Holiness & People: As far or as close as we can be . . .

Alan Mann, in is book A Permanent Becoming, asks the following important question:

"When God says, 'Be holy as I am holy,' does that mean 'set apart, other, distant, untouchable, pure, unapproachable'? Or does that mean, 'Be life as God is life' - whole, full, loving, relational, mutual, creative, connected, and so on?"

He then goes on to make this conclusion in regard to living a holy life:

"We become more like Jesus, not by escaping the earth, but by burying ourselves deeper into the soil of life." (pg. 27)

The summary character qualities of a holy life were listed by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23. He called them the fruit of the Spirit, which is another way of saying the qualities that the Spirit produces. Paul writes:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

It strikes me that I cannot cultivate this fruit all by myself and in isolation from others. I need the help, encouragement, example and teaching of others to see how these fruit practically play out in my life and I need to be in relationship with other people to practice them. In fact, I would say its impossible to have the fruit of God's Spirit formed in you if you are not in relationship to others.

So, can I even consider living a holy life if I separate myself from the world and the people around me - even those people who actively, intentionally pursue an unholy life? That answer seems to be a clear NO to me. But I have a bigger question then: How can I be motivated by the love of Christ, be growing in the fruit of God's Spirit and active in the world around me, while still not being overcome by the temptation to sin and go against God's way? In other words, how best can I be a representative of Jesus (being life as God is life) in the world in which I live?

Are kids more holy than grown-ups?

Jesus said "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 18:3-6)

I have heard this text preached and used in lessons tons of times and I understand the basics:
1. Jesus was affirming the value of children when most ignored them.
2. Jesus was talking about the innocence and dependence of a child as a spiritual attitude we all should have.
3. A child-like spirit is essential to receive Christ and grow in the Spirit.
4. Jesus wanted to be sure to note that if someone hurts the connection of a child of God with their heavenly Father there would be serious consequences.

All of that is good and true, but I have another question - again related to holiness:

Can I be holy and live with a "grown-up" attitude?

The attitude of a child is one of trusting faith, completely willing to follow and be dependant on someone else. They don't carry the the scepticism, the negativity, etc. that we adults have as a matter of course. They simply trust. There is a freshness about them.

I wonder if living a holy life doesn't require this kind of freshness. Maybe its harder for us to cultivate a holy lifestyle because we act so "grown-up.". We take on the posture that we are so much wiser and worthy of our independence. And because of that, we aren't really open to even see God or experience a fresh move of the Spirit in our lives.

So, does being like a "grown-up" spoil our quest to lead a holy life and if so, how? How much of holiness is related to being like a child?

Staying with what it means to be holy . . .

OK . . . I understand that being a follower of Jesus is simple on one hand and very hard on the other. Jesus' command to love God completely and our neighbor as ourselves is pretty clear and simple. Its implications are far reaching because nothing in my life is left out if I take that seriously. BUT . . . now I have to try and sort that all out as I live my life and that is the hard part. As a follower of Jesus I think I will spend the rest of my life sorting out the implications of what it means to love God and neighbor completely and, hopefully, I will continue to grow in my understanding and experience of that.

That brings me to another important point in trying to understand what it means to be holy:

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 5:23

The term sanctification is synonymous with holiness. To sanctify means to set apart, purify, consecrate, etc. Paul makes clear that this process should encompass EVERY area of our lives! Nothing is left out and verse 24 makes clear that God is faithfully doing that work in us.

Once again, this says to me that becoming holy means becoming more and more like Jesus and loving God and others more and more completely. It is a journey and not something I arrive at, but a process that is ongoing throughout my life.

In that way, just as the work of saving my soul was God's through the grace of Jesus so is the work of making me holy. Its a grace act. I am given a gift of becoming more holy like Jesus.

To me that is a freeing concept. It takes a real load off my shoulders to know I am not a finished product and the work of sanctifying is God's work and not mine. I simply partner with Him by surrendering my will and heart to Him and allow Him to work - even the hard work - in me.

How do you understand this? How much of becoming holy do you see as being "up to you" and how much of it do you see as a gift of God beyond your control? What role do you play?

To touch or not to touch?

In the Old Testament, over and over again, the people of Israel were told not to touch certain things: unclean objects (everything from idols and foreign gods to mildew and mold), unclean people (from menstruating women and sick people to corpses) and unclean animals and food (pork, shellfish, certain birds and reptiles, etc.). They were to avoid these things for two reasons: (1) their holiness was in their ritual cleanliness and touching unclean things spoiled that; and (2) being unclean also meant they were separated from the rest of the community and no one could be holy all by themselves. So, to be holy meant to be connected to God's holy people and that meant you needed to be clean and "not touch."

Jesus definitely seems to have a different perspective. He touched lepers. He associated with and ate with tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners. He welcomed Gentiles as well as Jews. He touched and raised the dead. Indeed, one of His best teachings - the parable of the Good Samaritan - is about touching and associating with someone you shouldn't touch.

Jesus even said Himself in Mark 7:15-23:

"Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'" . . . "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

So, to be holy . . . does it mean I should touch or not? What do you think?

Is holiness more a noun or a verb?

The word holy or holiness is a word that is used often in the Bible. You can see it again and again in both the Old and New Testaments.

Jesus commanded His followers to "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

Again, the writer of Hebrews addresses holiness saying, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14)

Holiness is special, sacred, pure, righteous, etc. These passages seem to indicate holiness as a state one comes to or resides in. It is seen as something we either do or do not possess - A NOUN.

For the past several days I have been reflecting on this in preparation for a message from the prophet Micah.

Micah seems to describe a holy life like this:

"To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

Holiness here - as well as plenty of other places in the Bible - is more like A VERB. Acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly are all actions. They are things we do in our lives.

So, without going too much farther I want to ask you if you see holiness as more of a noun (a status achieved or a location arrived at) or a verb (action performed or a way of being). How have you heard it described to you in the past? How has it played out in your life? Honestly, is it something you ever give much consideration and, if so, how have you reflected on it? Which did Jesus demonstrate more in His life and teachings?