Chapter 3: The Argument for Holiness
Is holiness good only for God, or does it actually have benefits for us as well?
Before we look specifically at God's attribute[1] of holiness, let's look back at the historic chaos in Sub-Saharan Africa and let it suggest why human holiness is inadequate.
[1]The term attributes refers to the qualities of God that are inherent in his person. God is eternal, holy, unchanging, infinite, all-powerful, everywhere-present, all-wise, all-knowing, self-existent, self-sufficient, good, love, gracious, merciful, just, and sovereign, to name some of his attributes. It must be obvious, however, how important his attribute of holiness must be. For example, a God who was all-powerful but not holy would be a terror. A God who knew everything but was not holy could become the master blackmailer. A God who loved at least some of his created beings but was not holy could be capricious. Within this book, therefore, our point of view will always be that God's holiness is his most defining characteristic because it is his holiness which causes all of his other attributes to work for his good and the good of all of his creation.
A trip to Darfur and Sub-Saharan Africa
In early 2003, a region known as Darfur in southern Sudan, Africa became embroiled in a deadly conflict with the Sudanese government. Within three years, at least 400,000 people had been killed, and more than 2 million innocent civilians had been forced to flee their homes and live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring Chad. More than 3.5 million men, women, and children relied completely on international aid for survival. Not since the Rwandan genocide of 1994 had the world seen such a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, and mass slaughter.
Of an estimated 40.3 million persons who were living with HIV/AIDS in 2005, 25.8 million lived in Sub-Saharan Africa. Early estimates were that within five years after that date, 20 million children in the region would have lost at least one parent to AIDS. By 2005, many of the children in that region were receiving no schooling of any kind, and just under half of Sub-Saharan Africa's population (some 313 million people) survived on less than $1 a day[2].
[2]Both news items were adapted from www.scinterfaith.org/darfur.
What would you have seen if you had been in a displaced-persons camp in either of these areas? Of course, you would have seen poverty on its most gut-wrenching level. But you would have seen a blend of poverty and affluence. You would certainly have seen government troops who were reasonably well dressed and fed. These troops would have been patrolling the area in modern vehicles. They would have undoubtedly had air support using unimaginably expensive planes and helicopters as compared with the dollar-a-day subsistence level of the impoverished internees. You would also have seen international aid workers who were—with complete justification—also well-fed and were able to use vehicles for transporting supplies. Thus, you would have certainly seen poverty and all its destruction on its human prey, but you would have seen it coexisting with a reasonably high level of wealth. Then, had you driven to the main cities in the area, you would have certainly seen an even greater contrast, since any of these countries would also have their enclaves of the wealthy elite.
In almost any poverty stricken area of the world, you could easily find a counterpart of extreme wealth and political elitism. The world's economic crisis does not exist because of a lack of resources; it almost always exists because of a selfish hoarding of resources by an elite few. It is not at all uncommon in today's world to hear of shipping containers of rotting food in a port city of a country in which there is famine. Under these circumstances, there will almost always be an organized black market extending from high government officials to "facilitators" among the impoverished.
Solving world hunger and the lack of education
Can you see how simply the problem of hunger and lack of education in this one area of Africa could have been solved? Let's say that we had designated the wealthiest five percent of the population to be those who would provide financial aid. From that group we would have taken a set amount of money—without imposing undue hardship—for redistribution among the poorest and least educated. We would not have required that these wealthy individuals practiced or even understood God's holiness as long as the money itself was distributed in such a way that the best interests of the poor were met.
This idealistic system would have failed very quickly. First, as they had already probably done for their own advantage, a majority of the wealthy would have found a way to circumvent the collection of funds. Equally important, this system would have required a large number of mid-management level functionaries to distribute the money, converting it to goods and services. We would quickly have discovered that the entire mid-management system, working in collusion with a small group among the poor themselves, would have diverted large amounts of the money for their own profit. The wealthy would have preyed on the poor and the poor would have preyed on the poorer still.
The only way such a system could have possibly worked is if it had been entirely dependent on voluntary, benevolent, and independently wealthy participants. These participants would then have needed to be internally motivated by a personal sense of something akin to holiness which would have caused them to self-regulate their concern for the well-being of the poor. This self-regulation would have then needed to control the participants in such a way that others' needs were met just as fairly as the needs of those administering their personal wealth. If the problems of mid-management corruption could have then been solved, the system would have worked.
