“Holiness” as Allocation
Rethinking Holiness in Everyday Life
“Holy” is a common word in church but not a very common word outside church. The only times I’ve ever heard it used outside of a church context is in the phrase “holier than thou,” (like the Metallica song!) which essentially just means that you think you’re better than everyone else.
Even without using the phrase, we all experience this. All. The. Time. It goes by a few other phrases: being pharisaical, virtue signaling, self-righteousness, prudish, etc. You get it.
This idea is saying that we do something that makes us feel superior to others. This just happened to me by a close friend. I just recently ditched my smartphone and bought a Nokia flip phone. For real. Now, I have a whole list of reasons on why I did this, but my friend thought I was doing it out of superiority to prove that I’m better than everyone else, that being caught up in the attention economy, bringing up Apple’s stock, and getting TikTok brain is below me. And… Some of that is absolutely true. But why would this decision to switch to a flip phone lead to someone else calling me “holier than thou”? I think they actually might be onto something, but maybe in a way that they didn’t expect.
I’d argue that, biblically speaking, the word holiness could also be translated as or understood by saying allocated. Allocated, which means being different for a specific purpose. Not just different, but different for a specific purpose. Each person is different, but that doesn’t mean we’re all holy. A hipster circa 2010 wearing frames without lenses, being “so random” is different, but far from holy.
So, What is Holy? How Does Holiness Come About?
I’d argue that holiness:
Doesn’t mean better
Should be sought after and embraced
Should lead to goodness, not judgmentalism
Holiness Doesn’t Mean Better
A great place to start here is looking at where the first time “holy” shows up in the Bible. Any guesses? Not about Jesus and not even about God in the Old Testament. Nope! It’s used first in the 7 days of creation, at the very beginning of the Bible. But, not about Adam or Eve, or about any creation. It’s used to talk about the 7th day—Sabbath. A day. A 24-hour period. A time.
This tells us something super important about holiness: It doesn’t mean better.
How in the world could anyone say that one day is better than another? It’s not the day that makes something better, it’s what happens on any given day. Oddly enough, “good” is used six times in the creation account, but it’s not used to talk about Sabbath. Each day, once God finishes the work for that day, he calls it good. But along comes Sabbath and it doesn’t dawn the title of good, but rather, holy.
Why?
Because allocation is not the same as goodness! Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Sabbath. It’s my favorite day of the week by a long shot, but that’s not everything I do on it is good, but because it’s holy. It’s allocated, different for a reason. (Pancakes, anyone?)
So let’s take a cue from Sabbath, shall we?
As Paul says:
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” (2 Timothy 1:9)
This isn’t about earning holiness through higher morality or goodness. It’s entirely outside of ourselves and rooted in God’s purpose. But that purpose does include a higher moral call. And is that such a bad thing? Is it bad to be allocated by God to become something better? I don’t think so.
Holiness is Possible and Should Be Sought After
Pursuing to be a “holy person” might feel uncomfortable for some people—I get it. When my friend assumed I switched to a flip phone to feel superior, I could see how it might seem that way. But my intention was good, and isn’t it worth embracing being different if it results in goodness?
Don’t we want evil to end? Don’t we want cheaters, rapists, murderers, thieves, and abusive leaders to never have had the opportunity to do something evil? Don’t you want to stop lashing out at your kids? Don’t you want to stop acting so childish sometimes? Don’t you want to stop resenting your family members and friends? Don’t you want to stop wasting hours of your life staring at your phone? Don’t you want to stop consuming so much media?
I do.
And I’m sure many of you agree—we need to become something better. To best represent Jesus, I know that I need to be allocated to him. I need to change into something different than I am right now. And change is inevitable! But it’s also for our good.
Another word for change would be maturity. To change over time is to mature, and that’s happening to your body whether you want it or not. But we should also be maturing in our interior life, too. We should earnestly seek to mature. Not just to get older, but for a reason. Remember, holiness is to be allocated, different for a specific purpose. Likewise, we should mature, not just to be older, but in a specific way, to become more like a specific person: Jesus.
But holiness isn’t just about being different or about change for its own sake. Our music, movies, vocabulary—everything—can’t just be “different.” It has to be for a purpose. My heart in ditching my smartphone isn’t to feel superior but to honor God with my time, mind, and heart.
Now, I seek every opportunity to be allocated to him.
Holiness Should Lead to Goodness, Not Judgmentalism
Let’s be honest: holiness can sometimes lead to judgmentalism. If left unchecked, I could see myself drifting that way with my flip phone decision. But the fear of judgmentalism shouldn’t stop us from being allocated. When done properly, being allocated for a specific purpose leads to goodness, not judgment. This idea of being allocated for a specific purpose isn’t limited to the Sabbath but is woven throughout the biblical narrative. Consider God’s call to Abraham:
“I will bless those who bless you… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3)
This is being allocated—being different for a purpose. It’s not about superiority; it’s about being a blessing. Just like with Sabbath, it doesn’t make the other six days worse. Instead, it fills them with blessing, joy, and peace. Observing Sabbath changes your week. Those who have been observing Sabbath for some time know this feeling.
What was once the last work day of the week, just counting down the seconds till the weekend, is now a special day of preparation for the Sabbath. What is usually a hurried day to rush into church to check-in your kids, get a cup of coffee, do some karaoke, and listen to a Ted Talk, is now the first day, hot off the press from Sabbath, full of rest and the peace of God.
What I’m saying is that Sabbath makes everything better. And no wonder, because it’s God's design, established in creation, affirmed in the 10 commandments, exemplified by Jesus, and carried on by the Church.
And just like the Sabbath, we, his followers, are allocated—holy. Our purpose? To be a blessing to the nations, and that includes your family, neighbors, Canadians, and your rival political party.
Jesus allocated his people, not because we’re better, but to make us more like him—which is way better. Jesus’ call to be allocated for a specific reason led him to a Roman cross, dying a criminal's death for the salvation of all humankind. Ours, in kind, should lead to blessing others, not judging others through being “holier than thou.”
A Few Takeaways
Don’t shy away from embracing a difference that leads to the blessing of others.
You might be called “holier than thou” and honestly, that could be totally true. But it’s not about being holier, it’s about being holy. God allocated us, so, be allocated!Find areas in your life to be different for a purpose.
Maybe it’s giving up your smartphone, practicing Sabbath, or just not getting caught up in the polarization of politics. These things will make you stand out and they will be difficult, but maybe it’s exactly the kind of difference that is needed in the world today.Don’t make “holy” a bad word.
Paul often calls God’s people “holy” in his letters. Let’s bring that back. Own it, church! God has made you holy (allocated you), so know it. And if you’ve never been told before, let me tell you: You. Are. Holy. Don’t forget your holiness. Live like you’ve been allocated, and see others in our church family as holy.Practice holiness, together.
God didn’t just allocate you or me; He allocated His people. As you gather each week at church or in your community, practice allocation. Let your time together be different for a specific purpose—not just like any other social outing. Keep that time allocated, different, for the specific purpose; praying, eating, studying the Word, and growing in love together.
I’ll end the way Paul usually begins his letters:
This is written to God’s allocated people in Mountlake Terrace, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Love, Pastor Benjamin
