Holiness and Hardness
Christians ought to be both undemonstrative as well as affectionate. Because they know only heavenly things and desire nothing but the Lord Jesus, they are most undemonstrative. On the other hand, since they do not choose whom to love, they love all the brethren—including the loving and the unloving; they even love their enemies; and hence, they are the most affectionate.
Holiness is the goal of a believer. A slight deviation may nonetheless turn our holiness into another’s stumbling block. In our human experience holiness can frequently turn into hardness! Believers who seek for holiness often embarrass people. The holier they become, the more things their eyes condemn, and the more that unloving discussions and criticisms follow. The holiness of him who has not experienced deeply the grace of God impresses people as stoical and brainless. Such a person cannot help others. He only draws down denunciation upon himself.
People like to regard themselves as upholding God’s standard and bearing a good testimony to His truth. They forget that holiness is of God. We should never forget that we are but men; we ought always to acknowledge this; we should not imagine that we are as holy as God. God’s holiness is awesome and irreproachable. Though we are saved and regenerated, we still are human. We should “imbibe” the holiness of God and make it ours, for such holiness is the “life mark” of the Lord Jesus. He is the Holy One who became flesh. On the one hand, in spirit He is separated from sinners. When on one occasion Peter saw Him, he cried out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man,
O Lord” (Luke 5.8b). On the other hand, though, He is a friend of sinners. He sympathizes with publicans and prostitutes who are despised by the world. He pities them and comforts them. Just as the first-mentioned aspect of His life reveals His holiness, so this latter aspect shows forth His holiness too. He is not unapproachable, nor is He hard.
The holiness of a believer can and ought to be something very beautiful. It must not degenerate into hardness so as to court fear rather than respect and approachableness. As a matter of fact, hardness is never holiness! These two are vastly different. Holy, yes, but this refers to how one deals with one’s own self; for self, there is no fear of being strict. To be empty of self-pity is a hallmark of the way of the cross. Towards other people, however, there is need to love and to be sympathetic. Though God is holy, He balances His holiness with grace. We may be holy, but let us not be hard as wood or cold like ice. God does not save us to be unhuman. On the contrary, because we have fallen into an unhuman state, He saves us that we may be human once again. For this cause, though we may appear most undemonstrative, we nonetheless are to be most affectionate.
A truly holy life is not void of the virtues of gentleness, peace and mercy. Just as in the manner that the shepherd tends his foolish sheep, so in like manner ought we to treat all people. A life poured out is a fruitful life. Hardness sends people away, but mercy melts hearts and causes them to travel together on this heavenly path.
