The Meaning of Holiness
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When the Bible speaks about God's holiness, the primary thrust of those statements is to refer to God's transcendence, to refer to His magnificence, to refer to that sense in which God is higher and superior to anything that there is in the creaturely realm. Again, the simplest way to discuss this is that that which is holy is that which is different.
What is the meaning of holiness, and how should understanding it change the way that we live? Hi, I'm Nathan W. Bingham, and welcome to the Friday edition of Renewing Your Mind. By God's grace, as our minds are renewed, our lives are transformed. Things we once delighted in become sins we now seek to mortify. Things we once hated or found boring we now love and find joy in. Today, R.C. Sproul will consider the meaning of holiness and the impact that should have in the life of a Christian. But before you hear the final message that will feature this week from Dr. Sproul's popular series, The Holiness of God, don't miss your opportunity to own a special 40th anniversary edition of this series' companion book, The Holiness of God.
This is a limited edition title available to mark four decades since this book was first published. and to thank God for the impact that this teaching has had on countless Christians around the world. Respond before midnight tonight with your donation of any amount at renewingyourmind.org to secure your copy. Well, here's Dr. Sproul on the meaning of holiness.
I notice in our own language and in our own vocabulary, the term holy seems to be used among us, particularly among Christians, as a synonym for moral purity or for righteousness. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it may be a little bit misleading. Because in the Scriptures, there are two meanings of the term holy. The secondary meaning of this word in Scripture is personal righteousness and purity. But the primary meaning of the word holy means separate. or if you will, theological apartheid. That which is holy is that which is other, O-T-H-E-R, that which is different from something else. And so, when the Bible speaks about God's holiness, the primary thrust of those statements is to refer to God's transcendence, to refer to His magnificence, to refer to that sense in which God is higher and superior to anything that there is in the creaturely realm. Again, the simplest way to discuss this is that that which is holy is that which is different.
Look through your Bible sometime and see how the term holy is used as an adjective. Not only is God described as holy, we hear about the Holy Spirit, the Holy One of Israel. We hear about holy ground, holy vessels, holy moments. But what is it that makes any moment in history so special? What is it that makes a piece of real estate holy ground? Why is it that Noah marked the spot where he landed with an altar and Abraham built an altar to God? Why is it that we are drawn to take something that is common and make it extraordinary because of its significance? It's not because of the intrinsic value of these objects. But what makes something sacred, what makes something holy is the touch of God upon it.
When the one who himself is other and different touches that which is ordinary, it becomes extraordinary. When he touches you, you become uncommon. And so the difference between the profane and the holy is the difference between the common and the uncommon, between the earthy and the heavenly. Not too long ago, I saw a study of phobias in the United States where the 10 most common phobias were listed, the things that people were most frightened about. Do you know what the number one fear was, incidentally, of American people? The number one phobia? The fear of standing in front of a group and giving a talk like I'm doing right now. It's awful. But there is a phobia called xenophobia. Xenophobia is the fear of strangers or foreigners. We have a tendency to be frightened by people whose customs are different from ours. And the supreme form of xenophobia that we have is our fear of the living God because He is so different from us. He is high and exalted.
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