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Is “Holiness” Subjective?

A young Bible college student sat down with me a few Sundays ago after church. We had a discussion about a topic I taught during our 18twentysix session called Where will the Church Go From Here… If You’re Driving? (Click to read the notes.)

The basic premise comes from a book called The Deviant’s Advantage by Ryan Matthews and Watts Wacker. Using their model I traced the movement of 20th century Pentecostalism from the fringe all the way to social convention. The challenge in the session was to be deviant (as in straying from the norm) in their approach to expressing Christ to a world that has been jaded by traditional and institutional Christianity.

During our discussion the topic of “holiness” came up. I put it in quotes because we had a differing opinion on what was meant by the term. We were not discussing “holiness,” in fact we were discussing standards, which are infinitely different. There was a facebook discussion with his friends (of which I am not one) about “holiness” with him asserting that he had spoken with someone (me) and found my ideology “humorous.”

“If someone told you that standards are what your [sic] convicted of, what would you think?”
Several disparaging posts later he said: “Oh trust me guys I’M IN! But just had someone tell me that today! thought it was humorous”

Below are the notes a session I will be teaching on the topic “Is Holiness Subjective.” The approach in this document is very academic. I hope to record an audio of the session which will include Scripture references.

Is Holiness Subjective?

Part 1

Without God there is no holiness. This being said, the idea or concept of “holiness” is objective, with God being the center and focus of the concept. When we pursue holiness we pursue a specific object, God.

Objective -  being the object of perception or thought; belonging to the object of thought rather than to the thinking subject, not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts;

Subjective – existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought, pertaining to or characteristic of an individual; personal; individual, placing excessive emphasis on one’s own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc.

The problem that we have is that we try to take a concept that is objective and filter it through a process or set of rituals that are subjective.

So, standards, or the process in which we pursue or display our “holiness” are subjective.

There are five filters (probably more, but we’ll use these for this discussion) listed below in series.

1. Condemnation
2. Shame
3. Guilt
4. Conviction
5. Love

Condemnation

1. The act of condemning.
2. The state of being condemned.

Shame

1. Disgrace
2. The painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another

Guilt

a. The fact or state of having committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, esp. against moral or penal law; culpability: He admitted his guilt.

b. A feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined.

Conviction

1. A fixed or firm belief.
2. The state of being convinced.

Love

1. The benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.
2. Devotion

Part 2

The reasons we pursue a standard can be:

1. Religious – dictated by a particular religious ideology. Monastic Orders, Nunnery, Standards of dress and/or behavior specific to a particular group or entity that may or may not have specific Biblical origins or substantiation.
2. Cultural – Peer group acceptance, accepted norms within a culture segment, whether religious or secular. A culture can and usually does require an adherence to some standard of conformity. Skaters, punks, jocks, preps, these are culture segments that are not religious (overtly) that require conformity to a particular code. There are cultural “norms” that are considered “standards” for the culture member to follow. These can be explicit or implicit.
   1. Explicit – fully and clearly expressed or demonstrated; leaving nothing merely implied; unequivocal
      To say a person must wear a certain style of clothing or be excluded from the culture or to demand a rigid adherence to a particular code, like not using electricity or modern conveniences, would be considered explicit. Most groups have behavioral practices that are conveyed with the expectation that they will be followed. Consequences will be meted out if these norms are not followed. This is not necessarily bad in itself, obviously we have cultural norms that protect society and Scripture itself is very explicit about behavior that is acceptable and/or unacceptable.
   2. Implicit – Implied or understood though not directly expressed
      To shun a person who does not conform to a belief or practice that is not openly expressed or taught or to assume that through the culture mass an idea will be understood by a new adherent would be considered implicit. It is implied that for me to be a part of your culture group I must wear “x” brand of clothing. The implication is that men must be clean shaven to be a part of a particular religion, though it is not stated emphatically

   3.   Relational – Of course the relational aspect of subscribing to a particular standard of behavior whether dress, activities or ideologies can be both religious and/or cultural due to the fact that it is done in relation to something or someone else. Or, and this is the crux of the whole discussion, the relational aspect can be transcendent.
   Transcendent
   a. Going beyond ordinary limits; surpassing; exceeding.
   b. Being above and independent of the material universe. Used of the Deity.

So, if and when we pursue God our “standard” of holiness transcends religious or cultural dictates and are above the ideas that cause or use shame and condemnation to force conformity. This happens because we shift our focus away from temporal and finite things that are subject to culture and shift according to popular opinion and instead focus on a relationship with an infinite and unchanging God

Conviction, guilt and love become the subjective means that we use as individuals to pursue a relationship with a holy God. The idea of a standard is not wrong, unreasonable or unnecessary. In fact we abide by them in one form or another everyday; however, the standards are subjective and should never replace the object that they are intended to guide us to.

In conclusion then, holiness is not subjective since it has a specific object, which is God. Standards are subjective and are dependant on a variety of social, religious and cultural factors as well as our own understanding and experiences.

God, through our conscience allows us to feel the guilt of sin. Through His word, preaching and/or supernatural methods He convinces us (conviction) of our need to change our minds, activities and/or lifestyle (repentance) to be able to remove anything that would hinder our relationship (love) with Him. He is the object of the pursuit and the process will change over time as we are convicted of different things through maturity in Christ.