2016 Holiness Series: #1 Introduction to Holiness

            During 2016 I will be doing most of my newsletter articles on the topic of holiness.  Holiness is very important to who we are as United Methodists, at least historically.  I will say more about that in a future article.  This time I want to simply get a definition out on the table.

Holy simply means set apart.  Holiness is a scary word because when we hear the word “holy” we think it means being perfect, or really good, or at least better than we are. While there is a behavioral element to holiness, the true definition of holiness lies elsewhere.  The true definition of holy is sacred or set apart for special use; not common, different.

God is holy.  Holiness begins with God.  God is the only one who is truly holy and he alone is the source of all holiness and he alone makes all things holy.  The Bible says, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.”  The Hebrew word for holy is kadosh and Hebrews has no superlatives, like good, better, best, so repetition in Hebrew is like saying good, better best.  In saying that God is holy we are not just saying that he is morally perfect but also that he is wholly other than us.

God’s stuff and God’s people are holy.  Because God is holy the people and things that belong to God are holy, like the Holy Bible.  Since all things belong to God, in a way, you could say that everything is holy.  However, we talk of the church and its people as being holy in a particular way.  The church and its people belong to God and have been set aside for special use by God, kind of like the good china.  You don’t use the good china just any old time and, when you do use, you are careful with it.  We should treat the things of the church and the people of the church, ourselves and others, with the same kind of care.

Positional Holiness and Practical Holiness:  If you have put you faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you belong to God and are positionally holy, holy by position because you belong to God.  The problem is, however, that we don’t always act like we are holy.  We are not holy practically, in practice.  It is like we are using the good china to eat pizza in the living room while watching football.  Even worse, imagine playing a game of poker, complete with scotch and cigars, on the altar of the church.  That is what it is like when God’s people do not act as if they are holy.  This series is dedicated to helping us understand the doctrine of holiness and begin to live, with God’s help, like the holy people God has created us to be.