The Unlikely Candidates Who Are Holy
Holy Is Not What You Think – Part 5
What if all I know is wrong? What if I have taken hold of information that is not correct? Have you ever asked yourself these questions?
Well that’s exactly what happened to me regarding the word “holy” and because it happened to me it certainly has happened to others. Here’s what I learned the word “holy” doesn’t mean.
- Holy <> Religious. There are many obvious reasons why “holy” can’t mean religious. Catholics aren’t considered “holy”; maybe just the priests and popes. Baptists aren’t considered “holy”. We wouldn’t classify the Bible characters, which we respect, as “holy”. They’re not at least according to the definition shared in our culture. David “holy”? Paul wouldn’t be considered “holy” and he wrote the Bible, literally, on the topic. The disciples aren’t considered “holy” by our cultural definitions. So then who is “holy” in the Bible besides Jesus (whom we don’t think of when we think of the word “holy”)? Being religious isn’t synonymous to “holy” and all of these would be considered religious to some degree.
- Holy <> Churchie. Most people would say they go to church if not regularly, at least occasionally. Just because they go to church, being church-goers or churchie people doesn’t mean they’re “holy”. Just because you master church gestures and cultures doesn’t make one “holy”.
- Holy <> Long dresses and no makeup. For many years, the people we called “holy” wore long dresses and no makeup. Their outward appearance had to be inline with what culture thinks the Bible says on the topic. By the way, allow me to dispel that myth. Most people who dress in this manner, who we call “holy”, need to do a little studying of Jewish history and cultures to see what the attire really was in light of the Bible. Our modern day “holiness” churches, don’t really match when it comes to historical Jewish and Roman attire. No offense intended, but if you truly want to be “holy” it first starts with truth. Holy is not what you think!
These are just examples of what “holy” is not. Now, let’s talk about what it is…
- Holy = No Longer Common or uncommon. Holy is making the transition from being normal to something else. When a person is “holy”, they’ve been made to stand-out in society. They step beyond the normal in their relationships. They’ve become leaders in their field. Simply put, they become something other than common, average and normal. They are unlike the majority.
Thinking about what it isn’t and what it [holy] really is has given new meaning to the characteristics seen in all bible characters that I’ve come to learn throughout my life. Moses was “holy” because he stepped away from being an ordinary man to become the leader of a nation. Abraham decided to listen to God’s instruction and not ignore it as normal people do. John, the baptist, decided to make way for the messiah at the expense of making himself of lesser importance. If we take a look at any of the biblical characters, what we find are characteristics that made them uncommon. Even Jabez, who prayed, was uncommon. He was uncommon because he prayed and no one else did or would. Normal was not to pray and he did what wasn’t normal; he prayed. That’s what it means to be “holy”. What are you doing or what do you have that’s unlike anyone else? Maybe you’re like the Bible characters you’ve studied all your life and simply didn’t know it-you’re holy.
Holy is not what you think.
Why don’t you leave me a comment or question below.
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