YOU SHALL BE HOLY (Part 3 of 7)

I. What is Holiness?
II. Holiness is a Behavior Not a Covering
III. Teaching Holiness Through the Laws of Cleanliness
IV. The Consequences of Not Being Holy
V. The Challenge for the 21st Century Church
VI. Living as a Holy Person
VII. Do Not Wear Cloths of Wool and Linen Woven Together

TEACHING HOLINESS THROUGH THE LAWS OF CLEANLINESS

“Distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean.” (Lev 10:10-11)(Ezek 44:23)

To help teach the principle of holiness to the people of Israel, the LORD God set forth the commandments related to “clean” and “unclean.” The laws of cleanliness were given to teach the believer to “distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and clean.” In other places the distinction is referred to as “the holy and the profane,” (Ezek 22:26). Paul draws on this understanding encouraging believers to,

“Cleanse ourselves…perfecting holiness in the fear of God,” (2 Cor 7:1).

The term “unclean” is not synonymous with “sinfulness” because people can become unclean through the normal activities of life and not due to any fault of their own. “Clean” and “unclean” teach us that God makes distinctions even in areas where the average person would not make a distinction. Historically, believers gloss over distinctions in the Bible because we are “All one in Christ Jesus,” (Gal 3:28).

However, oneness does not mean sameness. God is a God of distinctions. One of His names is “Hamavdil,” The One Who separates. He formed the earth separating light from dark, the waters above from the water below, separating sea from dry ground, male from female…between the holy and profane…between the seventh day and the six days of work. Clean and unclean are important distinctions which God has chosen to make in scripture because they teach us to distinguish between the holy and the common.

Becoming clean and maintaining a state of cleanliness is seen by the Jew as an important step on the path toward developing holiness that allows a person to receive the Spirit of God.

“Zeal leads to cleanliness, cleanliness to ritual purity, ritual purity to self-control, self-control to holiness, holiness to humility, humility to fear of sin, fear of sin to saintliness, and saintliness to the Holy Spirit.” (Sot. IX:15) (Everyman’s Talmud, “Revelation,” page 121)

The original commandments were given to prepare each Israelite to come into the presence of the LORD, Who dwelt above the mercy seat in the temple, as it is written, “Do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you,” (2 Cor 6:17). In the wilderness, the people did not approach the holy mountain of the LORD until they first became clean. Preparing to approach the LORD in a clean condition remains an unchanging principle in scripture. The writer of Hebrews draws on this understanding instructing each believer to draw near to God “with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts, sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water,” (Heb 10:22).

The cleanliness laws have received much criticism from the modern believer as to “legalistic” and “outdated” for a salvation gospel that focuses primarily on the LORD’S mercy and man’s inadequacy. While the laws of cleanliness should not be seen as a complete means to an end, meaning they should not take precedent over loving my neighbor or worshipping God, they should be seen as profitable in developing a level of discipline that is very much lacking in the present day believers life. Am I saying that we are commanded to maintain the laws of cleanliness above all else? Certainly not!!!

What I am saying is that the laws of cleanliness, along with the laws of Kashrut, and observance of the Sabbath, all develop discipline in our life to the degree we purpose in our heart to keep them. “Godliness” is closely associated with “holy conduct” (2 Pet 3:11), which is achieved through a lifestyle of discipline, as Paul wrote to Timothy,

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Tim 4:8)

(to be continued - Scott)

YOU SHALL BE HOLY (Part 2 of 7)

I. What is Holiness?
II. Holiness is a Behavior Not a Covering
III. Teaching Holiness Through the Laws of Cleanliness
IV. The Consequences of Not Being Holy
V. The Challenge for the 21st Century Church
VI. Living as a Holy Person
VII. Do Not Wear Cloths of Wool and Linen Woven Together

HOLINESS IS A BEHAVIOR NOT A COVERING

The phrase “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” occurs throughout scripture, but the most frequent occurrences are in the Book of Leviticus.  The phrase is the solution to the conclusion of Exodus, when the glory of the LORD filled the temple and no person, not even Moses, could enter, (Ex 40:35).  To enter a holy place and stand in the presence of a Holy God, the priests themselves would have to become holy.   

