Ye shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy.
The Doctrine of Holiness vs Holiness Standards
The doctrine of the imitation of God is related to the biblical account of the creation of man in the image of God, which acknowledges a resemblance between man and his Creator. Yet man is to imitate God, not impersonate Him (see Gen. 3:5). The main biblical sources for the injunction to imitate God are found in the command to be holy as God is holy and to walk in God's way (Lev. 19:2; Deut. 10:12, 11:22, 26:17).
Man is to be God-like in his actions, but he cannot aspire to be God. This distinguishes the biblical notion from the pagan attempts to achieve apotheosis or absorption in the deity.
Man is to imitate God in loving the stranger (Deut. 10:18–19); in resting on the Sabbath (Ex. 20:10–11); and in other ethical actions.
"Be like Him. Just as He is gracious and merciful, so be thou also gracious and merciful"
What is meant is that man ought to walk after [imitate] the attributes of God. Just as the Lord clothes the naked, so you shall clothe the naked. Just as He visits the sick, so you shall visit the sick. Just as the Lord comforted the bereaved, so you shall also comfort the bereaved; just as He buried the dead, so you shall bury the dead"
A person should not adhere to a standard of holiness that could have a negative effect* on the community.
What is the meaning of 'And God created man in His own image’ In The Bible?
The Creator created only one desire—to enjoy. However, this desire is so all-encompassing that bringing us all to the end goal right away is impossible. After all, we’re talking about infinite bliss, which is precisely the goal of man’s creation. So instead, it is done in phases because the desire to enjoy within us divides into myriad smaller desires. By correcting them one at a time, progressing from “easy” to “difficult,” we will achieve infinite bliss, the absolute and everlasting fulfillment prepared for us by the Creator.
For those in whom the point in the heart (the striving for spiritual pleasure) has awakened, working with one’s desires becomes a fascinating journey into the Upper World.
Becoming the Ruler Over all Desires
“And God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”
In other words, inside of you, a “human” is born to rule over all other desires: “And let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” All these desires were created exclusively for man.
The “human” inside you is destined to walk a difficult path before he realizes that ruling over them doesn’t mean using them for his benefit, for it only harms him and the world. Quite the contrary, these desires must be used exclusively to others’ delight, because with respect to the desires of others, all of us are always free, able to clearly separate ourselves from each other.
The Inanimate, Vegetative and Animate Desires
Before “the birth of a human within you,” you were filled only with the inanimate, vegetative, and animate desires.
An inanimate desire is when you want only one thing—to be still and not think of anything, like a rock by the wayside, totally passive, with only a single thought: “Leave me alone.”
A vegetative desire is when you react to external stimuli, but are not yet able to move from your place, as if tied to the ground (by egoism).
You begin to ask yourself questions like, “Why do I suffer?” You aspire for the Light, wishing to be “watered.” You are concerned only with your own growth, you consume, you are no longer a rock—and that is progress.
An animate desire implies movement and searching for subsistence. At this stage you may connect with others like you, and band into a pack because together it will be easier to acquire food. You are concerned with breeding and raising your progeny.
And then, suddenly, inside of you emerges the most complex and exalted desire that comprises all the others, called the “Man within us.”
Man in the Image of the Creator
The word “man” in Hebrew is “Adam.”
“Adam” derives from the word Domeh—similar, alike, similar to the Creator.
It follows that only one who aspires to be like the Creator, to take on His qualities and to be born spiritually, can be called Adam(“man,” similar to the Creator).
The Creator’s qualities are pure bestowal, absolute and unconditional love.
A certain point named “Adam” or “the point in the heart” has awakened within you. This point is one with the Creator and wants to be like Him because He is its root.
There exists an apparatus of the Upper Governance, in charge of all the souls, their paths and order of correction. This managing apparatus is directly connected to man’s point in the heart, theAdam in you.
What is the purpose of this apparatus? It will provide you with the information about the program of Creation, the path you must traverse. Without it you cannot know what to do, what your next step should be, or what is required of you.
In order for you to acquire the qualities necessary to advance, the Upper Degree must teach you exactly what you need to do and how to do it. For this reason it issues this auxiliary device calledTzelem (image).
This device is implanted in the soul, where it activates all the necessary corrections. This is why it is written that man (Adam) is made in the Creator’s image. Source:
The Oneness doctrine is legalisticly religious to the core, beginning with a works-based teaching of salvation. A person must first repent, then be baptized correctly, then give evidence of baptism of the Holy Spirit by speaking in "tongues." These steps are necessary to even be considered a true Christian.
Upon finally becoming "truly" born again, the new convert to Oneness Pentecostalism is quickly instructed in the "standards of holiness". Such "standards" are usually taught under the banner of "separation" from the sinful ways of modern society.The problem in such churches is that these "standards" are taught as black-and-white, biblical issues of morality. In other words, to compromise these standards is akin to committing a clear moral sin, like stealing or murder.
In the case that a "standard" is not clearly biblical (like wearing wedding rings, for example), they must still be followed if the local pastor expects it. This kind of authoritarianism is similar to the Catholic view that if the Bible isn't clear, you should just do what the spiritual authority says.
*The problem with these "standards" is that none of them are internal issues of true holiness; they are all in the area of external appearance. Oneness Pentecostals are constantly taught to appear holy and separated from the world. When external issues are emphasized, it may well be because the true internal holiness is lacking. The Pharisees were classic examples of this problem, and Jesus was in clear opposition to the practice of "external holiness" (Matthew 23:25-28).
In short, Oneness Pentecostalism begins and ends with a constant obstacle course of man-made rules. Those who can't keep up this game of appearances will often drop out of the movement, bringing accusations of "backsliding" from those in the church.
After a person has experienced his "new birth," they're not quite yet "out of the woods." It is also expected that UPC members consistently comply with several "holiness standards," including, but not limited to, the following:
- Women should wear skirts, but never pants or slacks.
- Women should never cut their hair.
- Women should not wear jewelry or makeup.
- Men should only have short, conservative haircuts.
- Men should not wear facial hair.
- No one should own a TV.
- No one should watch movies at a theater.
- No one should wear shorts, or anything that would expose the legs.
- No one should go swimming in a public place.
These "standards" vary a little bit from church to church, but most are consistently taught within the UPC (some of the more "liberal" Oneness churches do not teach these kinds of "standards.")
Your failures, and the humility they breed, should weaken neither your desire nor your resolve for God.
The jingle-jangle of charity coins is a sacred sound.
mitzvot
sikhliyyot ("rational laws") and mitzvot
toriyyot ("Toraitic laws")
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