True vs False Holiness

Ephesians 4:24 encourages us to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” The implication is that there is a true standard of holiness, as well as a false one. The confusion that has produced two conflicting standards of holiness arises (in part) from a failure to distinguish between the Old Testament position and the New Testament position on cleanness and uncleanness. Other reasons include the overpowering influence of the flesh, which makes it difficult for men to do better; the hypocrisy of men, who want to be seen as holy, even though they are not, and the dearth of good and balanced teaching.

Under the Old Covenant, the LORD was preoccupied with curbing the excesses of men and keeping fresh the knowledge of sin. By this, He sought to prepare them for the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. His chief instrument in accomplishing this objective was the Law (Gal.3:19-25). While the ultimate aim of God is purity of heart, He nonetheless allowed man to operate under a less than perfect order. Rather unfortunately, despite the manifestation of the reality (to which those shadows in the Old Testament pointed), some people are still holding unto the ‘shadows’.

The Pharisees were the chief examples of false holiness (Mat.23:1-33). They loved to wash the outside of the cup, to maintain a holy appearance, and to leave the inside unwashed (23:25). Paul warns the Gentile church against this (Col.2:16-23). In relation to true holiness, the reverse is the case: “…cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also” (25:26).

Areas of Focus
We must learn to wash the inside of the cup, so that the entire cup may be clean, both within and without. This process is expected to continue until every aspect of our lives is made clean. In practical terms, we are expected to focus on our thoughts, words and deeds.

Our Thoughts
The foundation for a filthy or a holy lifestyle is laid within the realm of our thoughts. Proverbs 23:7 gives us an insight into what makes or unmakes a man: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” This is confirmed by Proverbs 27:19: “As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.” The implication is that, just as a reflection of a man is easily caught in a body of water (or a mirror), so the heart of man reveals the man. The Lord finds it easy to place men, for He sees our hearts; but we do not find it easy.

The way forward is for the sincere seeker of God to focus on his own thoughts, for they give him an insight into the kind of heart he has. Remember, “as a man THINKETH in his heart, so is he.” It is not just the heart that matters, but the thoughts of the heart which, in any case, reveal the state of the heart. Paul, not only confirms this, but goes on to highlight the processes involved: “For they that are after the flesh do MIND the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity with God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom.8:5-7).

The first stage has to do with the things we mind, or our dominant thoughts. They reveal whether we are pursuing fleshly or spiritual objectives. These, in turn, determine whether we are classified as carnal or spiritual; which, in turn, determines our ultimate destination: death, on the one hand, and life and peace, on the other hand.
Finally, a carnally minded man cannot live a holy life, for he is an enemy of God, who will not submit to God’s Word and cannot do so, even if he wanted to. A carnally minded man, notwithstanding his ‘good’ intentions, cannot be better than a Pharisee. At the very best, he will attain false holiness, for true holiness must begin from the heart and mind.

Our Words
The Bible teaches us to pay attention to our words: “If a man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (Jam.3:2). For this reason, many are committed to making “positive confessions,” but the demand of God goes beyond what the average believer is striving for. Many are careful not to say anything ‘negative’ about themselves, but will not mind lying their way out of trouble. Again, the problem is neither with the branches, leaves and fruits (likened to the deeds), nor with the stem (likened to our words), but with the roots (our thoughts). Jesus says: “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit…A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaketh” (Lk.6:43-45).

The implication is that our words are a true reflection of the state of our hearts. Put differently, our words are a metre by which our spiritual temperature may be measured: “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Mat.12:37). If, for instance, our fountains (or tongues) bring forth both sweet and bitter water, that could be an indication of hypocrisy or, at best, double mindedness (Pro.23:7, Mat.23:2, 14-25, 1 Ki.18:21, Jam.3:11, 4:8).

The standard of God is clear: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it might minister grace to the hearers” (Eph.4:29). For this reason, we are admonished to do away with lying, foolish talk and jesting (Eph.4:25, 5:4).

Our Deeds
Ephesians 4:24-32 gives a list of behavioural patterns that are not consistent with the new man (such as lying, uncontrolled anger, stealing, slander and malice), as well as those that are consistent with the new man (such as truthfulness, generousity, kindness, tenderness and forgiveness). Similarly, Galatians 5:19-23 gives us a list of works or deeds of the flesh (such as adultery, fornication, uncleanness or impurity, lasciviousness or lewdness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, wrath, strife or selfish ambition, dissensions, divisions, envy, murder, drunkenness and orgies), as well as fruit(s) or manifestations of a Spirit-filled life (love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness or kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control). For the avoidance of doubt, the phrase “and such like” that comes at the end of the list of works of the flesh indicates that the list is not exhaustive.

The word “deeds” can be used in two ways. In a specific sense, it refers to actions of men, as opposed to their thoughts, dispositions and words. However, in a more general context, it refers to our ways, the observable aspects of our responses. Based on the second meaning, vices like jealousy, envy and wrath can be categorised as works or deeds; and virtues like joy, peace and meekness can be categorised as fruit(s) or deeds. At this stage, we are dealing with the branches, leaves and fruits, which are borne by the stem, which, in turn, is borne by the roots.