One of the attributes of God is His holiness. The soft gospel of today is characterized by love exclusively without reference to God’s holiness. It should be obvious that these are worshiping a false god. Holiness has to do with a separation from the world. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:17, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." We are not to be part of the world system. We are to be different as 1 Peter 2:9 declares, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." Peculiar here means special. We are to stand out as lights against the darkness of sin. John wrote in 1 John 4:4-5, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them." Greater is the Holy Ghost in us than the devil’s spirit in them. Those in the world speak and act like the world and the world loves their own because likes beget likes.
Application
To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.
Exodus 22:31 reads, "And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs." God’s requirement is holiness. Is not optional but essential. Without it we shall not see the Lord as Hebrews 12:14 says, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." This means to be morally separated from the world. The world is the fallen aspect of it. By God’s redeeming grace our lives are to be radically different from the lives of sinners around us. People should be able to identify us as belonging to the Lord.
The Lord declared in Leviticus 11:44, "For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." God says that we are to separate ourselves and be holy because God is holy. We are to be like Him. This verse contains a specific example of something that a holy man would separate himself from i.e. creeping things. Moses was instructed by the Lord to speak the following in Leviticus 19:2, "Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." This is what Peter declared in 1 Peter 1:15-16, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." We are to be holy in our entire life. Our lives are to be one of a living sacrifice as Paul said in Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." I believe that we get the idea that God wants His people to be a holy people. Totally set apart for His use and service.
God prohibited his people from eating meat (flesh) that had been torn by the beasts of the field. In God’s estimation, this meat was only good to be eaten by dogs. Ezekiel 4:14 says, "Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth." God used the prophet Ezekiel to do some bizarre things in an attempt to get the attention of His people and this verse was a protest by Ezekiel regarding what the Lord had instructed him to do.
The Jews did not look favorably upon dogs. Usually when dogs are spoken of in the Bible, it is not in a favorable light. The word dog is used at various times in the New Testament in a metaphoric sense. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines this word as, "a man of impure mind, an impudent man." Paul said of dogs in Philippians 3:2, "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision." Here Paul was warning about the Judaizers, the false circumcision. John wrote in Revelation 22:15, "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." These are those who are outside the city i.e. the church. These dogs are the impure and they are not able to enter into the church because they are not separate from the world but rather their source is the world.
Conclusion
Anyone who has honestly read the Bible cannot help but notice that God is holy and He demands holiness in His people. We are to be a separate people. This does not mean that we are to become ghetto dwellers. Rather, we are to show others the way of holiness. God’s law automatically separates us from the world. The law is our righteousness. The sinner does not want to separate. He wants to conform with the profane. True ministers of the Lord will do what Ezekiel 44:23 says, "And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean." Holiness unto the Lord is what we desire.
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