Holiness – Too Far?

If you’ve ever wondered that question (either silently in the back of your mind, or right out loud where everybody could hear you), you’re not alone.  Off the top of my head, I’d guess that it’s a pretty big club, and the membership includes a lot of Christians – myself included.  People may even subconsciously fear the word ‘holiness’ because (to them) it carries a connotation of having to wear specific clothing and give up every fun thing that’s ever been in the world.  And that’s a large part of the problem – we don’t really know what the word actually means.  So, let’s see if we can shed some Light on it.

What’s in a Name?

Ever heard that expression before?  In today’s world, it’s a phrase that really sort of implies a state of ‘limited importance,’ if any importance at all.  In other words, “It’s just a ‘name,’ no big deal – it’s just what we call it.”  But, a long time ago, ‘what you call it’ was a big deal – a very big deal.  In fact, it was crucial.

In the Old Testament, for example, the names that people were given very often had specific meanings.  Take Abram, whose name literally translates to ‘high father.’  (No, people, not that kind of ‘high’ – high as in lofty