What does the Bible say about holiness?
Is Holiness necessary? The answer is a resounding "YES"!
The problem lies in the UPC view of holiness. For those who are unfamiliar with the UPC view, let me explain.
The UPC (again, I am using the word UPC as a general term for any holiness Oneness Pentecostal organization or church) believes that there are specific "holiness standards" that we must adhere to. Some churches debate whether or not adhering to these standards is required for salvation, but–in my experience–people who do not adhere to the "standards" are considered rebellious. Many Oneness Pentecostals view these people as unsaved. Also, people who initially adhere to the standards and then begin to doubt their validity are viewed as being "backslidden."
So, once again, the problem lies in the UPC view of holiness.
The question we must ask is, "What does the Bible say about holiness?"
The flagship Scripture used by the UPC is Hebrews 12:14, which says:
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord… (Heb 12:14 KJV)
The word holiness that is used in this Scripture is "sanctification." Sanctification means "Separation unto God1." That’s it. Separation unto God. It has nothing to do with standards of dress. Every time that the word was used in Scripture it referred to separation from sin or general separation from the old, unregenerated lifestyle. To illustrate this point, here is a list in context of all the times this particular Greek word that we translate "sanctification" or "holiness" was used in the New Testament:
(Rom 6:16-22 NASB)
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.(1Co 1:26-31 NASB)
For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."(1Th 4:1-8 NASB)
Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.(1Th 4:1-8 NASB)
For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.(Heb 12:12-14 NASB)
Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.(1Ti 2:9-15 NASB)
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.
Now, I saved 1 Tim. 2:15 for last, because this is a Scripture that is commonly misunderstood in UPC circles. The reason for the misunderstanding is two-fold:
- First, the KJV translated (sanctification) as "holiness" in 1 Tim. 2:15.
- Second, since the UPC already has the concept of "holiness" as being a standard of dress, and since the UPC uses the KJV almost exclusively, this Scripture passage is often used to teach that women should not wear jewelry (note the reference to "gold and pearls" in verse 9). I will cover this more when I deal with Jewelry, but even the casual reader will see that if Paul is saying that women cannot wear jewelry, then he is also saying that women cannot braid their hair or wear "costly clothing." Obviously, Paul is teaching a concept, not giving specific rules on how to dress.
So, once again, is holiness (sanctification) necessary? YES! Our goal should always be to be separated to God in everything we do, not just in specific "holiness standards." Women and men should both dress modestly. But does a church have the right to dictate certain rules such as "women can’t wear jewelry," "women can’t use make-up," "women can’t wear pants," and other similar rules? I cannot find any Biblical basis for doing so.
References:
- The Complete Word Study Dictionary, © 1992 By AMG International, Inc., Chattanooga, TN 37422, U.S.A., Revised edition, 1993 [↩]
July 27th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
i’m very grateful to have stumbled upon your website.
during my 4 years of study at an Adventist University, it was my first time to be codemned for wearing sleeveless blouses, above-the-knee skirts, short pants, and jewelry, so this forced me to examine my own beliefs.
Sure, i was ready to change my lifestyle if Bible cleary said that i was sinning by doing so…but i wasn’t going to take anyone else’s word for it. If the truth was in the Bible, i was going to check it out for myself…and it turns out that i’m not violating any Bible standards.
Their doctrines are nice but they take some things a notch higher than what they really are in Biblical standards… i believe that it isn’t good to add or subtract from what the Bible says…God doesn’t need our opinions, no matter how well-intentioned, to make His Message any holier than it should be.
I’d rather concentrate on the more important things such as walking in righteousness, avoiding sin, and witnessing for Jesus instead of struggling with fashion statements and what i shouldn’t or should wear.
Your study on the topics are liberating…and after hearing both sides of the issue, my inner voice tells me your take on the matter is the unbiased one.
May God continue to reveal His truth to You and to all of us who are seeking.
