Projected Holiness

Holiness is being set apart.
Christians are to be holy and set apart.
How do we do this?

The most common (and most immature) answer to this would be to show everyone else how holy we are. This is projected holiness. This is when we take the things that sets us apart (makes us holy) and project them towards everyone else. The attitude becomes more like, “I don’t [insert questionable behavior here]! Do you see how holy I am?” This works in the opposite direction as well, “I am [insert GOOD behavior, i.e. fasting]! Do you see how holy I am?” I think if we stop here and think, most of us have had this attitude . . . many of us still have it. This is projected holiness.

Or worse yet — we take personal convictions and project our holiness towards others in a legalistic manner. For example, “Due to my personal conviction, I don’t [insert questionable behavior]. You shouldn’t either!” That’s projected holiness.

Jesus taught us that our holiness is not a “projection” issue. It is an internal issue. In Matthew 5, Jesus took several outward actions (projected holiness), and explained how the heart was much more important. Murder and adultery are both wrong actions. But Jesus says that if someone is angry or looks lustfully at another they have murdered or committed adultery in God’s eyes.

Christians, let’s stop focusing on projecting our holiness towards others.

Our focus needs to be our internal holiness.

When we are internally holy, the holiness on the inside of us will ooze out. You won’t be able to help it. The oozing of our internal holiness is what will shine out among the world. Our internal holiness will be evangelistic and through the Holy Spirit, it will convict others. We don’t need to make it that way.

Be internally holy.

17 Replies to “Projected Holiness”

  1. I know that there have been several times when I have been offended by what I perceived to be someone’s “projected holiness”, but realized later that it was actually the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

    So, let me ask you a question: What do you do when your “internal holiness” spills out and the Holy Spirit convicts someone else through it, but they take offense at you?

    (I’m not trying to project any sort of holiness, I’m truly curious about this…about both sides of the question, actually.)

    Furthermore, how do you live out internal holiness without involving others? If I’ve got a line that I won’t cross, going to Hooters, for instance, and I have a friend that wants to go…am I projecting holiness by refusing to join him? Should I completely disassociate with him in order to avoid appearring to project holiness? How does this principle play out in real life or in a practical situation?

    Please understand, I agree with what you are saying (and I’ve been guilty of projecting), but I’m curious what it looks like when we take internal holiness from theory/principle and actually start applying it.

  2. You guys are missing my point. Jesus taught that holiness is not something to be projected upon others. At least not projected in the way I described. I’m calling “projected holiness” a bad thing – a legalistic thing. An attitude thing, more than an observable thing. A thing that is very much centered around pride (read the post again).

    My assertion is that we do not need to project the holiness of God upon others in an outward manner. Holiness starts internally. (Keep reading…) When we are internally holy, then we can’t help but ooze out on others. This oozing out is what I think Pastor Chet is calling the GENUINE “projected holiness.” And yes, that’s what I’m saying we need. We need Christians to genuinely be internally holy . . . then it will become evangelistically influential. The Holy Spirit convicts, not me.

    So to answer Joe’s question as to how to handle an issue when decisions offend others. I don’t think you need to do anything. Genuine internal holiness WILL convict others when it oozes out, because the Holy Spirit is truly there.

  3. @adam: Based on what you are saying, it’s possible to come to the conclusion that we should never approach a Christian who is actively sinning. We should just let everything go…but the New Testament is full of times where we are encouraged to point out truth to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even to go so far as to have nothing to do with people who won’t change. I’m on a cell phone…so I can’t easily look up references…but what do we do with scripture like that?

    Furthermore, we do legislate morality. We are surrounded by laws that the government has put in place to let us know what they deem as right and wrong…

    I guess my question is: Isn’t this a matter of balance? Where is the balance?

  4. @Joe: Nope. That’s not what I’m saying. ….

    Lovingly confronting another Christian regarding their conduct is …. lovingly confronting another Christian regarding their conduct. That’s cool, scriptural, and mostly unrelated to what I’m saying.

