"The serene, silent beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world, next to the might of God." — Blaise Pascal
The new girl trying to find friends at school. Your co-worker who just started at the office. The mom who just moved down the street. You've heard them all say it: Christians are different.
They're right. Christians are different ... or at least we should be for the right reasons.
The contemporary word different finds its match with the biblical word holy. Admittedly, holiness is a vague, abstract idea. It doesn't immediately paint a mental picture like the words door or rock. The word holiness comes from a Hebrew word that means "to cut, to mark off." The word is often associated with the verbs "to separate" or "to divide." God is holy in that He is separate, distinct, and different from all creation. Holiness is what makes Him God; it's the central characteristic of His deity. He does not conform to a standard. He is the standard.
The Picture of Holiness
As holiness characterizes God, it identifies His people. The apostle Peter quoted God as commanding, "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:16, NIV). The Message paraphrases: "Let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness." Believers may choose a married life or a single life, but it is not left to them to choose whether or not they live a holy life. God not only desires holiness; He demands it. Holiness, therefore, is not merely a word to ponder; it's a life to achieve.
A holy person is not an odd person, but a different person. A holy person is not a perfect person, or one who attends church 50 out of 52 Sundays. A holy person is not known by what they don't do: "I don't smoke, dance, chew, or run around with those who do." Holiness is not behavior modification, but a life intoxicated with God's Spirit and effervescing with God's nature. A believer's present lifestyle is not only different from past lifestyle, but is different from unbelievers' lifestyles. A holy person takes Jesus Christ and His Word seriously. A moral stature is pursued that comes from a radical passion to live for and like Christ.
Holy people both attract and repel. It distinguishes life in a way that attracts beauty, goodness, and purity, yet it repels some people because it flows against the tide of societal behavior and accepted norms.
The Problem with Holiness
Holiness stretches people to move into zones of discomfort, going against the norms. The problem is that people, especially teenagers, don't want to be different. We value conformity. We don't want to stand out in the crowd. We are terrified of being set apart. We don't want to be known as "holier-than- thou." We think holiness requires living as a monk or priest. We envision holy people living in faraway monasteries, separating themselves from any kind of fun and frivolity, trading in cars, comfortable homes, and well-paying jobs for a missionary stint in a third-world country. Consequently, we say, "Not for me."
Jesus desired His followers to shine as light, and to savor as salt, making a visible and tasteful difference. By their very nature, light and salt are unique and set apart, just as believers are to be. But more often than not we want to hide the light under the bushel and stay in the saltshaker. Holy living exacts a high price.
How is holiness developed? What are some milestones along the path to holiness? Here are a few.
1. Holiness means to think purely.
Behavioral scientists have discovered that human behavior is determined to a great extent by the subconscious mind. Holiness begins with the mind. Our minds must think pure and clean thoughts for our behavior to be distinct. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he," states the proverb (Prov. 23:7, KJV). The apostle Paul warned us not to let the world squeeze us into its mold, "But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Rom. 12:2, NIV). The initial step to holy living begins with thinking about those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. "If anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things" (Phil. 4:8, NIV).
2. Holiness means to live righteously.
The apostle Peter wrote, "Don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God" (1 Pet. 1:17-18, The Message). A natural outgrowth of right thinking is right living. When people think purely, they live righteously with a God consciousness.
Henry Thoreau, a rugged New England individualist of the nineteenth century, stated: "If a man does not keep pace with his companions perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Christ's followers should have a walk that distinguishes themselves, reflected in actions, attitudes, and activities that honor God.
3. Holiness means to talk edifyingly.
Jesus taught, "For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of" (Luke 6:45, NIV). Speech reveals most obviously if one is different or not. Holy people use their words to build people up. Words are powerful. They have the power to edify, to give life. Holy people's speech encourages others and points them toward God.
Jesus Christ calls believers out of the crowd to be distinct, separate, and different. Holiness is not an option. It is mandatory. It marks believers as God's followers. In the end, we will not be asked what we know, but what we have done; not how much we've accumulated, but how holy we have lived.
May we heed the drumbeat of holiness.
This article is courtesy of Parenting Teens magazine.