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Big Bible Words: Holiness

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How would you explain holiness in plain language?

My Holy Shirt

I have lots of shirts in my closet. To be exact, I have 11 short-sleeve shirts, 12 long-sleeve shirts, and 10 dress shirts. I’m thankful for these shirts, but they’re not all that important to me.

I don’t want to deplete brain power deciding which shirts to wear each morning. So I usually wear them in the order they hang in the closet (according to the season, of course). Occasionally, one of my daughters will choose my shirt of the day. Either way, I’m happy. A shirt adorns my back, and I’m on with my day.

There’s one shirt, however, I truly care about. It’s not the prettiest or highest quality shirt in my closet. But it’s the most important one. It’s special.

Holy Shirt

Holy Shirt

I acquired this shirt in Fort Portal, Uganda in 2008 from a country market. We were there to adopt our twin sons, and this shirt became one of our souvenirs.

I call it my Ugandan Papa shirt. It represents my fatherly love and identification with my sons’ heritage. I wear it only once or twice per year: on the anniversary of the adoption, and sometimes on the boys’ birthday. On those days, I don’t care if I’m at work, at church, or on a trip. I might be at home or around other people. But I’m wearing the shirt.

I don’t put it in the washing machine, because it might not hold up. If it needs to be ironed, we do so with meticulous gentleness.

If the shirt ever deteriorates, we’re going to have to go back to Uganda for another one.

This is my favorite shirt. It’s a special shirt.

Holiness

That’s what it means to be holy.

It doesn’t mean “good,” although biblically holy things will also be good.

It doesn’t mean “righteous,” although biblically holy things will also be righteous.

It doesn’t mean “sinless” or “sacred” or “worthy of worship.”

It means special. A holy thing is different from everything else in its category. A “holy” shirt is more special than the other shirts. A holy ground is more special than any other ground. A holy land is more special than any other land. A holy assembly is more special than any other assembly.

A holy God is special; he’s different from all the other gods. A holy Spirit is special and unlike any other spirit. A holy people is more special and unique than any other people.

Leviticus 19:1-8 explains holiness simply. “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev 19:2, ESV). What does that mean? The Lord gives examples.

  1. Revere your father and mother. They are not ordinary, common people. They are special to you (Lev 19:3).
  2. Keep the Sabbath. It is not like every other day. It is a special day (Lev 19:3).
  3. Do not turn to idols. They are ordinary and not special at all (blocks of wood or stone or iron with no rescuing power). Not like the LORD your God, who is special (Lev 19:4).
  4. Peace offerings (one type of Old Testament sacrifice – think of grilled hamburgers or lamb chops) must be eaten within two days. If an Israelite kept any leftovers, he’d be treating them like all the rest of his food. He has profaned what is holy to the LORD. He didn’t treat it as special food (Lev 19:5-8).

Profanity

The opposite of holiness is profanity. Profanity doesn’t technically mean “bad words” or “curse words.” It means “common words.” Similarly, “vulgar” used to mean “common” long before its meaning morphed into “indecent,” “crude,” or “obscene.”

Leviticus 19:8 shows that you don’t have to defile something to profane it. You merely have to ignore how special it is and treat it like everything else.

So What?

The one who called you is special, so you also must be special in all your conduct (1 Pet 1:15). God is your Father and Acquitter. Christ’s blood ransomed you. You are no ordinary person (1 Pet 1:17-21).

Neither are the others who were also ransomed. They are your brothers. They are special. Now love them and remind them of how special they are (1 Pet 1:22-25).

Bible Study and the Cross of Christ

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Knowable Word LogoMelissa McDonald, who blogs at The Cross and the Kitchen Sink, just began a short series on how to study the Bible. It might look terribly familiar to what you’ve seen at Knowable Word, but we assure you we’ve never even met. We’ve said from day one that we’re not the only ones doing OIA. Here’s more proof, if you needed it.

Also, Chan Kilgore wrote a great article at The Resurgence about “Reading the Bible Through the Cross.” I appreciate his perspective that the cross is not simply the message of Scripture, but the very lens through which we must read Scripture.

The cross of Christ crushes self-righteousness within us and calls us to enter into the very presence of a holy and righteous God, where we can receive grace and mercy. It is this grace and mercy that transforms our heart as we soak in the Scripture. The cross represents more than Christ’s death. The empty cross represents the deity of Christ, his incarnation, his perfect life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, and his reign at the right hand of the Father. It is before this cross that we must read Scripture.

Check it out!

Wisdom is Infectious, Not Contagious

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There’s hope that anything can change. But first you must get wisdom.

Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
And be attentive, that you may gain insight,
For I give you good precepts;
Do not forsake my teaching.
When I was a son with my father,
Tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
He taught me
And said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
Keep my commandments, and live” (Prov 4:1-4, ESV).

We can tell Solomon wants to get our attention because the first verse says, “be attentive,” and because it begins with “Hear, O sons,” rather than the usual “Hear, my son” (Prov 1:8). Would you like to get unstuck? Pay attention to what comes next.

After Solomon exhorts the reader to hear his instruction, he backs up the exhortation with a bit of autobiography. We’re transported back to the days when little Schlomo sat by the hearth and heard his father David talk about life. The most memorable advice was this: Hold on to my words (Prov 4:4) and get wisdom (Prov 4:5). This little story is noteworthy for at least two reasons.

1. It shows that the reason Solomon asked God for wisdom (1 Kings 3:5-9) was because Papa David told him to.

It’s easy to think Solomon’s request came out of nowhere, as though he had a flash of genius that just happened to coincide with the night when God made him the offer of a lifetime. No, instead, as we learn here, David had trained Solomon to do whatever it might take to get wisdom. Solomon was ready to ask God for it. Like Solomon, we must be taught to love and seek wisdom; it doesn’t happen naturally. Wisdom is an acquired taste, cultivated by people who have good examples to follow.

2. It implies that, if we want to inspire others to love wisdom, we must live it out and pass it on, just as David did for Solomon.

I’m not saying that David was perfect. He influenced his son both for good (loving wisdom) and ill (loving too many women). Solomon’s chief memory, however, was of his father’s quest for wisdom. It inspired him deeply.

NIAID (2011), Creative Commons

NIAID (2011), Creative Commons

To influence others, we, too, must quest for wisdom. Love for wisdom is infectious, not contagious. In other words, it doesn’t catch very easily; it requires close personal contact to be transmitted. For instance, parents ought to practice what they preach; they should be both open to learning and quick to ask forgiveness when they sin against their children. Leaders ought to tell tasteful stories about themselves to illustrate key ideas; people generally won’t get the point until they can see how it has personally affected the teacher. To save us, God didn’t hand over a philosophy or rulebook. He became a man and stood in our place, showing us in the process how to live wisely.

The first step to getting unstuck is to find good models who inspire you with hope and point you to Jesus as your wisdom. If you are a leader of any sort, your words will never be enough; you must visibly demonstrate the wisdom you seek to impart.

Teach Bible Study to a 4-Year-Old (Take 2)

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When I wrote about how to teach Bible study to a 4-year-old, some wise guy with a PhD – who happens also to be a good friend of mine – commented that the post was more about teaching the Bible than teaching Bible study. I think all that graduate school must have paid off, because he’s on to something.

Teach us to fish!

Teach us to fish!

It’s deceptively easy to hand out fish but hold back rods. Any effective ministry is in danger if it centers on the teacher. It centers on the teacher when the people keep coming back for food and don’t learn how to get it themselves. For this reason, Paul instructed leaders not only to teach but also “to equip the saints” (Eph 4:11-14).

So, although I don’t recant what I suggested in my earlier post, I would like to supplement it with further reflection on equipping the little ones to handle the word of truth rightly. These tips take the previous tips and merely make explicit what was implicit.

1. Build Familiarity with the Bible

I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it. We’ll never foster fat souls without increasing their biblical caloric intake. Children’s Bibles can help at times, but they must never replace God’s Knowable Word. Denying access to the Scripture itself is like serving Tofurkey for Thanksgiving. Worse, in fact; Tofurkey isn’t half bad.

By age 4, children are memorizing things like crazy. Why not give them useful stuff to memorize?

We ought to guide their journey through biblical history and wax eloquent about the many stops on the way to Jesus and beyond. Let’s also give them a map for the trip. “Today’s story is from the book of 1 Samuel. Let’s sing our Bible book song, and raise our hands when we get to 1 Samuel. ‘Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers…'”

2. Model Good Bible Study

At this age, one of the best gifts you can give your kids is the wealth of the gospel, not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (1 Thess 1:5). Let your kids see the depth of the riches of God’s love as revealed in the Bible.

As you observe the text, interpret it for the children, and apply it to their lives, you give them something worth imitating (1 Thess 1:6). As they grow and can develop their skills at handling the word themselves, they’ll feel like it’s simply what they’ve been doing their entire lives.

3. Draw Attention to Key Principles

As you go, take time to highlight not only what you say but why you’re saying it.

Don’t just say, “be kind to your sister.” Say instead, “Listen, it says right in verse 32, ‘Be kind to one another.’ Did you hear that? What does God wants us to do to one another? We should always pay attention to what the Bible says” (Observation).

