Actscelerate.com

Eddie Robbins

You say you are "holiness"

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16509 **1/14/16 1:31 pm**

You are associated with a holiness church. Someone asks you to explain holiness and how you are different from a Baptist church, for example. How do you answer? Keep in mind, it's not Pentecostal, it's holiness. There are some holiness churches that aren't Pentecostal so answer from a holiness point of view. What is it?

Dave Dorsey

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 13654 **1/14/16 1:36 pm**

I climb in my time machine, go back in time, and then don't say I'm "holiness" to that person, or ever again. Laughing

Eddie Robbins

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16509 **1/14/16 1:49 pm**

Is the Church of God a holiness church or is that from a time passed? No longer holiness?

Dave Dorsey

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 13654 **1/14/16 1:52 pm**

What does "holiness" mean?

I would tell someone I am a Christian, or a Christ-follower.

Eddie Robbins

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16509 **1/14/16 1:54 pm**

Aaron Scott

What we mean by holiness...

Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology Posts: 6039 **1/14/16 1:56 pm**

Some things are theological in nation, while others are practical/traditional.

Theologically, holiness typically has come to be understood to mean that one can live righteously before the Lord (some even would argue to the point of sinless perfection). This is usually associated with sanctification.

The practical aspects, however, are what most define us, I think....

We believe that you cannot live any way you want to and remain saved. That means we believe in backsliding.

We believe strongly in separation from "the world" (however you might define that).

I think a Baptist would agree with some of these notions, but not with the backsliding element or the sinless perfection part.

John Jett

Golf Cart Mafia Capo Famiglia Posts: 4955 **1/14/16 1:57 pm**

I know the COG used to call itself "holiness", but I have a lot of family that are the old-time "holiness" church as in they actually say "Old Glory Holiness Church" on the sign. Growing up knowing all the strict rules they followed, I NEVER called myself "holiness" in the sense of the movement because of that. Of course if asked if I believe in holiness, I always say yes! Just maybe not your pastor's definition (which always seemed to be about dressing and watching TV)

Da Sheik

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1865 **1/14/16 2:01 pm**

I have a family member that has been COG most of her life and when someone asks her what denomination she is, her answer is "holiness". I don't use that terminology but I know what they mean by that: strong preaching against sin, non-OSAS beliefs , a 2nd work of grace view of sanctification , and typically a lot of rules that aren't even in the bible.

Quiet Wyatt

Quiet Wyatt · [Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12813 **1/14/16 2:02 pm**

There are many flavors within the Holiness tradition, but essentially the difference between Holiness theology and, say, Southern Baptist theology, may be laid out as:

1. Sin is not inevitable, but is a willful choice that the believer has the power by the Holy Spirit to avoid. (Baptists typically say sin is inevitable, can never be completely avoided at any point in this life due to the sinful nature we inherited from Adam, and so we cannot be free from sin until we die and go to Heaven).

2. Salvation consists in real deliverance from sin. The pursuit of holiness is an ongoing condition of salvation. Holiness Christians generally would say that those who don't pursue holiness aren't saved. Holiness Christians strongly oppose the idea of unconditional eternal security as taught by most Baptists.

Link

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **1/14/16 2:02 pm**

I've read that Holiness refers to a movement that believes in sanctification as a definite work of grace after salvation.
_________________
Link

Eddie Robbins

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16509 **1/14/16 2:13 pm**

Being holiness means that you have to live it along with believing it?

When I think of holiness back in the day, I think of more outward things. The things we couldn't do. No smoking, no drinking, no movies, no ball games, no short hair for the women, no makeup.....the list is long. Somewhere along the way, a lot of the COG churches wandered away from this but still called themselves "holiness." So, I just wonder what that means in the context of being different from other churches like the Methodist church, for example.

Quiet Wyatt

Quiet Wyatt · [Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12813 **1/14/16 2:17 pm**

The outward 'standards', which I see as primarily just cultural interpretations of what it means to live a holy life, do tend to evolve over time, in any group. But the theology itself doesn't necessarily have to change. There are very many Nazarenes, Wesleyans and Pentecostals who would still describe their theology and practice as Holiness, without the dress and hair codes, and cultural taboos of yesteryear (like going to movies or owning a TV, for instance).

Quiet Wyatt

Quiet Wyatt · [Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12813 **1/14/16 2:28 pm**

Case in point: I have had a lot of acquaintances over the years who were definitely 'old-timey' in their outward standards. While my basic holiness theology has always been virtually identical to theirs, in their view, my family was not really 'Holiness' because my wife cuts her hair, wears pants and make-up sometimes, I typically have a beard, and I wear cargo shorts in the summer.

Dave Dorsey

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 13654 **1/14/16 2:28 pm**

Eddie Robbins

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16509 **1/14/16 2:34 pm**

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12813 **1/14/16 2:42 pm**

The Church of God (Cleveland, TN) is officially committed to Holiness doctrine, as indicated especially by the following points in our Declaration of Faith:

(We Believe)...

Old Time Country Preacher

Re: You say you are "holiness"

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 15570 **1/14/16 2:50 pm**