Peter’s statement “Be holy yourselves also in all you behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be Holy, for I Am Holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16), expresses the understanding that this responsibility is not limited to the priests alone, but remains in effect on the individual believer even in the Greek text.  "Be holy" speaks to individual responsibility, which the rabbis understood:

“If you make yourselves holy, I ascribe it to you as though you had sanctified Me; but if you do not make yourselves holy, I ascribe it to you as though you have not sanctified Me.” (Everyman's Talmud, page 24)

So how is the holiness of the priest achieved in the Book of Leviticus?   The call to “Be Holy, for I Am Holy,” is subsequently connected to an action that results in holiness, such as, 

“Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My Sabbaths; I am the LORD your God.” (Lev 19:20-21)

It is obedience to the commandments, referred to as “holy and righteous and good” (Rom 7:12), that make the people of God holy, as it is written,

“Remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God,” (Num 15:40)

Even the apostle Paul saw the attainment of holiness as a process achieved through the actions, not the faith, of believers.

“Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor 7:1) AND

“Put on the new self, which is the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Eph 2:24)

In both of the statements, Paul saw holiness as an act manifested by the believer following the pattern of the Creator. Believers are called to serve the LORD God in a manner of holiness, as Zacharias prophesized at the birth of John the Baptist, we are called to “Serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days,” (Luke 1:72).

Holiness is not defined by a single action or group of actions, but, in the words of Peter, a "behavior" expressed in the words of Paul.

“Blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among who you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the world of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain.” (Phil 2:15-16)

(to be continued - Scott)

YOU SHALL BE HOLY (Part 1 of 7)

   I.  What is Holiness?
  II.  Holiness is a Behavior Not a Covering
 III.  Teaching Holiness Through the Laws of Cleanliness
 IV.  The Consequences of Not Being Holy
  V.  The Challenge for the 21st Century Church
 VI.  Living as a Holy Person
VII.  Do Not Wear Cloths of Wool and Linen Woven Together

WHAT IS HOLINESS?

“Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, ‘You shall be Holy, for I Am Holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

The words of Peter call all believers to mirror the attributes of “the Holy One” and to “be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.” In my limited observation, typical believers have two difficulties with Peter’s statement.

First, believers can not easily define “holiness” nor provide a list of attributes that demonstrate “holiness.” Second, while believers appreciate that holiness is a characteristic of God who is referred to as “holy, holy, holy” (Isa 6:3), most hold to a position that the LORD bestows this holiness on believers through faith independent of any obligation on their part. This is simply not the scriptural understanding since individual holiness is not a covering, but as Peter describes it, a “behavior,” (1 Peter 1:15).

The Hebrew word for “holy” is “qodesh” meaning sacred or apartness. The act of separating or setting apart, a person, place, or article for use by God, makes it holy. In reference to the nation of Israel, the LORD said, “Thus you are to be holy to Me for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the people to be Mine,” (Lev 20:26). The first reference to “holy” in scripture was in regards to the place where Moses stood in the presence of the LORD,

“Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground,” (Ex 3:5).

The area of the burning bush was “holy ground” because it was set apart with the LORD from the rest of creation. The apostles were referred to in scripture as “holy” (Eph 3:5), in part, because they were set apart for the preaching of the gospel, “The Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them,’” (Acts 13:2).

The Greek word for holy is “hagios,” which is understood to be the absence of any fault or impurity. In reference to the Creator, both the Hebrew and Greek definitions are applicable. The LORD God stands apart from everything that defiles in a state of absolute perfection. Holiness begins with the LORD God; “Holy, Holy, Holy the LORD God, the Almighty, Who was and Who is And Who is to come,” (Rev 4:8). The LORD God is “Holy, Holy, Holy,” because the Creator is separate and perfect. This perfection is beyond the attainment of any human being. From Everyman's Talmud,

“In the text, ‘For He is a holy God’ (Josh 24:19), the adjective has a plural form, which is explained to mean, ‘He is holy with all kinds of holiness,’ i.e. He is the perfection of holiness.” (Ber 13a)

The problem with only applying the Greek definition, independent from the original Hebrew, is that the obligation for holiness is placed completely upon the Creator since man is not capable of perfection. The Greek understanding alone would make it impossible to fulfill the commandment, “Be Holy, for I Am Holy,” because that level of perfection is unobtainable by mankind. However, Peter defines holiness in terms of what a person can do, “be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.” Since we can control many aspects of our behavior, we can take steps to become holy.