    I’m talking about INTERNAL issues. I’m saying that if we focus on our internal holiness, it will effect others, and it will effect them appropriately. If we focus on the internal holiness, and are passionate about it … we will rarely need to do much else. I remember my Pastor’s story last weekend where a man walking into a bar saw the pastor and pretended like he wasn’t walking into the bar. The Holy Spirit convicted him . . . not my Pastor. That’s my point.

    I’m not saying we shouldn’t lovingly confront other Christians regarding nonspiritual conduct. That’s cool when done appropriately. But when we have projected holiness, we are confronting them by saying, “I am so holy. Look at me.” (Even if it is only in our deep attitude). Sure, confront Christians of sin . . . but doing it with “projected holiness” is an improper method.

    (Remember my definition of “projected holiness”… its an attitude. That means the difference between “lovingly confronting a Christian” and “projecting holiness” could sometimes be as minute as the person’s attitude, and known only by them and the Holy Spirit).

  5. I need to explain, just in case someone misunderstands, that I am not in favor of legislating the minutia of morality, but the fact is that we live in a society that legislates certain moral rules, i.e. don’t kill, don’t drink and drive, don’t rape, don’t steal, etc.

    Not only do we legislate these things, but there are severe punishments for most of them authorized by the government that we put into place.

    Just by way of clarification.

    My concern with legislated morality is that it is the result of pridefully projected holiness.

    It would appear that in some cases, it is right to do so…don’t murder; but in other cases it is wrong, don’t get a tattoo.

  6. I like the discussion here, but I have to have some practical example to know what to do with it. I think I might tend to have a problem with this, so I thought of an example and you guys can give me your ideas. Thinking about projected holiness, suppose I have a single girlfriend moving in with her boyfriend. I think it’s a mistake for them to live together. Is it bad for me to say “I don’t think you should do that” and then explain why? Am I supposed to wait for her to ask my advice? Am I supposed to assume (she’s not a Christian and she knows I am) she knows I disapprove, which means she’ll never ask my opinion because she already knows it? This is the stuff I stuggle with. I’ve got a girlfriend from high school, again not a Christian, who I don’t see often but she continues to keep in touch with me so I continue to be her friend. Her husband is a male stripper in Fort Wayne. Seriously. She’s a good person who I don’t think really likes what he does but has come to accept it because she really believes they are in love. She knows how I feel (it was a huge topic of discussion for us before they married) so there is no reason to say anything anymore. I invite her here to our house, and I say I invite them both but I secretly don’t want the guy in my house because he is sleazy and creepy to me. She always accepts my invitations but always comes alone, I don’t know if it’s coincidental or if she doesn’t bring him because she knows we strongly disapprove of him. Is this projected holiness? I love her but I can’t bring myself to love him!? Maybe we can help each other out by guiding each other through these everyday scenarios that are so difficult. What would you guys do? What would Jesus do?

  7. Let me clarify alot. There are two types of situations, and we’re all getting them confused.

    1) The questionable behavior is undeniably unbiblical. In this case, it is always scriptural to lovingly confront someone, with the understanding that the Holy Spirit convicts them … not us.

    2) The questionable behavior is. . . well . . . questionable. When its not necessarily an unbiblical action. For example, the bible doesn’t say drinking is a sin — it just says not to get drunk. Many however, have personal convictions against drinking anything at all. Those people should not drink. But if another drinks, but does not get drunk, there is no scriptural evidence to say they are sinful. It is projected holiness to say, “You shouldn’t drink at all!”

    I’m more talking of the situation in #2. Situations in #1 should be dealt with … lovingly.

    But in either situation, our holiness has a significant role in leading others towards Christ. If we are humbly and internally holy, it will effect others. If we are arrogant and projectively holy, it could often push people away.

