Pursuing Holiness

Without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Paul admonishes, ""...let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God"" (2 Corinthians 7:1). The business of the Christian is the pursuit of holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Walking in holiness is the vocation to which we are called (cf. Ephesians 4:1). Any other course is a dead-end, going nowhere.

To pursue holiness, we first must know what it is. Depending on the translation you consult, the words holy and holiness appear approximately 600 times in the Scripture. The words separate, distinct and different serve as an adequate definition. Holiness issues from God's essence. The seraphim around His throne called out to one another, ""Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts"" (Isaiah 6:5). Holy is what God is, where He is, and what He declares is good. Since believers are God's dwelling, holiness must be their aim.

Believers arrive at holiness by carefully observing the instruction God has revealed. Holiness is not what society labels as decent or good or even ""Christian."" A practice may be culturally accepted but not holy. Holiness is not determined by any other source than God's word. Apart from God's instruction, we cannot know what constitutes holiness. Holy living is to desire and attempt to implement everything God has said about what is right and good.

Let us note some of society's common violations of holiness. Forfeiting sobriety by consuming alcoholic beverages and inebriating one's self is inconsistent with the holiness of God (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8). Succumbing to lustful passions, committing lascivious acts and fornication are unholy, because God declared them unfit behavior for the Christian (1 Corinthians 6:17,18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5). The greed and covetousness that underlie participation in lotteries and casino gambling will be the subject of God's wrath, not His blessing (Colossians 3:5,6). Lips that spew profanity, spread gossip and sow discord are hated by the Lord (Ephesians 4:29; Proverbs 6:17,19; James 3:2).

In a world filled with unholiness, Christians should demand holiness of themselves and detest what is unholy. While we cannot escape our unholy environs entirely, we should do what we can to limit our exposure to what the Lord declared filthy. The Lord is looking for uplifted holy hands in prayer, not ones soiled by repeated sinful acts (1 Timothy 2:8). Yes, grace can cover sin but not in the case of willful sin nor with the absence of repentance (Hebrews 10:26-31). James admonishes, ""Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded"" (4:8).

Holiness is only rarely promoted in the media. Magazine covers present a hodgepodge of unholy images as you stand in the checkout line at the grocery store. A majority of hit films and popular television programming are laden with sexual innuendo and filthy dialogue. Television commercials are not even safe any more. Several Christians I know are installing the TVGuardian on their television sets. On any programming that is close-captioned, the TVGuardian will substitute words for profanity and the taking of the Lord's name in vain. Such devices may be helpful, but they cannot produce holiness. More importantly, Christians must take responsibility to implement a guard for their own minds.

Mental roadblocks must be maintained that will not allow the intrusion of unholy thoughts. Allowing the mind to partake in a steady diet of what is unholy will not eventuate in holy living. Spending time daily meditating upon the Scripture, reading Abundant Life and publications like it, spending time in prayer, will provide uplifting spiritual food for the mind and will help us in our fight against unholiness.

We have all seen the warning label, ""Keep out of reach of children."" Potentially harmful drugs for young children come with such warning labels and safety caps. Even toys with small parts come with warning labels since the product could present a health hazard to a young child if swallowed. Unfortunately, no danger symbols warn of the potential poisoning of the soul (which is infinitely more serious). No placards, no neon flashing lights warn, ""This is unholy! This is sin! Beware of the consequences!"" In a world without warning labels believers must grow toward maturity, having ""their senses trained to discern good and evil"" (Hebrews 5:14).

Peter's admonition is a fitting conclusion, ""Gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope . . . like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I AM HOLY'"" (1 Peter 1:13-16). As the year 2000 begins, no more lofty or important aim exists than to exhibit holiness in all your behavior!