Don’t just say, “be kind to your sister.” Say instead, “When God says, ‘Be kind to one another,’ he wants you to think of your sister more than yourself. That’s what it means to be kind. We should always try to understand what the Bible means” (Interpretation).

Don’t just say, “be kind to your sister.” Say instead, “When is it hard to be kind to your sister? Do you want to keep all those toys to yourself? That will never work, will it? What did Jesus do for you? How can you be like Jesus toward your sister? We should change and make different choices because of what God says in his word” (Application).

Now, please go back and read my original tips, and consider how you can teach your 4-year-olds not only what the Bible says but also how to study it themselves.

What You Should Know About the Bible

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Knowable Word LogoThe last few weeks spawned some great articles to help your Bible study.

9 Things You Should Know About the Bible – Joe Carter at The Gospel Coalition lists 9 brief facts about the history and use of the Bible. From defining the word “Bible” to recounting the history of printing to explaining various approaches to translation, Joe’s article will give you a concise and understandable introduction to important facts. I was surprised to see that sales of the NIV exceed those of the KJV, and that the NLT is the third most popular translation.

The Big Story of the Bible – In this post, Yancey Arrington explains that “there is a way to read the Old Testament, even Numbers and Leviticus, that will bless you and not send you away in despair.” The trick is to see the Old Testament as a road to Jesus. Arrington explains the theology behind a Jesus-centered way of reading the Old Testament. For practical tips on how exactly to read the OT this way, see my post on how to see Jesus in any Bible passage.

Check it out!

Wisdom and Hope

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I’m Stuck

I’ve been stuck for some time. There’s a certain person I’ve known most of my life who is very difficult to get along with. Our personalities clash, and our tastes diverge on just about everything. He doesn’t know Christ yet; thus, he doesn’t understand most of the life choices I’ve made. I’ve often felt personally attacked by his comments and attitudes.

I want this person to meet Christ and find life, but when we converse I end up feeling like I’m about 8 years old again and helpless to change things. After I got married, my wife helped me to see that all hope was not lost; God had provided many opportunities to build a healthier relationship. My self-protective fear had prevented me from seeing these opportunities, and the fear of the Lord would give me the wisdom to make changes. Only after I stopped worrying about protecting myself and started seeking to represent Christ, did I have hope that the relationship could get better. I have a long way to go, but I want to do whatever it takes to travel this path one step at a time.

Proverbs 4 explains the vital connection between wisdom and hope. If we don’t fear the Lord, we won’t be open to change. If we’re not open to change, we won’t change. If we don’t change, we’ll fail as agents of redemption to those around us. We won’t inspire them with hope that they can change. Then—guess what?—nothing ever changes.

Deana Archer (2006), Creative Commons

Deana Archer (2006), Creative Commons

Are You Stuck?

Are you stuck? Stuck in a bad habit, a bad relationship, or a bad situation? Has your life failed to meet your expectations? Are you always too busy? Do the years keep flying by, yet without moving beyond the “same old, same old”?

For example, have you committed sexual immorality in the past? Will you ever be able to forget the memories or mental images? Can the damage done to yourself and others ever be undone? The fear of the Lord can give hope.

Are you married to an angry, hurtful person? Is your relationship caught in the endless cycle of attack-remorse-apology without any lasting change?  How could you ever forgive? Can you get more help? The fear of the Lord can give hope.

Were your parents critical of your every move? Did they care at all? As you grew up, did they miss all your major milestones? Did they abuse you verbally, physically, emotionally, or sexually? How could you possibly trust another person again? The fear of the Lord can give hope.

Have your grown children rejected the Lord? Have you tried to win them back by every available means? Might you have been part of the problem, pushing them away with ungracious legalism, unrealistic expectations, harsh judgments, or emotional neediness? Can they ever return to the Lord or to a healthy relationship with you? The fear of the Lord can give hope.

There’s Hope

I’m not saying that the answers to these questions are easy. I’m not saying that wisdom will eliminate your pain and disappointment. But what I am saying is that there’s hope. One of our own poets, speaking of that hope which rises from fearing the Lord, said:

Hope springs eternal in the human breast:
Man never Is but always To be blest.[1]

There’s always hope. Real hope that it can change. Just do nothing, and it will certainly get worse. But fear the Lord, and it just might get better.