Our need of God's holiness
In using the forgoing illustration, we do not want to imply that every human being is socially corrupted. Far from it. History has repeatedly modeled individuals who acted on principle and gave themselves for the well-being of others. But just as history has given us examples of the best of humanity, so it has given us far too many examples of the worst of humanity as well.
Therefore, to achieve social equity, we need to draw on something outside of ourselves. We need the absolute holiness of God as our standard.
The Bible describes God's holiness in this way:[3]
[3]God's concern with humanity's well-being includes justice and mercy as well as that which is strictly defined as holiness. Consequently, this list of references will include statements describing God's holiness, justice, and mercy.
There is no one as holy as Yahweh, For there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God (1 Samuel 2:2). But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel (Psalm 22:3). For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite (Isaiah 57:15). For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name. His mercy is for generations of generations on those who fear him (Luke 1:49-50). Yahweh is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works (Psalm 145:17).
"For I am Yahweh your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy:..For I am Yahweh who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44-45). But just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:15-16). Sing praise to Yahweh, you saints of his. Give thanks to his holy name (Psalm 30:4). They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty! Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations (Revelation 15:3-4). One called to another, and said, "Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah 6:3).
Let them praise [Yahweh's] great and awesome name. He is Holy! Exalt Yahweh our God. Worship at his footstool. He is Holy! (Psalm 99:3, 5). For I will proclaim the name of Yahweh. Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice: a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he (Deuteronomy 32:3-4). Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven't I, Yahweh? There is no other God besides me, a just God and a Savior; There is no one besides me (Isaiah 45:21). [Yahweh] set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, "Consider what you do: for you don't judge for man, but for Yahweh; and he is with you in the judgment. Now therefore let the fear of Yahweh be on you. Take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with Yahweh our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes" (2 Chronicles 19:6-7). Yes surely, God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert justice (Job 34:12).
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before your face (Psalm 89:14). If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). But let him who glories glory in this, that he has understanding, and knows me, that I am Yahweh who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says Yahweh (Jeremiah 9:24). Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing for joy together. Let them sing before Yahweh, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity (Psalm 98:8-9). Yahweh is slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and disobedience (Numbers 14:18).
But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) (Ephesians 2:4-5). For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you (Psalm 86:5). Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him (Psalm 103:8-11). Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34). For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is [Yahweh 's] loving kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:11).
Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness. Yahweh is good to all. His tender mercies are over all his works (Psalm 145:8-9). Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn't retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness (Micah 7:18-19). But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4-7). Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his loving kindness (Psalms 147:11). Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin (Psalms51:1-2). Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever (Psalm 118:29).
A first observation
There can be no true hope apart from a system of justice based on an absolute standard of holiness. That standard of holiness must further be administered apart from those who could profit from it. Therefore, there are three potential hazards: The first would be the absence of absolute holiness controlling the system. The second would be a self-serving "religious" administration of the system in which a single group would presume to know how best to conduct God's business. And finally, there would be the hazard of personal profit to those who were unjustly administering the system.
A first practical application
1. If both a God-figure and sectarian religious control could be removed, almost all would agree that a universal administration that could be characterized as holy would produce the greatest benefit for the largest number of people. It would be readily agreed that, under this administration, the world would have the greatest sense of hope, as humanity would be given its best opportunity for self-fulfillment.
2. It is obvious, however, that a system of God-directed holiness requires a concession that many in today's world are not willing to make. It requires that a supreme God must assume the role of absolute authority and that those participating must willingly obey him. We simply suggest that the posturing of ultimate human control apart from a standard of absolute holiness has made a significant contribution to the brokenness of society and the loss of hope we are experiencing today.
3. There is much more to the subject of holiness than the mere distribution of wealth. Nonetheless, the extreme disparity between the wealthy and the poor is a poignant reminder of the inequity that exists between ethnic, socio-economic, political, and religious groups that are bent on their own self-interests. Avarice (greed) and holiness are polar opposites.
4. In the first chapter we said that we are neither asking you to believe what we are telling you, nor are we trying to manipulate you. Our objective is merely to report a system of hope that has been acknowledged for almost 2,000 years. What you choose to do with the information we are presenting is up to you.
5. Notice, however, that in this chapter we have introduced what we who have given credence to this two-thousand-year-old system of hope find so affirming. Its certainty is not based on human predictability or effort. Its promise is based on the holiness (goodness) of the sovereign creator of the universe.
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