Word, I have to believe all of it. I can’t cherry pick and choose what pages, what chapters and what verses I want to believe. I can’t go through a process of selective reduction deleting pages that make me uncomfortable or pages that I choose not to believe or follow. I have accepted the Bible as God Holy, Inspired Word.
Once you choose to accept the authority of the Word of God, you have to see what it says. You need to read it, study it, memorize it and apply it to your life.
Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
I am going to make a short statement. It is only three words long. After I make the statement, I am going to ask you to agree or disagree with the statement. Ready?
“God is able!” Do you believe that? I do! Not only is He able, he is more than able to do what? Immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine. That’s BIG!
God is able to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine. I admit it, I have a big imagination. And I believe the Bible is the truth. I believe it is God’s Word. And to that person who says, I sin in word, thought and deed every day, I say too bad! Too bad!!!
Your God must be so small. To think that God can create this entire world that we live in. He created you and me. This God who hung the stars in place and the One who created every living thing, it is too bad that He can’t enable you to live a clean life! It is too bad that He can’t help you stop sinning. It’s too bad that He can’t help you live the holy life that He called you to live.
Can you picture God in heaven saying to us, be holy because I am holy, and then setting you up for the big fall. Do you think He commands us to do something that He knows good and well we can never do?
Do you think He is trying to challenge us just to frustrate us? Do you think He is trying to set us up? Do you think He wants to send you to Hell? That seems quite contrary to why Jesus came to this earth 2,000 years ago.
Either God can help you live the life that He called you to live or He can’t. I happen to believe God can enable His kids to live a holy life, free of sin, even in this unholy world. But you have to be willing to do your part. You have to say “no” to sin. You have to be willing to obey Him at all times, in all things. Now, this next verse is a real wakeup call.
Hebrews 12:14 NIV
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
What kind of God would say that? “Be holy because I am holy.” “Without holiness no one will see God.” Those are sobering words. They are straight from the Bible and they require very little commentary. I think they speak for themselves, don’t you?
What kind of God would say such a thing? I’ll tell what kind of God.
a) A holy God would say that.
b) A God who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.
c) A God who is able to come to this earth to leave us an example that we should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21).
d) The kind of God who would say, “you don’t have to do it alone. I will help you. I will send my Spirit to dwell within you.” Now you can testify with Paul, it is no longer I who lives but it is Christ living within me! That’s the kind of God who says it!
God called us to be holy. He empowers us to live the life He has called us to live and it is time that Christian people stop copping out and stop making excuses and allow God to do His work in us. That work is perfecting in us the image of His son Jesus Christ until we begin to reflect the true image of Jesus to our family, to our coworkers, neighbors, friends and church family. Are you interested?
From a practical standpoint we need to see what holiness looks like. I’m sure we all have notions and ideas. Some of them might be kind of distorted, especially if you grew up in a church that focused solely on externals as evidence of what holiness should look like.
Down through the years we’ve heard a lot of rules and regulations that were supposed to represent holiness. Don’t go here, don’t go there. Can’t do this, can’t do that. Lots of rules and regulations that were supposed to show that we are living a holy life. And in the midst of it all, we might be able to keep a few of the rules and look the part on the outside, but there has been no genuine change of heart. Know what I mean?
I am suggesting to you today, that much of what you might have heard growing up is wrong. It might have been well intentioned, but it was wrong according to the Word of God. That’s why some people say, “Well if it was wrong then, then why isn’t it still wrong today?
I can answer that question! It wasn’t wrong then. A great example is dancing. Holiness churches would often have rules that prohibit social dancing. The objective behind the rule was to help young people avoid promiscuous, lewd, suggestive dances that broke down the proper moral inhibitions between the sexes.
The principle was good. A lot of the dancing is little more that simulated sex standing up. Christian people have no business participating in stuff like that, unless it is between a husband and a wife in the privacy of their own home and in that case, it is none of your business!
What we did with the dancing rule is said all dancing is sin! Kids weren’t allowed to be in ballet! Kids weren’t allowed to participate in square dancing during physical education class. I happened to like that rule , but in all honesty, I doubt that anybody is going to hell for square dancing.
Holiness is more a matter of the heart than it is a matter of keeping a list of rules and regulations. That’s not holiness. It is legalism. And you know what legalism is. Legalism is where I want my conscience to be your guide!
Through the years the church has been filled with legalism. And what is interesting to me is that some of the people who have looked like they were holy from all outward appearances, have been some of the meanest, nastiest, gossipiest people I know.
But when my heart is in alignment with Him, I don’t need a bunch of people making rules that tell me how to live. Because I am going to have God’s Spirit living with in me and I will know in my heart that what I am doing is wrong and I won’t want to do anything that hinders my relationship with Him.
I’m just telling you the truth this morning. I may not win any popularity contests with some, but I am going to tell you the truth according to the Word of God. And if we are honest, what I have told you this morning has direct implications on people you know who are away from God and away from the church today.
