How does one define holiness? According to Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary,
“personal holiness is a work of gradual development. It is carried on under many hindrances, hence
the frequent admonitions to watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance” (I
Corinthians 1:30; II Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 4:23, 24). Simply put, true holiness is being as much
like God as we can. We can exhibit love
for all, compassion for all, and maintain a right relationship with God so that
He may guide us in all that we do. If we
refuse to obey His Word, we cannot be in a right relationship with Him. We must also remember that we are not gods
and we do not have the right to tell Him what He can or cannot do either with
others or through others.
Holiness is not defined by man’s inept attempt
to keep people bound to legalism. “If a
woman is truly holy, her clothing will completely cover her extremities; her
hair will be covered, and she will be void of make-up and jewelry.” There are no specifics as to how to define
how a man is holy as far as how their dress goes. So says legalism.
What is legalism? Legalism is the way of the Pharisees and
Sadduccees. These are the rules
by which people determine (not by the Word of God) who is holy and who is
not. Legalism is another word for bondage. Bondage hinders and prohibits the Holy Spirit
from directing and guiding an individual and keeps people controlled by other
people based upon their traditions.
Jesus gives us warning about such people when talking about the
Pharisees. “Thus you are nullifying and
making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your
tradition, which you [in turn] hand on.
And many things of this kind you are doing” (Mark 7:13 Amplified). In this particular passage Jesus is referring
to how the Pharisees
attempt to control men as it relates to the care of their parents. It also holds true for much of the church
world’s attempts to establish rules.
How many rules does a church have?
There
are rules for dressing in order to come into the sanctuary.
There
are rules for committing a portion of one’s income to support the church.
There
are rules for what one can do outside the church building.
There
are rules for which one can hold associations or affiliations.
There
are rules for when to come to church.
There
are rules for who can teach or preach.
There
are rules for where one can sit in the church.
There
are many rules for the women.
There
are some rules for the men.
There
are rules for the young people.
There
are rules for the rules.
Does all of this sound familiar? If one looks closely at all the rules, the
majority of the rules are directed towards women. [Remember when the
Pharisees
brought the woman who was “caught in the very act” to Jesus? What happened to the man? The “law” states that both should be stoned
to death.] This discovery should not be
a surprise since the majority of churches are established by men for men. Women simply become an after-thought in the consideration of
everything that goes on around them.
This is a fascinating phenomenon since most churches could not continue
to function if it were not for the women involved.
This is an excerpt from Holiness, Not a Look, But a Lifestyle! available on amazon.com
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