What Does 21st Century Holiness Look Like?

Heb. 12:14 ~ "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."

Since these days, we can all say that we've come a long way. I was on a message board recently with some other fellow COGIC believers and I posed the question, "What does 21st Century Holiness look like?" I didn't get too many answers but the ones I did get went like this:

• "I believe holiness is not something you put on but something you live. It's a lifestyle"
  
• "I believe that holiness is about what you consider to be wrong and right, what may be holy to one may not be holy to another."
  
• "There's a lot of people that look holy but yet have evil hearts and are mean."

Although I would agree that holiness does not begin with the flesh or clothing, I would also quickly iterate that holiness does not exclude the flesh or clothing and personal appearance. Now, as you can see these conversations are essential and highly emotional.

A Little History Of The Modern Holiness Movement:

John Wesley (1703-1791) had one of the greatest influences on the modern holiness movement in America. Wesley, an Anglican minister, is said to have had the greatest influence on the Methodist movement was a product of the 18th Century Second Great Awakening which began in Great Britain. Wesley along with fellow Evangelist George Whitefield, were dynamic evangelists that taught that the believer was to represent the God that they served by separating themselves from the world and sin. Calvinism eventually was the diving line between Wesley and Whitefield causing Whitefield to develop the Calvinistic Methodist movement.

One of the tenets that made Wesley's teachings unique was that he contended that a Christian could be made "perfect in love." This love would mean, first of all, that a believer's motives would be guided by the deep desire to please God. One would be able to keep from committing what Wesley called, "sin rightly so-called." By this he meant a conscious or intentional breach of God's will or laws. A person could still be able to sin, but intentional or willful sin could be avoided. A person would also avoid sinning against his brother because of this perfect love. This doctrine became known as sanctification. Many of the roots of his teachings were also found in the doctrine taught by Jacobus Arminus which he adopted while in college against Calvinism and Calvinistic teachings that were most popular at the time.

During the Third Great Awakening (1858-1908) teachings on holiness and sanctification, although popular, had swayed toward "sinless perfectionism" which taught that an individual could maintain a perfectly sinless life in this present world through ultra-sanctification. These doctrines were prevalent during the emergence of Pentecostalism in 1904, at what would become known as the Azusa Street revival which was led by one William J. Seymour (Pictured Above).

One of the greatest adherents to the holiness message was Baptist minister Bishop Charles H. Mason who would be the eventual founder of the Church Of God In Christ (1897 as a holiness church and 1907 as a Pentecostal/Holiness church) which is the countries oldest and largest Black Pentecostal/Holiness church in the United States.

As stated, holiness was generally taught and accepted by a wide array of individuals. Movements against slavery were birthed out of the holiness church and the early Free Methodist movement. Teachings of maintaining holiness took on various forms from place to place. There were teachings among white holiness adherents against certain clothing, jewelry, and materialism that existed in the day. Among black holiness believers, the emphasis was more on spiritual and moral aspects of holiness. This variation of emphasis was partially due to the fact that blacks in general did not have access to the material diversity of whites and therefore were not as effected by material choices of what was considered sin.

Social welfare changed however, doctrines changed and developed along with it. The old church held strict views against materialism and "worldly appearance" Women were especially the target as to avoid material appearances and associations with prostitutes and persons of ill repute. Therefore, to paint nails, deck hair, and wear short and low cut dresses were symbols of Jezebel. The red light was a symbol of an available prostitute in certain locations, therefore holy men and women in particularly were told not to wear red. Flesh was to be hidden or covered as much as practically possible. Stockings were a must, and there were no sleeveless items for the truly sanctified. Opened toed shoes were outlawed and jewelry besides wedding rings and essential items were highly discouraged as being worldly and secular. As women began wearing pants in the early part of the 1900's, holiness churches began to respond with anti-pant wearing messages, suggesting that feminists were trying to usurp and undermine male authority and the biblical message of gender separation and distinction. Men were discouraged from wearing tight suits and having long hair. Conks and perms were worldly and only for slicksters, and hustlers and of course sexual immorality and impurity was not honored or named among the true holiness believers. Now we have singers who make gospel albums, have babies outside of context of marriage, call themselves holy ministers of music and claim to be holy. Well they eventually do get married when it's convenient for them to do so but they confess to Queen Oprah that they were secretly porn addicts I suppose in effort to purge the soul. Is this 21st Century Holiness?

It is obvious to see where holiness came from and how it has been taught throughout the years. Some complain that these sort of teachings were bondage. I would offer when these teachings are contrasted to the devastation of sin through fatherlessness, drugs, alcohol, extra-marital pregnancies, illicit affairs and such the like, which category of items are really bondage?

It is also easy to understand why some traditions of old were generally accepted among holiness believers, but today, there are many individuals who claim to be holy but appear to be anything but holy. "Playa garb" and worldly associations have crowded the sight of and vision of the 21st Century believer. This further leads to the question, what does 21st century holiness look like?

