I am a true lurker of this forum. This is my first post, but I was challenged by the solid thinking of some posters that I felt I must contribute… for better or for worse.
When Uzziah entered into the temple to offer sacrifice was he trying to be less “spiritual” or more “spiritual”? The Bible tells us that when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction. The problem with “spiritual” pride is it tends to make people more
religious… which was exactly the problem with Uzziah when he decided that he was “spiritual” enough to be able to offer incense where only priests were allowed.
How does all that tie into a discussion on standards? Many people as they become more “spiritual” with pride will allow themselves liberty in interpreting scripture to fit their religious standard. Somehow Uzziah thought he was correct in his deeds, the Bible actually says he became angry with the priests when they confronted him. Just like today, many people become angry if questioned why this belief, why this standard, and then if you confront someone to prove it scripturally….. that makes it even worse!
We should often remind ourselves of the example of Uzziah.
IF it is truth, then we should not be scared to discuss it or QUESTION it. Truth will stand on its own.
The majority of Pentecostal holiness standards are simply the choice of what conservative men and women of North America would have chosen to live by at the time our UPCI manual was written. These conservative men and women were Atheist, Mormon, Baptist, Trinitarian, etc. and the majority dressed a certain way.
I believe in principled standards. The principle being the concern, the standard we choose to express that principle will vary depending on the culture we are in and the situation.
Example: Dressing modestly for a man and a woman is a scriptural teaching. However if you say that a woman must always wear a dress in order to distinguish herself from a man, and then apply that rigidly across the world, you will face situations where it is impossible for a woman to wear a dress and be modest. So what to do? I choose the principle first, because that is Biblical, the standard becomes my interpretation for the culture and situation I live in.
We run into problems when we try to prove our conservative “holiness” standards as ancient writings of biblical truth. People so strongly want to prove their traditional holiness standards as “truth” that they take biblical verses and stretch and twist them in an effort to support their cause. (For the sake of respect, I choose not to give specific examples.) This is no different than Uzziah becoming lifted up and believing he could make his own rules….
It is not disrespectful to ask questions and look for Biblical support of holiness standards. Nor is it wrong to suggest that certain things may need to change… especially if we are aligning ourselves more clearly to the Word of God. Scripture actually encourages us to do so. (Search the scriptures… Work out your own salvation… etc)
Now the real issue that concerns me. How many people are lost and not finding salvation because our Apostolic churches have become so focused on traditional holiness standards that we inadvertently create a stumbling block for the lost in our cities?? Our focus becomes “enforcement” instead of “evangelism”, “labeling” instead of “love”, and “standards” instead of “salvation”. What have we become........?