I admit that I have also known people who possessed all of the outward traits of what some call holiness and they also possessed the most important element and that is a transformed heart. I’ve seen them. And the life they lived was characterized by love. Love for God and love for people. And they possessed the Fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is the real evidence that you are living a Sprit filled life.
Galatians 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
It’s not about how long your dress is, that’s an outward thing. Holiness is about the heart. But holiness that is real and that is genuine, it will find it’s way to the outside. And because you are Spirit led and Spirit filled it will no doubt make a difference in how you live, in how you dress, in how you act, in where you go and in what you do.
We’ve tried for too many years to make people holy from the outside in. It doesn’t work. We all know it but some hate to admit it. It doesn’t work. It’s backwards!
True holiness is an inside job. It begins on the inside. It is an inward transformation that works its way out. You will see evidence on the outside that a person has experienced this inward transformation, but it begins on the inside and it is the work of God’s Holy Spirit within us, not the result of a bunch of rules and regulations.
We don’t need more rules. We just need to help more people fall in love with Jesus.
So what does practical holiness look like? Let me give you a few qualities to look for. This is not a conclusive list, but it will help you get the idea as we begin to wrap up.
1. Sanctified Christians love God and love people. (See God’s Spirit within them)
2. They are willing to say, “I am sorry.”
3. They tell the truth…all of the time.
4. Guard their tongue. Their words will be seasoned with kindness. They will be careful about things like gossip and criticism and foul language.
5. Guard their heart and their mind.
Holy people are the kind who would run their TV viewing, their reading and their music through the Philippians 4:8 filter.
Philippians 4:8 LB
And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.
How would the things on your TV, your magazine rack, your radio measure up against that standard? What kind of music do sanctified people listen to? All kinds of music. I know some of you don’t like rock or rap or whatever. But there is Christian rap. I hate it. I wouldn’t give you a nickel for every rap CD on the face of the earth.
There’s no such thing as Christian music. There are only Christian words. So to know if what you are listening to is Christian, just listen to the words. Well I can’t hear the words. That’s another debate entirely, but I will tell you this, there’s plenty of country music that sanctified people have been listening to, and you can hear the words, and my question is, what would a sanctified believer what to listen to those words? When was the last time you asked the Lord to guide you in a decision like that?
I am convinced that God wants to guide us in these things and He is far more effective at leading you to listen to the right music, if you will allow Him, than I am at legislating it.
Would a sanctified person watch a show about Desperate Housewives looking around to see who they can have sex with this week? Is that what you want to fill your mind with? It’s no wonder you don’t have time to read the Bible and you feel like your prayers bounce off of the ceiling.
We could get into Premium cable television and R rated movies and MTV and VH 1 and all of that stuff and we would be right back where we started with a bunch of rules and regulations. Questions like, can I still do this and get to heaven? Instead, why not invite the Spirit of God to take control of your life and allow Him to guide you on decision like these and every other decision you make. Allow Him to begin transforming you into the image of His Son?
6. Sanctified people don’t worry about who gets the credit. They are not mean spirited, nasty, critical, carnal or selfish.
7. They want nothing between their soul and their Savior.
I’ve got another example of what holiness looks like. I hesitated to use it, but I really feel like I should.
8. Sanctified people express holiness by honoring authority and obeying their leaders.
Hebrews 13:17 NIV
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
I read recently that this is the most disobeyed verse in the evangelical church today.
You lose your cool at work and people point and say I thought he was a Christian.
9. A holy person owns their behavior.
10. Admits it was wrong. They ask God to forgive them and they ask the people
Hebrews 6:1 The Message
So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on "salvation by self-help" and turning in trust toward God;
Will you do it? Are you ready to make a commitment to truly grow up in Christ and become the grand work of art that He has in mind for you?
Please pray this prayer with me – Lord Jesus, please examine my heart today. If there is anything that is hindering our relationship, if there is anything that is keeping me from being the person you have called me to be, if there is anything that is displeasing to you, would you reveal it to me right now….and as you speak, help me to have the courage to obey, no matter what. Whatever it takes.
This morning I pray that many will hoist the white flag of surrender to You, Lord. Father, I have been trying to do it myself. Today, I make a conscious, willful, spiritual decision to surrender control of my life to Christ, in Whose Name we pray. Amen.
A Wise Mother And Christ’s Picture
A mother visited her boy at college. Upon entering his room, her eye swept across the walls, which were covered with more than a dozen suggestive pictures. Her heart was grieved, but she said nothing.
Several days later, the mailman delivered a package to the young man. It was a gift from his mother—a beautifully framed picture of the head of Christ.
Proudly the boy hung the picture on the wall above his desk. That night, before he went to bed, he removed the pin-up picture which hung closest to the face of Christ. The next day another picture was consigned to the wastebasket. Day after day the pictures began to disappear from the walls until only one remained—the picture of the Saviour.
That’s a tremendous example of the incredible work that God wants to do in your life. Will you let that transformation begin this morning? I pray that you will.
Invitation: He is Able