Now we have sistah Diva's that represent 21st Century holiness. There also is no age boundary for this Divaship

For the 21st Century the holiness look is top tier and age is no factor and certainly youth is in. In fact youth is so in that we now offer 60 year olds that look like 20 year olds and the dancin' is "off da hook"

Low ryda and baggy pants, once a symbol of prison garb is now a symbol of the 21 century believer and is supposedly representative of 21st Century holiness.

Unfortunately, hip-hop, gang signs and other symbols define the believers of 21st Century holiness. They say that they have taken up the cross but they still offer the signs, moves, ways and attitudes of the world from which they came. This doesn't even mention the earring wearing and "zoot suited" preachers who appear in their pulpits as if they were either going to or coming from a health club . Is this holiness for the 21st Century?

Biblical Exposition:

1 Sam. 10:17- 22 ~ 17And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; 18And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: 19And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands. 20And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found. 22Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. 23And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

It was the during the call of Saul that we see the first King of Israel hiding himself "among the stuff"

STUFF appears in KJ 15 times in the sense of movable property. It is retained by RSV in Joshua 7:11, where Israel is said to have taken some of the things to be devoted to destruction, "and put them among their own stuff." Elsewhere RSV uses "goods" (Genesis 31:37; 45:20; Exodus 22:7; Luke 17:31), "baggage" (1 Samuel 10:22; 25:13; 30:24; Ezekiel 12:3, 4, 7), "household furniture" (Nehemiah 13:8). "Stuff" appears once in the sense of the material out of which something is or may be made, and is retained by RSV: "the stuff they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more" (Exodus 36:7). In addition, RSV uses the word 36 times for various textile materials, notably those for the making of the tabernacle, as described in Exodus 25–39 and Leviticus 14. "Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together" reads in RSV: "You shall not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together" (Deuteronomy 22:11, compare Leviticus 19:19). ~ Ronald F. Bridges and Luther A. Weigle, King James Bible wordbook [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1994.

The "stuff" represented a place that Saul was both familiar and comfortable with. A place in which he had his "baggage" or what he needed in life to survive. He was taller than everyone else but he lived lower than anyone else. He was hidden among the "stuff" The "stuff was his desires and place in life.

It is amazing that people of God would rather live among the "stuff" than live free for Christ. Paul in admonishing the Judaizers stated in Gal. 5:1 ~ "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." The Judaizers certainly believed in Jesus, but they also believed in the old ways of ceremonialism and ritualism as found and described in the Old Testament. They were quick to say "we need Jesus" but they just as quickly said, "we need the law too"

Holiness Interscets At Multiple Needs:

Many times because of the "needs" of people they advance themselves in the world at the expense of righteousness. I once had a friend who just couldn’t let go of the relationships he had established in the world and that loss became his spiritual death sentence. Almost 15 years later, he’s still suffering because he loved the world more than he loved God.

Yes, holiness is birthed within the heart of the believer and it is a lifestyle, but holiness also covers one’s actions, deeds and presentation. Do we make mistakes? Of course, imperfect people make plenty of mistakes, that’s not what we are talking about. We are talking about loving the world so much until IF God said to leave it or certain aspects of it you have a hard time and go the other way.

John 2:15-17 ~ "15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

John is simply talking about the world’s system, modus operandi, and benefits that are gained from it. The world rightly expects to find within the believer a standard of holiness and righteousness. Jesus said this,

Mt. 5: 13-16 ~ "13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

The world cannot see your faith, but they can see your presentation. The saint was to exemplify Christ, the church was to exemplify the body of Christ to the world. By simple analogy we see that policemen are known by their uniform. Even an undercover police will have an identifier in the right company, which he proudly displays. The firemen is know by his uniform. Even the prostitute is known by her dress and if not so obviously her associations. In other words the world even has an order by which it communicates.

It seems that the only ones who do not love the order of God and his kingdom are fringe Christians. Those are they who know for sure that God has brought them. They will tell you quickly, "You don’t know what I been through." As if they have a lock on going through life’s circumstances, but at the same time they are unwilling to respond with the commitment of body, soul and spirit that Christ demands.

The word of God has not changed however,

Rom. 12:1-2 ~ "1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

The Saint was to be a "living sacrifice". Yes holiness responds to it’s environment and is aware of the environment in which it exists. The standard is the objective word of God not the subjective feelings or perceptions of what one thinks.

2 Cor. 6:17-18 ~ "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

Who are "them" and what is "them" in your life? Physically, mentally and emotionally the believer in holiness touches not the "unclean thing". Only Christ can actualize your ability to live and be holy. Too many use the phrase "holy lifestyle" as a cliché and that is all it has become for some who were raised in holiness.

Thank God for all those who live sacrificially and choose not dwell among the "stuff’ of this world. There will be a great reward. All those men who choose to live and look like godly men instead of pimps and homosexuals, and to all those sistahs who choose to live and look like godly women instead of a bunch of stage show ho’s and lesbians ----GOD BLESS YOU AND PLEASE KEEP THE FAITH.

Well I guess my ministry is officially over now. Persecute me for righteousness sake…it’s OK, I’ll be in good company. So I’ll conclude with this:

Rev. 22:10-21 ~ "10And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. 11He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 16I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 17And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 18For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 20He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Blessed!