William Booth depicts an ecology of holiness in his familiar song “O boundless salvation, deep ocean of love ... ” He uses the ecological metaphor of the ocean to speak of God's measureless feelings for humankind. This is powerful imagery that encompasses all the stages of the Christian life as it progresses from beginning to end.

As we stand on the beach, the living waters of God's grace begin to wash up over our feet. We then are confronted with the decision whether to walk deeper into his love, accepting his justifying grace as Saviour and Lord, or to retreat.

There is more to the Christian life than remaining ankle-deep or even waist-deep. There is a boundless salvation and a deep ocean of God's love. There is wading deeper and deeper through reading and meditating upon his Word, a devotional prayer life and fellowship with other believers. There is a commitment of the whole person as he or she plunges beneath the waters, experiencing God's sanctifying grace as the fullness of God's Holy Spirit. And there is the joy of swimming, diving, snorkelling, windsurfing and sailing in the deep ocean of God's love, experiencing his glorifying grace.

Holiness in a Social Context
Booth's image of God's love as a vast ocean helps us to understand several things about the social ecology of holiness.

First, God's intention is that we develop and progress. We move forward in our relationship with Christ and he does a deepening work in us. Often the work is done in a social/spiritual context of others and always in the context of God's presence.

Second, his love is always prevenient (it precedes). At every stage and every level of our growth and development, his love goes before us as he helps us move toward what he has provided—a restoration to his image and likeness.

Third, he provides for us an appropriate, nutrient-enriched environment through “means of grace”—his means of promoting our growth and well-being, often through others. Such means of grace include good teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, corporate worship, the sacraments, reading and hearing the Word, speaking and hearing testimonies of God's love, confession of sin, fasting, acts of mercy and service to others, artistic and musical expressions, wholesome activities of small group fellowship and more. A setting that is nutrient-rich in these means of grace is an ecology of grace and holiness.

It is not difficult to see that the ecology of grace and holiness is social. Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle was often heard to echo John Wesley in saying that there is no holiness in the Christian life outside of social holiness. God uses others (home and family, church, work) to mediate his grace to us. It is the daily immersion in the means of grace that promotes this social ecology of holiness.

Ecological Metaphors of the Bible
It may sound like new language to say “the social ecology of holiness,” but this really is old imagery. In Jeremiah 13:1-11, God speaks through Jeremiah using an ecological metaphor. To paraphrase, God says to Jeremiah, “Go get a linen belt” (no doubt beautifully made and functional). “Put it around your waist and don't get it wet.”

Jeremiah is obedient. Then, after some time, God says, “Now take that linen belt, put it in the muddy bank of the Euphrates River and leave it there.”

Again Jeremiah is obedient and more time passes. God then speaks a third time. “Now, remember that linen belt? Go retrieve it from the riverbank. See, it is marred, ruined, good-for-nothing. The people of Israel are like this ruined belt. In the same way that it clings around your waist, I intended and desired that they would cling closely to me. Instead, they have followed other gods in the imagination of their minds. I intended them to be so close to me, in my presence, learning from me, growing in my grace so that they would become a people for me—a name, a praise and a glory. But they would not listen!”

This imagery is relational and socially ecological. Israel was to be so close—in such proximity—to God, that its people would benefit by being in those conditions and become a name (his name), a praise (bringing glory to him) and a people (clearly identified as his). Instead, they placed themselves in the wrong context—in an ecology that was toxic, destructive, and that took them away from their destiny and identity. Like the linen belt left in the muddy banks of the river for a long time, Israel fell apart, immersed in ruinous conditions.

Our lives together represent the threads of a tapestry woven together to be beautiful and functional for our Lord. We are to be a people who are a name, a praise and a glory to God. The only way to be so is to intentionally grow in grace, to enter the living waters of God's love, to draw near to God in response to his drawing near to us.

In the social ecology of holiness we are to help each other along the way to abide together in Jesus Christ and be immersed in the ecology of God's grace and holiness.