Holy: Understanding it Better on the Map (the Bible)

So you are exploring the meaning of holy as it is found in the Bible.  That is wonderful.  It is extremely important, as is pointed out by those famous words  in Isaiah: "Holy, holy, holy ...."   Perhaps the best way to think of words is to think of them as tools to map out the territory.  In tandem, the territory equals real life.  Imagine having to go to new locations all the time with no map let alone without your GPS!  Worse yet, let's say your map was dated a bit and MapQuest did not show the street that you were looking for but instead a close equivalent!  I know the experience with MapQuest personally.  It can be frustrating, because it was supposed to make the trip easier rather than more difficult.  If we misunderstand the meaning of holy, then frustration and difficulty will be the outcome.  That is why the meaning of holy is not only important, but also relevant.  What if we are losing our way?   Let's look at the maps that are available for finding your destination. 

Well, there are three maps out there that have been used for the last 500 plus years.  The first map put in the bin historically grew out of the Protestant Reformation.  The definition of holy on that map is that holy means morally whole, but there is also a secondary definition.  The primary (or broad) definition is moral wholeness.  The secondary (narrow) definition is set apart.  The second map to be put in the bin historically was made mostly by Puritans.  The definition of holy on that map is pure.  The third map was made popular at the end of the 1800s and became more popular during the 1900s (20th century).  The definition of holy on that map is set apart.  This map also remains the most popular at the present moment.  That is what you find in most of the books and on most of the internet as you search.  There are other maps available with other definitions, but I have given you only the top three to simplify your decision-making. 

Understanding the Bible correctly is very important, when you consider that the effect of errant maps.  You can get lost, frustrated, or arrive late.  It is important to know the implications or effects isn't it?  This is the "why" behind my blog. I believe the Bible clearly teaches that even the best of us will face affliction.   Life is difficult enough without adding to the territory of life a bad map! 

So please know that these three maps are out there.  I am presently testing each one for accuracy.  The one that I have tested the most experientially since 2004 is the idea that holy means whole.   Before that and from my childhood, I was given the map that said holy means set apart.  So I was unintentionally testing that option the entire time.  I guess that I also tested the idea that holy means pure in my first 3 years of college.  I am also testing these three maps through writing a scholarly paper, where I will be using a linguistic and grammatical synthesis as my method. 

Please pray that God would grant me more resources to finish this task yet this spring (before May).  Then I will announce to everyone the results of that work.  Don't threw out any of the above maps away quite yet.  There are elements of truth in each one.  I'll let you know when you can settle in with the best one or a better replacement than any of the three. Do wisely as the ancient Jewish copyists did.  Place one definition as central in your life and keep the other two in your life's margin.  Thank you for reading this post. 


In Christ,

Jon