A recent renovation of one of Oxford’s oldest libraries
unearthed a fragment from a printing plate hidden beneath the floorboards. It
was a plate form the King James Version of the Bible; the text was Leviticus
19. It had probably not seen the light of day since the library was built and
the floor was laid in 1677. If you know what Leviticus 19 contains you would
laugh and possibly honestly reply that we do the same, we hide this passage
under our rugs, pews, pulpits or under the church. “Be Holy for I am Holy.” The
doctrine of holiness is one seldom taught, but when it is taught it is usually taught wrong. We find this passage
not only in Leviticus 19, but also in the following.
Leviticus; 11:44, 11:45, 19:2, 20:7, 20:26, Matthew 5:48, 1
Peter 1:15-16
So, what does “HOLY” mean? Why is it on my Bible? How do I become
Holy as God commands?
Holy means to be
set-apart, for God. To be holy is to be
unique or uncommon (Leviticus 10:10) in such a way that it raises an eyebrow
and drops a jaw.
This is quite different from annoying… I grew up in south Louisiana
where there are guys that stand on a corner with cardboard signs proclaiming
everyone passing by is destined to hell. Yes they may be correct about some,
and they may call themselves “set apart.” I call people like this, “ostracized”
not “set apart.” Some seek to be hated, and seek to die as a martyr… just so
that they may fulfill this meaning of holy.
I prefer to think of Holiness in our lives as something like
the Crown Jewels. If you were to go visit the crown jewels you would realize they
are nothing more than precious metal, and precious stones. But because they
have been specifically set aside for the King / Queen, they are admired.
Thousands of people pass by these normal elements daily. However, none of these
visitors feel that the jewels are repulsive or ugly, or common. Instead, all
visitors feel that these are things to be desired. Little girls may even ask
their daddy to buy them a replica version, probably plastic, so they can feel
like a queen.
As Christians we are to be like these crown jewels. Things
that are common, humans, but set aside for a specific purpose of glorifying the
King. We are to be something that people wonder how to get what we have, how to
live how we live, how to do what we do. But if we don’t reflect holiness (set
apartness) then why would anyone want to be a part of us? If we don’t reflect
holiness (set apartness) then what do people think of God? Is God just a common
element not to be desired?
We must remain faithful to what he expects of us though (practical holiness).
Imagine the impact if we considered the following things
Holy like those beautiful jewels;
·Marriage - it would be treasured not thrown away via. divorce.
·Our spiritual lives - it is to be grown cared for, protected
·Our bodies - it is to be nurtured, guarded, fed properly.
·The Scriptures - it is to behold like the girl lost in the glory of the crown
·Our actions - we are to do common things, in a way that others glory in Christ.
This is why Robert Murray McCheene said, “my people’s
greatest need is my personal holiness.”
If we live lives that reflect the glory of God, then it won’t
be hard to help others grow and desire Christ likeness.
