What is holiness?

Holiness is the chief attribute of God and a quality to be developed in his followers. “Holiness” and the adjective “holy” occur many times in the Bible. The primary Old Testament word for holiness means “to cut” or “to separate.” Fundamentally, holiness is a cutting off or separation from what is unclean and a consecration to what is pure.

HOLINESS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

In the Old Testament, “holiness” when applied to God refers to his rule over the Creation and to the moral perfection of his character. God is holy in that he is utterly distinct from his creation and exercises sovereign majesty and power over it. His holiness is a major theme in the Psalms (Psalm 47:8) and the Prophets (Ezekiel 39:7), where “holiness” emerges as a synonym for Israel’s God. Scripture assigns to God the titles, “Holy” (Isaiah 57:15), “Holy One” (Job 6:10; Isaiah 43:15), and “Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 89:18; Isaiah 60:14).

In the Old Testament God’s holiness means that the Lord is separate from all that is evil and defiled (Job 34:10). His holy character is the standard of absolute moral perfection (Isaiah 5:16). God’s holiness—his transcendent majesty and the purity of his character—are skillfully balanced in Psalm 99. Verses 1 through 3 portray God’s distance from earthly things, and verses 4 and 5 emphasize his separation from sin and evil.

In the Old Testament God demanded holiness in the lives of his people. Through Moses, God said to Israel, “You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2, RSV). The holiness described in the Old Testament had two meanings:

1. External, or ceremonial
2. Internal, or moral and spiritual

Old Testament ceremonial holiness, described in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) included rituals of dedication to God’s service. Thus priests and Levites were sanctified by a complex ritual (Exodus 29:1), as were the Hebrew Nazirites (Numbers 6:1-21). Prophets like Elisha (2 Kings 4:9) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) were also sanctified for a special prophetic ministry in Israel.

But the Old Testament also draws attention to the inner, moral, and spiritual aspects of holiness. Men and women, created in the image of God, are called to cultivate the holiness of God’s character in their own lives (Leviticus 19:2). In the New Testament the ceremonial holiness prominent in the Pentateuch moves to the background. Much of Judaism in Jesus’ time sought a ceremonial holiness by works (Mark 7:1-5), so the New Testament stresses the ethical rather than the external dimension of holiness (Mark 7:6-12). With the coming of the Holy Spirit, the early church perceived that holiness of life was a profound internal reality that should govern an individual’s thought and attitudes in relation to persons and objects in the external world.

HOLINESS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The New Testament Greek equivalent of the common Hebrew word for holiness signifies an inner state of freedom from moral fault and a relative harmony with the moral perfection of God. The word “godlikeness” or “godliness” captures the sense of the primary Greek word for holiness. There is another Greek word that describes the dominant Old Testament concept of holiness as external separation from the world and dedication to the service of the Lord.

Because the New Testament writers assumed the Old Testament portrait of deity, holiness is ascribed to God in relatively few of their texts. Jesus affirmed the ethical nature of God when he taught his disciples to pray that the Father’s name might be esteemed for what it is, “Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9, KJV). In the book of Revelation the Father’s moral perfection is described with the threefold ascription of holiness borrowed from Isaiah: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come” (Revelation 4:8, RSV). Luke, however, contemplated God’s holiness in terms of the dominant Old Testament concept of his transcendence and majesty (Luke 1:49).

In the same way the holiness of Jesus Christ is asserted in the New Testament. Luke (Luke 1:35; Luke 4:34), Peter (Acts 3:14), the writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 7:26), and John (Revelation 3:7) ascribe holiness to both the Father and the Son.
Since the Spirit comes from God and is the instrument of God’s holy purposes in the world, he also is absolutely holy (Matthew 1:18; Matthew 3:16). The common title “Holy Spirit” underscores the ethical perfection of the third person of the Godhead (John 3:5-8; John 14:16-17).

In the New Testament, holiness also characterizes Christ’s church. The apostle Paul taught that Christ loved the church and died for it “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:26, RSV). Peter addressed the church as a holy people in language borrowed from the Old Testament. Separated from the unbelieving nations and consecrated to the Lord, the church is “a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9).

The New Testament most often discusses holiness in relation to individual Christians. Believers in Christ are frequently designated as “saints,” literally meaning “holy ones,” since through faith God justifies sinners, pronouncing them “holy” in his sight. A justified sinner is by no means morally perfect, but God does declare believers to be guiltless. Thus, although Christians at Corinth, for example, were plagued with numerous sins, Paul could address his erring friends as those who were “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2, RSV). Despite their problems, the Corinthian believers were “holy ones” in Christ.

The New Testament, however, places great stress upon the reality of practical holiness in the Christian’s daily experience. The God who freely declares a person righteous through faith in Christ commands that the believer progress in holiness of life. In God’s plan, a growth in holiness should accompany believing. God graciously provides the spiritual resources to enable Christians to be “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. - 1 Peter :15

Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. Colossians 1:22

GOD’S HOLINESS

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT GOD’S HOLINESS?

BIBLE READING: 1 Peter 1:14-25
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God-who chose you to be his children-is holy. (1 Peter 1:15)

GOD’S HOLINESS IS BEYOND COMPARISON

The God of Israel and of the Christian church is holy-he sets the standard for morality. Unlike the Roman gods, he is not warlike, adulterous, or spiteful. Unlike the gods of the pagan cults popular in the first century, he is not bloodthirsty or promiscuous. He is a God of mercy and justice who cares personally for each of his followers. Our holy God expects us to imitate him by following his high moral standards. Like him, we should be both merciful and just; like him, we should sacrifice ourself for others.