The word “sanctification” (Greek – hagiazo) is closely connected in scripture to “holiness” (Greek - hagios). Believers often call the place of meeting the “Sanctuary” because we have separated this place from the rest of the world. To sanctify is to separate for the purpose of using in God’s service, which is to make holy. Believers are called to be separated (sanctified) from the common for “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified,” (1 Thes 4:3). How important is sanctification? The Hebrew writer warns believers that

“without (sanctification, i.e, holiness)…no one will see the LORD,” (Heb 12:14).

That theological understanding goes against the grain of most believers who feel that their access to the LORD is independent of their own behavior.  In the typical mindset, believers see no need to strive toward holiness, but without holiness, "no one will see the LORD."

In scripture, holiness is ascribed to those created beings, places, or articles that the LORD God has called to be separated from the world for His purpose. The following are a few examples referred to in scripture as holy:

Angels (Rev 14:10),
Apostles and prophets (Eph 3:5),
John the Baptist (Mark 6:20),
Faith is called Holy (Jude 20),
The nation of Israel (Lev 20:26)
The church is referred to as holy and blameless (Eph 5:27),
The covenant with Abraham (Luke 1:72),
Women in former times who hoped in God (1 Pet 3:5),
The law (Rom 7:12), and the commandments (2 Pet 2:21),
The scriptures (Rom 1:2),
The city of Jerusalem from above (Rev 21:2),
The Temple (Heb 13:11, Eph 2:21),
The priesthood, (1 Pet 2:5),
God’s servant Jesus (Mark Acts 4:27),
The Father (John 17:11), and of course the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 2:21).

(Howdy from Austin.  Pray all is going well.  Scott)

The Voice of the LORD God in the Garden

“They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” (Gen 3:8, NASB)

 

We think we understand a verse in scripture until we start to examine the verse word by word. The word for “sound” is “qol,” which can mean sound, but is most often translated as “voice.” The KJV translates the verse as “They heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden…” Adam and Eve did not hear the sound of crunching leaves in the garden, but the voice of the LORD God in the garden.

 

The word “cool” originates from a Hebrew word familiar to many “ruach”. Ruach is primarily translated as spirit or wind. The JPS Tanakh renders the verse as “the breezy time of day.” The rendering makes it sound like there was a time of day to fly kites in the garden. Most often the word is translated into English as “spirit,” 127 times out of 375 times. The word is translated as “cool,” just this one time.

 

When the man and woman heard the voice, the Bible tells us they “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God…” The word “presence” comes from the Hebrew word “panim”, which has a primary meaning of “face or faces.” This is the same word used in reference to Moses when scripture tells us, “The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face,” (Ex 33:11). Apparently Adam and Eve had a “face to face” relationship with the LORD God, but after they sinned, they “hid themselves from the face of the LORD God.” The implication for believers who find “the Way” (John 14:6), back into the garden through the blood of Jesus, we will know the LORD God “face to face,” (1 Cor 13:12).

 

Young’s literal is a little closer to the original Hebrew,

 

“And they hear the sound of Jehovah God walking up and down I the garden at the breeze of the day, and the man and his wife hide themselves from the face of Jehovah God in the midst of the trees of the garden,” (Gen 3:8, YLT)

 

Still the various translations seem to lose something from the original Hebrew. So here is my uninspired pass at capturing the passage.

 

“They heard the voice of the Spirit of the LORD God in the garden, but on that day Adam and Eve hid themselves from the face of the LORD God and became tree huggers.”

 

One last note, the word “heard” is “shema,” the same word used in the passage, “Hear (shema), O Israel!,” (Deut 6:4). The LORD God was calling Adam and Eve to obedience, just like Israel and believers today, but they were not obedient.  

 

So, how would you translate the passage?

Shabbot Shalom - Scott

Always A Benefit to Study

For those of us who get discouraged when we forget much of what we study, the following story is told by Rabbi Nathaniel Bushwick,

“It is related that a king once gave his servants buckets and instructed them to draw water from the well. When they began, they noticed that the buckets had many holes and that the water leaked out by the time the buckets were drawn to the top of the well. They stopped. When the king later asked them if they had done as he had told them, they replied that they had stopped because of the holes. ‘You should have continued,’ the king said. ‘I didn’t ask you to draw water because I wanted the water, but because I wanted the buckets cleaned.’ So it is with Torah. The substance of what one has studied may later be forgotten, but the process of studying is itself purifying."

