Leviticus 11:44 – For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
I Peter 1:15-16 – But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Recently, during a Bible Study, a discussion regarding the definition of holiness was the focus, and I discovered some interesting truths about a subject of which I thought I had mastered.
When we think of the word “holiness,” we usually think of terms like righteousness, godliness, saintly, etc. While not incorrect, there is another term that best defines holiness as it refers to the only true and living GOD. That word is unique.
In every ancient civilization I have studied, the concept of worshipping one god, or monotheism, was not practiced: instead, they worshipped, and sacrificed to many gods: polytheism. You may even remember several Egyptian, Greek, and Roman gods from your world history classes. Names like: Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Anubis, and of course Zeus are used in many conversations and programs (i.e., the United States Space program) today. However, when God called Abraham to leave the family idol making business, and travel to a place that He would later show him, this was no small task.
As I read the Scriptures, and learn of the many acts of God, He is different than any other god people worshipped then, and now. Molech, the god of the Ammonites required his followers to sacrifice their children, but our God provided Abraham a substitute in lieu of his son Isaac. Our God represents cleanliness and righteous; whereas Zeus is reported to have had eight affairs and even molested a young man according to Greek mythology. I could go on, but you get the message – Jehovah was and is different than any other god.
Now, He calls us to be holy, or unique. Someone reminded me He did not call us to be strange, but unique. Note the teachings of Jesus. He tells us to love our enemies and pray for them. He tells us to turn the other cheek when we are slapped on one side. He tells us to humble ourselves and wait until God exalts us. He tells us to endure hard times without murmuring and complaining. He tells us to be kind to strangers and those who do not have anything to offer us.
In a day when other gods tell their followers to commandeer airplanes and fly then into buildings and kill themselves and other innocent people, our God sends His Son to die for us that we may live victorious lives. So, I ask you, how unique are you? Does your faith in God and obedience to His Word cause you to stand out from the world? Can people see your good works? When you experience hardships, is your response predictable, or do you surprise people the way Job did and you say, “…though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”? I have learned true holiness is not how you dress. True holiness is not a denomination. True holiness is being unique and standing out from the crowd because the love of Jesus constrains us. Let us practice being unique for our Savior and witness people glorifying him!
I bless you in the name of the Lord.