May 25th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Just as every denomination has their grassroots traditions, so do we. But there are many that do realize that there is nothing we can wear that will determine our salvation. Some of us (as people) would like to spend time declaring how wrong a certain religion is rather than embracing our personal walk with God. If you feel wronged by a belief, does is make it right to spend time to defame that belief system? There is a bias to every religious discussion Colleen, either you agree or disagree with the topic. For those who agree they tend to support, those who disagree will denounce it. This is ultimately a commentary that is well thought out and carefully constructed. In the end it is not for us to follow after any man but the one who died for us. In Him we should put our faith, hope and love in. When searching for answers to these, search Christ and openly recieve His unfailable Word for that is the only answer. No preachers words, Bible commentary, religious book or anything that we publish has all the answers.
And when we pray for our answers, let them not be a prayer in bias. “God let your will be done” but hope that His will lines up with our mindset. Our psyche will always conform a hope into a truth for our own lives.
January 10th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
It is unfortunate that at times, sound moral advice or guidance can be taken out of context and be confused with standards. The heart of this matter is just that: our hearts must desire to please God. With this desire in place, we should do our best to act in accordance with what the Bible and the Holy Spirit teach us is pleasing to God. Our hearts will always matter above and beyond what we choose to wear. Christ wants to indwell our hearts and this is where our striving for holiness must take place.
September 25th, 2010 at 5:05 am
I would request you to send me messageses on Holyness I need your help to guide my life I m strugling a lot, pls. pray for me.
September 25th, 2010 at 7:39 am
Sunil, please email me directly at jmspiers@gmail.com. It would be my delight to talk and pray with you =)
In Christ,
- Josh S.
May 26th, 2011 at 10:57 am
Please. Don’t go bashing UPC for their standards of holiness. I’m United Pentecostal, Apostolic, One God, Holy Ghost filled Christian and I would rather be safe then sorry. Hell is not a price I’m willing to pay. If I have to wear shirts with decent sleeves, skirts to the knee or below, no make up or Jewelery and not cut my hair. It’s worth it.
‘Separation from God’ also means being separate from the world, and how are you supposed to be a light, by being different from the world, if you look and act like everyone else in the world?
M.
May 26th, 2011 at 6:54 pm
I believe in holiness also but clothing wont make anyone holy.
I have asked preachers to show me one verse in the Bible where a man wore pants and and would preach it with them, but there is none.
May 27th, 2011 at 10:55 am
M,
All of the holiness standards you listed are a small price to pay compared to what Christ did for us. If I thought for a moment that He wanted me to do those things then I would do them just to please Him. It wouldn’t matter to me whether or not doing them or not doing them would send me to hell, I would just want to please my Savior.
However, God does not ask us to do these things. “Better safe than sorry” is meaningless in relation to the things you described because they are simply not in Scripture. It would be like me saying “I only wear pink shirts because I’d rather be safe than sorry.” Your reaction would be, “Where on earth did you get the idea that you needed to wear pink shirts?” My reaction is the same with holiness standards: Where on earth did we get the idea that they’re necessary? They’re simply not Scriptural.
At best, holiness standards put an unnecessary burden on the Christian. At worst, they cause us to seek to be justified before Christ through our efforts, thereby cutting us off from the very one we are trying to please (cf. Gal. 5:1-12).
Regarding separation from the world: The Scripture you are referring to (2. Cor. 6:17) has nothing to do with what we wear. The Scripture is a warning against idolatry. Trying to apply it to clothing just doesn’t work. For example, I am a man, and my clothing is the same as other mens’ clothing, whether or not they are Christians. If I am to try to be “separate from the world” in the way that I dress then what do I need to do? Wear dresses? And what do I do with my facial hair, since some non-Christian men have beards and some don’t? And what about my hair? And my shirts? And my glasses? How am I to be different from the world in all of those things?
