Christians must live counterculturally. Christians must not resemble the priorities,
the struggles, the joys or the miseries of the world. Christians must be holy, but now I'm raising
an interesting question.
What does it mean to be holy? I think there is a huge misunderstanding of
the meaning of that word. For many in
Christ, the meaning of the word "holy" is something as far removed
from the realm of possibility as perfection.
These Christians are haunted by verses like Matthew 5:48 which says,
"Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." When read out of context, this verse, as well
as others like it, can seem outlandishly daunting. To others, being "holy" simply
means being set aside for a task or purpose, for the word "holy" does
mean "set apart" in the Hebrew.
In this idea, holiness is not a lifestyle as much as it is an identity
created by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. In this viewpoint, Christians are holy only
by the nature of the Divine presence within and calling upon them.
Where both of these views on holiness have some merit,
neither is complete. God doesn't expect
perfection. Scripture can appear to say
that only a sinless life is holy and honorable to God, but we must remember
that the debt of all sin, for all who are in Christ Jesus, has been paid by His
sacrifice on the cross. However,
holiness is not just something received by the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says, "For God did
not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." To live a life that is set apart here takes
on a meaning that goes beyond just "chosen." The Greek word used here for "holy"
is a word that means "pure" as we can see by the contrast created in
the verse itself. To be set apart from
the world becomes complete by not being stained by the world; being pure salt,
being pure light.
For any who know me, I find such revelation and
illumination in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Jesus' traveling sermon is so all-inclusive
in its implications that I am reminded of His words daily. In the introduction of His sermon, Jesus
describes what it means to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. At first, Jesus turns the tables by saying
that the least are the blessed. He then
moves to a brief description of the purpose of a Kingdom citizen's life. Here are His words, “You are the salt of the
earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It
is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on
its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let
your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify
your Father in heaven." (Matthew
5:13-16)
Anything that contaminates our saltiness makes us
"unsalty" and, by default, no different than the world. In this regard, holiness is a purity set in
direct contrast to the impurity of the world, but to what end? We are a light in the darkness. When light shines in the darkness, the
darkness is overcome by the direct contrast.
When light shines in the darkness it's like a cityscape viewed from the
country. A brilliantly lit city
outshines the stars in the sky. It's
impossible to miss. When our purpose on
this earth is to shine, our holiness is the radiance of that light drawing
people to the Father. Peter restates
this in 1 Peter 2:12, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though
they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on
the day he visits us." Holiness is our ministry. Holiness is our purpose. We must choose to live holy lives, lives in
direct contrast to the impurity of the world, in order to point people to
Christ. We can't earn salvation through
holiness, but when we are not living lives of purity, when we are not following
Christ in His ways, lock-step as it were, then we are salt that has lost its
saltiness, a lamp covered by a bowl, a tree that bears no fruit. None of these describe kingdom citizens. Being a follower of Christ is nothing decided
for you but something we must work out daily as Paul says in Philippians
2:12-13, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only
in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in
order to fulfill his good purpose."
To that end, let's be set apart from the world. Let's turn the world upside down (or
right-side up). Let's live in the world
but not of the world. Let's be a light
to the world that all may see God working through us. Let's be the instrument of God's mercy and grace. Let's live counterculturally, against the
societal norm. Let's be holy!
In His Grip,
BJ
