holiness - to live apart

July 5, 2011

I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations. (Numbers 23:9)

"'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy. (Leviticus 20:7-8)

"For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2)

The words 'consecrate' and 'holy' come from the same Hebrew word: qadash, which means to be set apart, holy, sanctified. This time reading through Numbers, the above verse caught my eye, especially 'live apart.' God has not only called the Israelites to be set apart and holy, but He has caused them to live apart from the other nations. Being set apart, being made holy, being sanctified: all three of these concepts come from the same root word in the Hebrew language, and it gives us a bit of a deeper insight into what it means for us when God is sanctifying us: He is setting us apart for Himself. But being set apart isn't just a 'heart' or 'mind' thing, it takes on a physical appearance as well: we must live apart from the nations around us.

Now, I don't think 'living apart' necessarily means living away from everyone who isn't Christian, or setting up a community of 'Christians only', but it has to do with the way we handle and live our lives. Throughout Leviticus, God gives the Israelites many commands that had to do with the way they lived their lives. The commands in Leviticus fall into three categories: moral/ethical (for people's relationships with one another - do not steal, do not murder, etc.-these are still in effect today), rituals/festivals (between God and people - these were fulfilled in Christ's death and resurrection and had served as a foreshadow and symbol of what God was to do through Christ), and civil laws (a group of laws that were specific to the Israelite nation's way of living and their judicial system - these do not apply to us except in showing us certain principles of justice that are timeless). This third category of laws/commandments was given to the Israelite nation to set them apart from the nations around them, and while they no longer apply to us, there is an important principle that carries all the way through to the New Testament and to us: we are to be set apart.

But while we are no longer subjected to a list of laws that make us set apart from everyone else, we have the Holy Spirit within us who continually sanctifies us, leads us, and sets us apart in spirit, body, mind, and soul, and so though we may not have written laws to set us apart, as we grow and mature in our spiritual walk, we naturally become set apart. This is why when I look at the mature Christians in the church, who've had a lifetime of walking with God, there is this difference in them - in the way they talk, in the way they present themselves, in the way they do business, in the way they live.

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9, NASB)

And so as I read through the Old Testament and think about the principles and the timeless truths it still holds for us today, I am led to ask myself, am I set apart in my life? The things I choose to listen to, the things I choose to watch, the way I react to situations, the way I am to those who frustrate and annoy me, the ways I choose to spend my leisure time, the words I choose to let out of my mouth, the way I dress, the way I think, etc., in all of these things, have I been gradually living apart more and more in my spirit, mind, body, and soul from those around me who do not claim Christ's name? Or am I the same as when I first believed? Have I grown, not just in knowledge of the Bible and Christian theological concepts, but in the way I live my life, in the way I have or have not developed the fruit of the Spirit?

I do not want to be someone who is set apart only in how much I know about God, the Bible, Christian concepts, etc. I want to strive to be set apart in the way I choose to live my life, not as someone who blends easily with those who do not claim Christ, but as someone who stands out, not for the sake of standing out, but for the sake of Christ who has called us to be holy and who continues to sanctify us. I am beginning to understand more and more that it isn't how much we know about Christ or how much we know about the Bible that will draw others to God, it is the way we live our lives, the way we apply that knowledge to the way we live, the way we relate to others, the way we present ourselves. We may have all the knowledge in the world about God, Christian theological concepts, and the Bible, but if we find entertainment, appeal, and amusement in the same things as the rest of the world, if we treat others as the rest of the world treats others, if our lives do not reflect the draw, the appeal, and the preciousness of a life filled and saturated with Christ's life (which is so very different from the life the secular world upholds) why would anyone think or know that what we have is beyond value and price?

A life that shines through with Christ's life is a more effective and appealing testimony than a life filled with mere concepts and head knowledge. A life that shines through with Christ's life is a life set apart and lived apart from the rest of the world.