How Weird Are You?
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If I told you that your typical understanding of holiness was wrong, would you keep reading this blog post to see what I’m talking about? The title of this post may have already thrown you off, but stick around for a few paragraphs and accept my challenge to be weird.
I want to take a moment to challenge you on being in the world but not of the world. It sounds cliched, but let’s take just a quick blog post to analyze what that means, and then ask yourself, are you holy?
I was scheduled to teach/preach this in our Oikos fellowship yesterday morning, and we’re focusing on characteristics of God. When I was given a list with 14 different attributes of God, I felt like zeroing in on the ones I love to talk about. You know, his mercy, grace, faithfulness. But I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at me to tackle holiness instead. Years ago this would have been an easy topic for me. Although some people think I’ve swung the pendulum far in the opposite direction and teach and preach ‘greasy grace’–which I don’t think I do–I was pleasantly surprised to find some things in my research I had somehow never managed to see before.
Greek Definition
The word we use in the New Testament comes from 40 hágios – which as defined properly means different (unlike), other (“otherness“). Holy for the believer, means “likeness of nature with the Lord” because of being “different from the world.”
The fundamental core meaning of hágios is “different” – thus a temple in the 1st century was hagios (“holy”) because it was different from other buildings, for example. In the New Testament hágios (“holy”) has the technical meaning “different from the world” because it’s “like the Lord.”
As a result, hágios implies something “set apart” and “different (distinguished/distinct)” – i.e. “other,” because of its special nature and use to the Lord.
Not The Same – Literally
God is different, not the same as who or what? Anything and anybody in the universe. He is incomparable to anything or anyone else. There is nobody like Him. No other creator. No other saviour. He is unique, to put it simply. But those adjectives don’t even begin to cover it, but I hope you get a slight idea.
Sacrifices in the Old Testament were unique–the designated animal was to be set apart and used only for the purposes of worship to the Lord and was kept alive not to be eaten or for any other purpose than to be sacrificed. The Israelites were to ‘set apart’ certain animals as part the instructions Moses had given them for temple worship.
Christians should be different because from the rest of the world, as Paul said, we were bought at a price (I Corinthians 6:20). God can make an item or person holy when He claims it or becomes its owner. He purchased us with the most costly currency in all of creation–the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. When an individual devotes or gives an object to God, the ownership passes to God and since He is now the owner, the object becomes holy. We ourselves are called to be set apart, ‘used’ for nothing else other than God’s purposes.
For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. (Leviticus 11:44, English Standard Version)
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16, ESV)
That price, Christ’s sacrifice, makes it possible for us to be forgiven of our past sins and to receive the Holy Spirit. But, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His (Romans 8:9)
Are You Different?
Christians can easily quote how we’re “in the world but not of the world”, but do we really keep mindful of that in our jobs and daily lives? In our Facebook updates? If your unbelieving friends looked at you, would they think you’re just like them, or would they say you’re…weird? I don’t mean weird because you wear your underwear on your head and your pants only have one leg, and you hide outside of governmental buildings waiting to throw a pie in the face of your local congressman. I’m not talking about something bizarre like that being the reason you’re defined as weird. But that you’re different in what you live for, and what you derive satisfaction and entertainment from.
I mean, by the world’s perspective, you’re weird because you turn the other cheek instead of taking revenge. You let others wrong you and don’t sue the shirt off someone’s back who wronged you. You don’t just avoid all the obvious sins like drunkenness and sex outside of marriage, but your behavior in all of your life is… weird. At least, to the world, but not to The Lord.
Are you living a life set apart? Does His holiness permeate your entire being and life? If not, then let me challenge you to be weird.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2, New Living Translation)
Think different. Trust me, it’s the weirdest thing you can do in this world.
Steve Bremner is a missionary to Peru, called to raise up disciples who flow in the power of the Holy Spirit. He is general editor of Fire Press, and also produces & co-hosts its podcast called Fire On Your Head.
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