Trying to apply “be ye separate” to clothing just doesn’t work. It becomes nonsense. It’s easy to throw that Scripture around when trying to defend holiness standards for women, but if we are to be consistent then we also have to apply the Scripture to holiness standards for men. That’s when we see that it jsut doesn’t make sense.
In Christ,
- Josh S.
June 7th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Holiness is more than clothing, make-up, hair and jewelry. I found it odd that the concern of my church leaders was more on the hem of my skirt or the mascara on my lashes than on the condition of my heart. Now that I’m finally old enough and slightly more mature ;) I see that my relationship with God doesn’t hinge on my outward appearance the way I thought it once did. Do I still wear dresses and skirts? Yes, I mostly wear dresses and skirts. Do I wear make-up? Yes, I wear natural looking make-up. Do I cut and dye my hair? Yes, I cut and dye my hair. Do I believe that any of these things will keep me out of heaven? No way!
I spent a lot of time and guilt on these issues and have finally found peace.
Great Job Josh on your blog. I look forward to reading more.
-Deby
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:49 am
McKenzie… or M as you sign your comment…
If you want to play the “better safe than sorry” card, you better read your Bible more closely. Please don’t feel that your safe because you obey the UPC’s holiness standards or doctrines, be safe & not sorry because you have searched out the truth for YOURSELF from Scripture based upon the origional language & intent of the Scriptures. Much of what the UPC teaches simply isn’t Scripturally sound when you search the word meanings for yourself. Myself, I’d “rather be safe than sorry” too – but not based upon what any man or denomination tells me, but by picking up the Word of God and DOING what it says. Period. When you do that, you’ll find there’s MUCH in the Word that we have to do that the UPC does NOT teach you, & the man-made doctrines they teach fall by the wayside.
November 10th, 2011 at 5:42 am
King James Bible
Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. Mark 9:42 “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. This warning is to guide against our actions so that others don’t fall to sin by them, our appearance as Christian should be moderate because it is not about us but about the reaction it is likely to generate.
December 18th, 2011 at 12:25 am
I am United Pentecostal and I will agree that some churches do make holiness all about the outer appearance. I know that many people say that we are all judgemental and such and some can be that way. In my church I have seen a change in our congregation. I used to be quite judgemental, but in recent years my definition of holiness has shifted. I no longer view holiness as outer but inner. Inner holiness will normally produce outer holiness because when we are pure inside we desire to please God. The author of this article made it seem as if my denomination was a dogmatic, strict denomination. In truth we view inner holiness as of more importance than outer because outer holiness without a clean heart is a facade. We do have standards and I firmly stand by them. But we are not going to condemn someone just because they wear make-up or wear pants. We love first and then the standards come in time and with the persons own spiritual growth.
December 18th, 2011 at 12:38 am
Oh by the way Josh. Many of our standards our scriptural. If you would like Josh I would suggest that you go to our website upci.org and look under the resources tab and click the articles tab. Then go down to the article that says Holiness and Culture. Read it you will see that many of our standards are biblically based.
January 18th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
WTG Josh! Our faith is found upon Christ. Christ is the object of our faith. Holiness is more of an “inward” condition rather than and outward expression. However, the correct inward condition reveals itself outwardly. We are “justified” by Christ. We can’t justify each other nor ourselves because we are not the “Standard” of measure, Christ is. If we set up a set of “rules” we are legalists and Christ profits us nothing, for we depend on them. You see we have an “approval” problem. We want to be approved of what we do to “validate” our faith, instead of letting Christ do that. If we love Christ, that love reveals itself in how we handle everything else in life; speech, dress, lifestyle, etc; for “freedom” is not license. This is where we struggle in making everyday decisions. We critize others, as if we’ve never made wrong choices. Each person has to allow God to “approve” them and their choices. If we are following hard after God, we will wear appropriate cloths, not necessarily a clothing standard but un-offensive. As well as, all the other choices in our daily lives. That’s why our faith is termed a “relationship” and not “religion”.