    Often only YOU can tell if your holiness is being “projected” (I think “hurled” is a better word) towards others. It’s an attitude thing. Deep down are you thinking, “Look how holy I am!”

    That’s the issue. That’s what I’m talking about. It
    It’s about your attitude in living holy.

  8. I’m with Tara on this…I don’t always do well with an abstract principle. If I can just see it in action, in a real life application, it always makes SOOOOO much more sense, and I am better able to apply the principles in my own life.

    Something like drinking is a pretty simple example, but life isn’t usually simple, it’s messy. So, what would a good practical example that involves some of the mess that life creates look like?

    Tara’s example is fantastic, I would love to hear good biblical council on the situation as it pertains to this post, but if not, another real life example would be great!

    As far as there being two different types of situations, I think there is a LOT of bleed between the two, and they don’t always separate so cleanly in real life. How do you deal with these “blended” situations?

  9. I don’t really think this is a principle. Holiness is a conviction. A personal conviction.

    For real-life examples:
    God tells you should not do business at the BLABLA store because they support FOOBAR. Because God told you this, you try to convince others that because FOOBAR is always wrong, no one should shop at BLABLA. What happens when you are with a friend, and they want to shop at BLABLA? Do you say, ‘I will sit in the car because God told me I can’t shop here.’ This is understood as saying, ‘I am holier than you.’ This is projected holiness.
    The balance you ask for in this example is here: If your friend asks you, why you don’t buy the cool lamp you’re looking at, you can say, ‘naaa. i don’t like to shop here.’ if they ask, you can say more. But note: you aren’t projecting your holiness–you are answering their questions. you might even say, ‘hey, if you want to shop here, you have my blessing.’

    It is NOT our job to convict. We should make people who don’t have the same holiness convictions as we do feel comfortable being around us, without compromising our standards–but without pressing our standards on them, too. And we should support their convictions (as long as they are Biblical!).

  10. Holiness is not subjective. Convictions are.

    Holiness is a state in which we are called to live; free from sin and immorality.

    Conviction is the Holy Spirit saying, “That is not acceptable.”

    Drinking alcohol is prohibited for me, because I have a drinking problem. But responsible enjoyment of alcohol is not sinful.

    BUT, viewing any person other than your wife or husband naked, is in my opinion (and prove me wrong) sinful.

    Thus, the problems with pornography and movies with sex scenes and nudity.

    My refusal to watch movies with nudity is not a personal conviction. It’s a Biblical one. My refusal to avoid music that makes me feel aggressive is a personal conviction, brought on by the Holy Spirit, because of it’s effect on me.

    IF THE BIBLE SAYS THAT SOMETHING IS SINFUL,
    no amount of philosophy is going to convince me that it’s ok for ANYONE.

    Personal convictions are just that. I agree, you should NOT project them onto others.

    But lets not confuse God’s commands with personal stuff.

  11. My word. This has gotten sort of off topic, much farther out than I ever intended. That’s normally not a huge deal, but its a little frustrating to me because I made a really good point about holiness but it seems folk are busy picking it apart instead of getting my point (which I’m not sure if anyone has really gotten my point yet). This isn’t that controversial. Let me try to explain it more clearly, getting to the very heart of the matter. (I think its more clear right here than any other time, so this sort of “overrides” everything else. I’m allowed to do that… its my blog):

    True holiness is intended to firstly be something that’s between God, myself, and nobody else. It’s internal. The result of this will be a holiness that’s visible to others. Get that? One naturally results in the other. Often we get it confused and skip the internal part and we just make a holiness that everyone can see. This type of holiness is not rooted in an honest internal change but in pride. We just put on a projected holiness, a surface holiness that’s really just an appearance or an effort towards appearing like true holiness. That surface (aka “projected”) holiness is a mask. And those who wear this mask will be found out (Luke 12).

    Christians, let’s start our venture towards holiness by working from the inside out, like Christ intended. Our holiness starts with our heart, not with our actions.

    The End.

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