Here is one more saying I recently read that comes from Rabbi Israel Salanter (1810-1883),

"Normally, we worry about our own material well-being and our neighbor's soul; let us rather worry about our neighbor's material well-being and our own souls."

(Scott)

Was Mom Right Afterall? - Part 2 of 2

JESUS AND THE APOSTLES

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works,” (John 14:10).

 

I am not aware of any place in the Greek text where Jesus is said to receive the word of the LORD through either a vision or a dream. I would not expect this to be the case because Jesus was a prophet after the pattern of Moses, (Deut 18:18). If Jesus was a prophet like Moses, then we would expect Him to have an intimate relationship with the Father, as the apostle John wrote, “I and the Father are one,” (John 10:30).

 

The Bible tells us that Moses beheld “the form of the LORD,” (Num 12:6-7). Like Moses, “The One who is from God; He (Jesus) has seen the Father,” (John 6:46)(John 1:18). Seeing the Father is indicative of a close relationship to the LORD. Just as the face of Moses shone because he had stood in the presence of God, so the face of Jesus shone as He stood in the presence of the Father on the Mount of Transfiguration, while the Father spoke, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matt 17:5).

 

Just as the words of Moses take precedence over the words of the prophets, we would expect the words of Jesus to have precedence over the words of the apostles based on the closer relationship of Jesus with the Father. On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out, Peter quotes Joel as the proof text for what is happening.

 

“‘And it shall be in the last days,’ says God, ‘that I will pour forth My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; and your young men shall see visions; and your old men shall dream dreams,’” (Acts 2:17).

 

Visions and dreams elevate the Pentecost believers to the level of the prophets (Num 12:6-7), but NOT to the level of Jesus or Moses. The apostles are moved by the Holy Spirit, just as the prophets of old (2 Pet 1:21), and they are given the power to bind and loose in relationship to the traditions. However, their level of inspiration, and subsequently their written words, do not take precedence over a commandment or teaching given by Jesus.

 

Believers generally consider Paul to be the greatest apostle. Scripture indicates that Paul had visions (Acts 11:15), encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, (Acts 9:3), and even was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor 12:2). Paul’s experiences were similar to the great prophets who also had visions and encounters with the LORD. Visions show an elevated relationship with God, but visions do not raise the individual to the same plateau of closeness to the Father that Jesus or Moses had with the LORD.

 

This idea may sound strange, bordering on blasphemous, but even Paul acknowledged that his relationship with God was inferior to that of Jesus, “I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet… I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” (Phil 3:13). Paul even placed himself beneath Moses when he wrote these words.

 

“Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully,” (1 Cor 13:12).

 

As related earlier, the Sages viewed Moses as one looking through a clear windowpane, while the other prophets looked through a cloudy windowpane. Paul appears to be drawing on this understanding and applying it to himself (and us) when he said, “Now we see in a mirror dimly,” (1 Cor13:12). By his words, Paul positioned himself below Jesus and Moses, calling himself “the least of the apostles,” (1 Cor 15:9).

 

APPLICATION

 

Believers often fail to not see the distinctions that are made in the Bible. For example, believers classify all sin as the same in God’s eyes, not recognizing that the varying degrees of commanded punishments in the Torah indicate that all sin is not the same. Some believers talk about “one law” while other believers say that there is no difference between Jew and Greek because we are all “one”. Yet, these positions fail to recognize that scripture refers to “all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28), and there remains a different standard of behavior for the Jew and Greek. Therefore, it should not be surprising that believers traditionally view all scripture as equally inspired.

 

If believers have any slant in prioritizing the hierarchy of scripture, our tendency is to view the lessor inspired scripture (apostles' teachings and prophets) as greater, while we relegate the passages of higher inspiration (words of Jesus and Moses) to a lower status. Our actions are not without precedence, (1 Cor 12:23). In most churches, the prophets are elevated because of their prophecy related to Jesus, while the words of Moses are relegated to historical narrative done away by the New Covenant.

