Holiness

Holiness

   Within Church circles we make frequent use of the word holy. We refer to the Bible as being a holy book. We speak of Sunday as being a holy day. It should go without saying that our God is a holy God. So, what does the word holy mean? Holy means set apart from, different from and above that which surrounds it.

   The Bible is different from all other books. The Scriptures have been set aside by God for a unique purpose and that is to convey God’s will and God’s way to God’s people. No other book written or printed was designed with this divine purpose in mind. The Bible is God’s Word breathed by the Almighty to spirit filled individuals who recorded it in printed form. We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that; “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” It is when we treat the Bible as man’s word, man’s opinion and of man’s design that we run into all sorts of problems. In many homes and in many churches the Bible is seen only as a good book a nice book but not a holy book. The Bible needs to be returned to the top shelf.

   Sunday is a holy day because Sunday is different from all other days of the week. The Sabbath commemorated God’s day of rest following creation while Sunday commemorated the resurrection of our Lord from the dead.. Early Christians worshipped on both the Sabbath as well as the first day of the week (Sunday). In time Christians felt led to set aside Sunday as their holy day and they honored that day by resting from their labors. God’s people need one day of the week that is different from all other days. We need one day specifically set aside for worship, for rest, for meditation and for fellowship. That is not to say that we cannot do these things on any other day of the week but that we need one day free from the distractions of the pace that we set for ourselves during the week What happens when we take the holiness out of Sunday and treat it as just another day is that we forget the intended purpose for which the day was given to us. Churches now have to compete with stores, sport gatherings and other venues because such places no longer see Sunday as holy. God’s Word declares; “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,” (Exodus 20:8).

   The world in which we live is full of gods. We place people, things, events, our jobs, our toys, and other deities as the most important thing, object or desire on which to focus our attention. When we do this we no longer see God as holy but simply as one of many objects on which we can (providing we have the time) focus our attention. We live in a culture that says it really doesn’t matter what you believe so long as you believe in something. Such an attitude has stripped God from his place of prominence and placed him on cultural shelves for people to pick and choose from. We no longer agree with the prophet of old who declared; “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory,” (Isaiah 6:3).

   We need a return to the Holiness of God, the Holiness of our day of worship and the Holiness of the Bible.