What does it mean to be Holy? Does being Holy mean someone is a "good person?" What is good? Is there an objective definition of Holiness reading our Bible? As an introduction to this subject, I have a short video from the Bible Project.
Short Video: "Holiness."
In the video, God being like the sun was used. The sun is something good that helps bring life. The sun is also dangerous. Someone getting too close to the sun could be destroyed? Man is made in the image of God. Have you ever heard the term "He is the spitting image of his dad?" Man is made in the image of God. Anything a man does or feels may be a reflection of something. God Almighty is relatable. Only God is Holy. Given a man was working to be more like God, and have God's Spirit in a big way, what may that look like in an understanding of Holiness?
Sergeant Major around the US Army may have been "some form of righteous" given he was doing the right Army things. Sergeant Major may have been promoted to his position by keeping the standards, and going through various trials and tests. Someone getting too close to Sergeant Major in the wrong may die? Someone doing the wrong things in Sergeant Major presence may die? Given Sergeant Major walks by someone, Sergeant Major may have had a bit of edge to him, and someone's hair stands up a little bit on their arm? Maybe. Sergeant may have kept "The Army Standards." Jesus chastises and rebukes those he loves. (Hebrews 12:6)(Revelations 3:19) This suggests God has standards. Were you aware of the standards? These may have been standards for good living. These may be standards for Holiness. God has standards.
Jesus throwing out the money lenders may be an example of God's Holiness. The money lenders may have been committing usury, or degrading the temple area. Jesus became righteously angry and tossed them out. Saint Nicholas, likewise, displayed something similar when he chased some pagans out of their own temple. Looking at various men of God from history, in an understanding of being "more holy" we may be looking for similar examples. This understanding of Holiness gets into Thumos or Righteous Anger in the context of God and God's Holy Spirit.
Previous Post: Thumos and Holy Fire - Logos
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)Song: Rocksteady.
Is there a danger here talking about Holiness and Righteousness? A Pastor saying "We are Holy" or "We are righteous" may have been doing wrong. The Bible says Christians are to be a Holy Priesthood. There is a context to Holiness. Was the Church working to be Holy and seeking God, or just claiming a label? When a Church has claimed a label, they may have been putting stumbling blocks or worse between them and God. In some experiences with God, an understanding that I was a man, and less then, may have been a start to receiving more. I had been a life long Christian, and I was not Holy. I was not a lot of things.
Follow me:
God is good and Holy and Separate from sin.
I am a man.
Does that make me evil?
As a man outside of God, I may have been evil. Someone like Apostle Paul or Saint Augustine were the worst of sinners? In an addressing and acceptance that I was less than, and not Good, may have been the start of receiving more. God is good, and someone working in The Spirit of God is good?
Song: "Shackles."
What does it mean that someone was given over to dishonorable passions? (Romans 1:18-25) A Priest or Pastor should have been a good man? A man of God? Given they were doing gross or filthy things and sowing of the flesh, what happened? It may be that they had more of a tradition, and didn't have the Holy Ghost. It may be that they had bad theology. It may be that they were rejecting God and his Goodness and Righteousness. Did someone adopt "worldly" ideology? Philosophy is important. Someone like Saint Thomas Aquinas didn't like philosophy, and there was spiritual warfare going on between Greek Philosophers and Gnostics and Early Christians. Given someone accepted "Liberalism" or "Socialism" or some other ideology, they may have been rejecting God for something worldly. I was part of /r/TrueChristian for awhile. That sub on Reddit should be more conservative right? Around 2016, someone asked about sex before marriage, and there were some people shrugging their shoulders at it. A variety of "more Conservative" Christians may have adopted or conformed to Marxist, Christ denying, Second Wave Feminism, and other worldly attitudes. There may have been adultery and other things going on in or around that Church. Jesus Chastises and rebukes those he loves. (Hebrews 12:6)(Revelations 3:19) To chastise and rebuke, there are standards. Were you aware of the standards?
Question: How does someone develop "Thumos" where they have an edge?
ReplyDeleteGo do hard things and challenge yourself. A man may need a mentor or a role model. Thumos needs role models. Given a man sees another man doing it, he may be able to model what he does off of him.
In general, in Christianity, there has been some understanding of stoicism. God live hard for a while. I don't know that a man has to live hard constantly, and God likes us to celebrate. There are a lot of feast days in Christianity? A man, especially a young man, may need trials and to go live hard for awhile.
The worst is when someone is artificial or trying to hard. He comes off as fake. A man needs trials.
Question: How has thought like this done around Theological circles?
ReplyDeleteI have been on /r/theology and similar subs on Reddit for a few years now. What did someone love with their soul? Did they love The Democratic Party? Did they love some ideology? A theologian who spent six to eight years to get a ph.d or whatever advanced degree out of high school may have been soft like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. He may also have believed he had authority through his education and degree, but he may have been a worthless shepherd or false teacher due to him being tolerant and conforming to Western Liberal Education which has seen all religion as basically equal, or believed they had The Light outside of God.
Given someone walked into a divinity program at a school, and looked at the reader-board where various programs and classes were being advertised, what does someone find in 2020? Things working to conform to Marxist BLM? Things looking to conform Christianity to Feminism? That is heresy. That is not Christianity.
A lot of Theologians graduated from illegitimate theological programs. Are you familiar with an Accreditation process? Some programs, given they didn't following Peer Review rules well, or there was cheating, they could lose their accreditation. As theologians and scholars, they should be aware of The Standards in Christianity. Given they were not, they lost their legitimacy. Some "Secular" authority may have accredited them. Those standards are not necessarily God's standards, and said school was wrong.
A lot of people paid a lot of money towards an education that was not building The Kingdom of God, that was not bringing people closer to God. An education that was producing stumbling blocks and hurting people growing in Faith.
Having education is good. How do you apply what you learned? A young teacher working on his Education Degree may have learned a lot about teaching Secondary School. He doesn't know how to wield said knowledge or if what he was taught was even worthwhile till he gets into a classroom and starts teaching? A lot of what has been taught in Academia, has been Academic as in "not of practical relevance; of only theoretical interest." A lot of smart people theorizing on things that don't have a use in the context of someone living God.