Proverbs 4:1-27 has three distinct units, each beginning with an address to one or more “sons.” The theme of “life” links the sections together. Solomon’s advice goes like this: First, do whatever it takes to get wisdom, and you’ll find life (Prov 4:1-9). Second, contrast the two roads before you to see which one leads to the life (Prov 4:10-19). Third, let the life become a part of who you are, and it will change everything you do (Prov 4:20-27). In other words, because God makes his life available in Jesus Christ, those who turn to him have hope that anything can change.[2]

[1] Alexander Pope, Essay on Man

[2] I’m indebted to Waltke, Proverbs 1-15, pp.274-301 for the structure and main points of Proverbs 4. (Disclosure: This is an affiliate link, so if you click it and buy stuff from Amazon, your purchase will help to support our site at no extra cost to yourself.)

The Danger of Following Without Understanding

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Image-Jonathan_EdwardsIn our generation, many churches have honed their focus on the gospel of Christ’s grace. This is a very good thing.

Good teachers and useful books abound. Sermon audio multiplies more rapidly than loaves and fishes. Such resources are more plentiful and more available than ever before.

As a result, many thousands of churches fill their pulpits with clones of John Piper, RC Sproul, John MacArthur, Mark Driscoll, or Tim Keller.

Many can imitate the style of great teachers. But can they replicate the study of great teachers? Can you show how your ideas come from the Bible, or do you simply mimic what you’ve heard others say?

Erik Raymond at the Ordinary Pastor blog reflects on a few of these questions. He concludes that without effective Bible study skills “we are susceptible to losing what we have. If we are just fan-boys then we may follow a new theological band someday. If we are just fan-boys then we can’t train a new generation to discover these truths themselves.”

These important issues illuminate why we want to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible. Please continue learning from good teachers. And keep taking what you learn right back to the Scripture.

Erik’s post may challenge you. Check it out!

 

When Humility is not Easy (Prov. 3:27-35)

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It’s easy to forget humility and act like violent men when facing certain types of people.

1. Those who have hurt me deeply

Charlie Barker (2011), Creative Commons

Charlie Barker (2011), Creative Commons

James has this first group in mind when he quotes Proverbs 3:34 to instruct the community to stop quarreling (Jas. 4:1-12).  James argues that we each tend to love ourselves more than anyone else, so we fight for our rights.  In the course of such conflict, we get hurt and want to retaliate.  Instead, we must remember that our desires cannot give us what they promise.  So we must turn to the Lord, because he always gives more grace than the world does.  As we fear the Lord instead of focusing on ourselves, we become more humble people.  Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas. 4:6).

2. Those who don’t deserve my trust

Peter has this second group in mind when he quotes Proverbs 3:34 to instruct the church to submit to the elders (1 Pet. 5:1-11).  Elders are shepherds of the flock of God, but they must never be mistaken for the Chief Shepherd.  When we put our leaders in the place of Jesus, they fail to deliver because they are neither divine nor sinless.  When they fail, we tend to become disillusioned, anxious for the future of the church, and proud in our own opinions.  Instead, we ought to fear the Lord more than we fear failure.  This makes us both humble and effective, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).

3. All the rest

Paul has all of us in mind when he draws us back to Christ’s humility to empower our own (Phil. 2:1-18).  Does Christ encourage you?  Does his love comfort you?  Do you participate in his Spirit?  Has God shown any affection or sympathy toward you?  Jesus gave up what he deserved (his rights as God) and took on what he did not deserve (the role of a servant, the limitations of a human body, and the utter disgrace of death by crucifixion).  He did it to rescue you from what you deserve (God’s judgment) and to give you what you do not deserve (God’s pleasure).  Paul was so affected by Jesus’ humility that he was prepared to die himself if it meant his people would hold these truths more dearly.

Loving others wisely and humbly is not optional for followers of Christ.  It’s the meat and potatoes of living by faith in community with other sinners.  Wisdom must penetrate this crucial area of our lives.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning, and when you fear the Lord you can’t help but become like him.  That means dying for others, even if they’ve hurt you or if they don’t deserve it.  When Jesus’ humility grips you, it changes everything about you.  Don’t turn inward and deny yourself the opportunity to fear the Lord and know Jesus in his humility.  As Raymond Ortlund writes:

If you would like to experience God with that humility, here is how you can.  You look at the cross.  You see a wise man hanging there, dying in the place of fools like you, because he loves you.  You may despise him, but he does not despise you.  You may be above him, but he humbled himself for you.  Look there at him.  Look away from yourself.  Look at him, and keep looking until your pride melts.  You will not only worship, you will begin to grow wise.[1]

[1] Proverbs: Wisdom that Works, Kindle location 537-540.

Disclosure: This link is an Amazon affiliate link. If you click it and buy stuff from Amazon, your purchase will help support our site.

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