Posted on 02/20/2006 8:28:46 AM PST by hiho hiho
(Ventura, CA) – The concept of holiness is woven throughout the Bible and is one of the foundational teachings of many Protestant churches. From Old Testament passages such as Leviticus 19:2 (in which God says, “Be holy because I am holy”) through the more than two-dozen times in the New Testament where God’s people are described as holy, there is little doubt that holiness is a central tenet of the Christian faith. However, a new nationwide survey conducted by The Barna Group indicates that most adults remain confused, if not daunted, by the concept.
Holiness Is Possible
Overall, three out of every four adults (73%) believe that it is possible for someone to become holy, regardless of their past. Only half of the adult population (50%), however, says that they know someone they consider to be holy. And that’s more than twice as many who consider themselves to be holy (21%).
The views of born again Christians are not much different from the national averages. Among born again adults, three-quarters (76%) say it is possible for a person to become holy, regardless of their past. Slightly more than half of the born again group (55%) say they know someone who they would describe as holy. And roughly three out of ten born agains (29%) say they are holy, which is marginally more than the national norm.
The adults most likely to say they know someone they consider to be holy are those who describe holiness primarily as possessing a positive attitude toward God and life. Adults who think of holiness as a spiritual condition are among the least likely to identify anyone they know as holy.
The Meaning of Holiness
When pressed to describe what it means to be holy, adults gave a wide range of answers. The most common reply was “I don’t know,” offered by one out of every five adults (21%). Other responses fell into categories such as “being Christ-like” (19%), making faith your top priority in life (18%), living a pure or sinless lifestyle (12%), and having a good attitude about people and life (10%). Other response categories included focusing completely on God (9%), being guided by the Holy Spirit (9%), being born again (8%), reflecting the character of God (7%), exhibiting a moral lifestyle (5%), and accepting and practicing biblical truth (5%). Once again, the responses of born again and non-born again adults were virtually identical.
Not Obsessed With Holiness
Holiness is a matter embraced by the Christian Church, but it is not one that many Americans adopt as a focal point of their faith development. This is partially because barely one-third of Americans (35%) contend that “God expects you to become holy.” A larger share of the born again public believes God has called them to holiness (46%) but that portion remains a minority of the born again population.
The types of people most likely to say that God expects them to become holy are evangelicals, Revolutionaries, people with a biblical worldview, and ethnic born again adults. In each of these segments, a majority stated that they firmly believe God expects them to be holy. The survey results also indicated that young adults (39 or younger) are less likely than middle-aged and older adults to believe that God expects holiness of His people.
Reflections on Holiness
The new survey findings, when combined with existing knowledge about the state of faith in America, caused the survey’s director, George Barna, to suggest that churches need to take this body of information seriously.
“Realize that the results portray a body of Christians who attend church and read the Bible, but do not understand the concept or significance of holiness, do not personally desire to be holy, and therefore do little, if anything to pursue it. However, the data identify a remnant that understands holiness, wants to live a holy life, and is engaged in its pursuit. The challenge to the nation’s Christian ministries is to foster a genuine hunger for holiness among the masses who claim they love God but who are ignorant about biblical teachings regarding holiness.”
Pointing to data from several of his recent surveys on spiritual maturity in the U.S., Barna noted, “To initiate the education of people regarding holiness, we must arrest their attention and teach its importance. To align their hearts with the notion of being holy, we must move them away from a ‘cheap grace’ theology and replace people’s self-absorption with focus on God and His ways. To help them pursue holiness, we must help them comprehend and accept biblical theology regarding God, Satan, the purposes of life on earth, the nature of spiritual transformation and maturity, and the necessity of bearing spiritual fruit.”
barna blah blah
Make me to know thy ways, O LORD;
teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me,
for thou art the God of my salvation;
for thee I wait all the day long.
Be mindful of thy mercy, O LORD,
and of thy steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth, or my transgressions;
according to thy steadfast love remember me,
for thy goodness' sake, O LORD!
Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psalm 25:4-10 RSV
I am not surprised at the responses, because we live in a day that very seldom values holiness, especially in daily life.
Holiness is not something you do, it is something you are declared.
Consider the temple utensils that were declared holy.
To be holy means that God has set you aside for His use. It is His work not ours.
How can we become holy if we don't know what holiness is, and how can we know holiness if we do not know God Himself, and how can we know God Himself if we are not in His Word and Spirit?
I admire this research project and the exhortations that arise from it. Bravo, Barna!
Wow. What a total misunderstanding of...not just Christianity, but just about every other religion, too.
"Just as I am ..."
If that is all that is expected, that is all that will be gotten.
Amen...and Amen!
Many threads here on FR are a continuing debate about "once saved, always saved" vs. an acknowledgment of the continuing need for repentance with the understanding that moral assurance of salvation can be lost: it is not absolute assurance until one is judged by God. The first group talks a lot about God "covering our sins, though they remain" while the second says that sacramental forgiveness actually cleanses our souls. The latter camp therefore seems much more aware of the need to strive for holiness than the former. Indeed, the former often seems to think of a state of holiness as not only an unattainable waste of time, but also almost a pharisaism.
“Realize that the results portray a body of Christians who attend church and read the Bible, but do not understand the concept or significance of holiness, do not personally desire to be holy, and therefore do little, if anything to pursue it. However, the data identify a remnant that understands holiness, wants to live a holy life, and is engaged in its pursuit. The challenge to the nation’s Christian ministries is to foster a genuine hunger for holiness among the masses who claim they love God but who are ignorant about biblical teachings regarding holiness.”
This sums it all up...
Thanks for posting this.
God Bless.
Incidentally, the first holy thing in scripture is the 7th day sabbath:
Exo 20:11 "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
worth a read!
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