 

Even in the Greek Text, we elevate Paul’s words above the words and actions of Jesus. We believe that Jesus was the Son of Man, but see His actions as “fulfilling” and removing the obstructions of the Old Testament. The argument goes on to say that everything changed at the cross so we can discount the words and action of Jesus before the cross. However, if we look closely at the teachings of Jesus before the cross (Luke 4:43) and after the cross (Acts 1:3), we will see that the teachings of Jesus did not change, as it is written, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8), and “I, the LORD, do not change,” (Mal 3:6).

 

In the end I think mom was right. The words of Jesus do have a higher level of inspiration than the words of the apostles because Jesus had a closer relationship to the Father. Therefore, believers must, as the Father said, “listen to Him!” (Matt 17:5), even if that appears to come at the expense of the words of the apostles. There is a warning to the individual who does not hold the words of Jesus in the highest order of the inspired scripture hierarchy.

 

“Whoever will not listen to My words which he (the prophet like Moses) shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him,” (Deut 18:19).

 

Just as Moses spoke with the Father “face to face” so that his face shone full of the glory of the Father, so also the face of Jesus “shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as snow,” (Matt 17:2). Therefore, in regards to the words of Jesus,

 

“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom his is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built,” (Luke 6:47-48).

 

(just a thought - Scott)

Was Mom Right Afterall? - Part 1 of 2

 

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)

 

Do the words of Jesus come with greater, equal, or less authority than the words of the apostles? Said another way, if a person would find a conflict between the words of Jesus and the words of Paul, which would have the controlling precedent?  

 

I seem to recall my mother telling me early in my life that she held the words of Jesus as greater authority in scripture because He was the Son of God. But was my mother right?  As I grew up, I learned that,

 

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work,” (2 Tim 3:16-17)

 

For the majority of my life I understood the phrase “All Scripture is inspired” to mean that all scripture had the same level of authority. However, I have come to understand that two passages in scripture can be both inspired, while at the same time, one can have precedence over another. Take the commandments as an example. All the commandments given through Moses came under the same inspiration of God. Yet some commandments are considered greater, while other commandments are considered lessor, subordinate to the greater commandments. If the Bible establishes a priority among the commandments, does the Bible also recognize a priority among the biblical authors? Do some authors speak with greater authority? If so, why?

MOSES AND THE PROPHETS

"Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend." (Ex 33:11)

 

It is clear from scripture that Moses had a unique relationship with the LORD. Scripture tell us that Moses spoke “face to face” with the LORD “just as a man speaks to his friend.” Of the Hebrew prophets, Moses is seen as pre-eminent, standing in a class by himself. Leviticus Rabbah states it this way,

 

“What was the distinction between Moses and the other prophets? The latter looked through nine specularia (windowpanes), whereas Moses looked only through one. They looked through a cloudy sepcularia, but Moses through one that was clear.” (Lev.R. I.14)

 

The relationship Moses had with the LORD was more intimate than any other prophet.  Ther LORD said in relationship to Moses, 

 

“If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD,”

(Num 12:6-7)

The level of intimacy between the LORD and Moses elevates the writings of Moses to a position that is superior to the words of the prophets who followed because they only received the word of the LORD in visions and dreams. Even the great prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel received the word through visions, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts were coming up from the sea,” (Dan 7:2).

 

Since the prophets who followed Moses did not relate to the LORD in the same manner as Moses, “face to face” (Ex 33:11) and "mouth to mouth" (Num 12:7), the responsibility granted these prophets was to reiterate, magnify, and clarify the words given by Moses. The prophets were never given the authority to add or subtract from the original words. Moses cautioned those who followed by saying, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you,” (Deut 4:2, 12:32).

 

The role of the prophets was reinforced by the beginning of the first book of prophecy where Joshua told the people, “ Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful where ever you go,” (Josh 1:7). The last book of prophecy concludes with a similar statement from Malichi, “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel,” (Mal 4:4). The beginning and ending of the prophetic books are seen to frame the purpose of the prophets, to reinforce the teachings of Moses. The rabbis said it this way,

“You shall not say another Moses will arise and bring us another Torah from heaven, I have already made it know to you that “it is not in heaven” (Deut 30:12), i.e., there is nothing left of it in heaven.” (Deut R. 8:6)

 

Consequently, “What the prophets were destined to prophesy in subsequent generations they received from Mount Sinai (i.e. Moses), (Exod. R. XXVIII.6).”

(to be continued - Scott)