GOD’S HOLINESS IS OUR STANDARD FOR HOLY LIVING

After people commit their lives to Christ, they usually still feel a pull back to their old ways. Peter tells us to be like our heavenly Father-holy in everything we do. Holiness means being totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for his special use, and set apart from sin and its influence. We’re to be set apart and different, not blending in with the crowd, yet not being different just for the sake of being different. What makes us different is having God’s qualities in our life. Our focus and priorities must be his. All this is in direct contrast to our old ways (1:14). We cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us his Holy Spirit to help us obey and to give us power to overcome sin. Don’t use the excuse that you can’t help slipping into sin. Call on God’s power to free you from sin’s grip.

BIBLE READING: Psalm 93:1-5
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Your royal decrees cannot be changed. The nature of your reign, O LORD, is holiness forever. (Psalm 93:5)

GOD CANNOT BE KNOWN APART FROM HIS HOLINESS

The key to God’s eternal reign is his holiness. God’s glory is not only his strength but also his perfect moral character. God will never do anything that is not morally perfect. This reassures us that we can trust him, yet it places a demand on us. Our desire to be holy (dedicated to God and morally clean) is our only suitable response. We must never use unholy means to reach a holy goal, because God says, “You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).

BIBLE READING: Isaiah 59:1-21
KEY BIBLE VERSE: There is a problem-your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. (Isaiah 59:2)

GOD’S HOLINESS CANNOT TOLERATE SIN

Sin offends our holy God and separates us from him. Because God is holy, he cannot ignore, excuse, or tolerate sin as though it didn’t matter. Sin cuts people off from him, forming a wall to isolate God from the people he loves. No wonder this long list of wretched sins makes God angry and forces him to look the other way. People who die with their life of sin unforgiven separate themselves eternally from God. God wants them to live with him forever, but he cannot take them into his holy presence unless their sin is removed. Have you confessed your sin to God, allowing him to remove it? The Lord can save you if you turn to him.

BIBLE READING: Revelation 4:1-11
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty-the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” (Revelation 4:8)

GOD’S HOLINESS WILL EVENTUALLY BE RECOGNIZED BY ALL CREATION

Just as the Holy Spirit is seen symbolically in the seven lighted lamps, so the “living beings” represent the attributes (the qualities and character) of God. These creatures were not real animals. Like the cherubim (the highest order of the angels), they guard God’s throne, lead others in worship, and proclaim God’s holiness. God’s attributes symbolized in the animal-like appearance of these four creatures are majesty and power (the lion), faithfulness (the ox), intelligence (the man), and sovereignty (the eagle). The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel saw four similar creatures in one of his visions (Ezekiel 1:5-10).
The point of this chapter is summed up in this verse: All creatures in heaven and earth will praise and honor God because he is the Creator and Sustainer of everything.

HUMAN HOLINESS

HOW CAN WE BE HOLY?

BIBLE READING: Exodus 19:1-25
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be to me a kingdom of priests, my holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6)

HOLINESS IS A GIFT OF GOD’S GRACE.

Why did God choose Israel as his nation? God knew that no nation on earth was good enough to deserve to be called his people, his “own little flock.” He chose Israel, not because of anything they had done, but in his love and mercy he chose Israel in spite of the wrong the nation had done and would do. Why did he want to have a special nation on earth? To represent his way of life, to teach his Word, and to be an agent of salvation to the world. “All the nations of the earth” would be blessed through Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 18:18). Gentiles and kings would come to the Lord through Israel, predicted Isaiah (Isaiah 60:3). Through the nation of Israel, the Messiah, God’s chosen Son, would be born. God chose one nation and put it through a rigorous training program, so that one day it could be a channel for his blessings to the whole world.

HOLINESS REQUIRES COVENANT FAITHFULNESS

In Genesis 15 and 17, God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to make his descendants into a great nation. Now that promise was being realized as God restated his agreement with the Israelite nation, the descendants of Abraham. God promised to bless and care for them. The people promised to obey him. The covenant was thus sealed. But the good intentions of the people quickly wore off. Have you made a commitment to God? How are you holding up your end of the bargain?

BIBLE READING: Isaiah 4:1-6
KEY BIBLE VERSE: All those whose names are written down, who have survived the destruction of Jerusalem, will be a holy people. (Isaiah 4:3)

HOLINESS COMES FROM WHOLEHEARTED OBEDIENCE TO GOD

The “branch of the Lord” probably refers to the Messiah, although some believe it refers to Judah. The point is that during the distress predicted by Isaiah, some people will be protected by God’s loving grace. Those protected will be set apart to God when the Messiah rules the earth (Jeremiah 23:5-6; Zechariah 6:12-13). Their distinctive mark will be their holiness, not wealth or prestige. This holiness comes from a sincere desire to obey God and from wholehearted devotion to him. Evil will not always continue as it does now. God will put an end to all evil, and his faithful followers will share in his glorious reign.

BIBLE READING: John 17:1-26
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth. (John 17:17)

HOLINESS GROWS IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD

A follower of Christ becomes sanctified (set apart for sacred use, cleansed, and made holy) through believing and obeying the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). He or she has already accepted forgiveness through Christ’s sacrificial death (Hebrews 7:26-27). But daily application of God’s Word has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. Scripture points out sin, motivates us to confess our sins, renews our relationship with Christ, and guides us back to the right path.

WE ARE TO BE HOLY IN THE MIDST OF AN EVIL WORLD

Jesus didn’t ask God to take believers out of the world but instead to use them in the world. Because Jesus sends us into the world, we should not try to escape from the world, nor should we avoid all relationships with non-Christians. We are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), and we are to do the work that God sent us to do.

Jesus prayed for all who would follow him, including you and others you know. He prayed for unity (17:11), protection from the evil one (17:15), and sanctity (holiness) (17:17). Knowing that Jesus prayed for us should give us confidence as we work for his kingdom.

Please stay tuned for more.