What Does It Mean to Be Holy?

“For God did not call us to be impure, but to
live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction
does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians
4:7-8)

First, let’s look at God’s holiness.  What does it mean that God is holy?  Passages like 1 Samuel 2:2 and Isaiah 6:3 are
just two of many examples of passages about God’s holiness. The word holy means sacred, morally
blameless, consecrated, and saint.  Another
way to say it is absolute perfection.  God is unlike any other (see Hosea 11:9), and that
is the essence of His holiness.

His very being is completely absent of even a trace of sin. (See James
1:13; Hebrews 6:18) He is high above any other, and no one can compare to Him.
(See Psalm 40:5) God’s holiness pervades His entire being and shapes all His
attributes. His love is a holy love, His
mercy is holy mercy, and even His anger and wrath are holy anger and holy
wrath.  These concepts are difficult for
humans to grasp, just as God is difficult for us to understand in His entirety.

Next, what does it mean for us to be holy?  God is looking for some people who are
consecrated or set apart for His use.  And
He knows who those holy ones should be because He chose us.  In Ephesians 1:4 we are told, “For he
chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in
his sight.”

As believers, we need to be set apart from the world to the Lord.  We need to be living by God’s standards, not
the world’s.  God isn’t calling us to be
perfect, but to be distinct from the world.  1 Peter 2:9 describes believers as a holy
nation, and separated from the world.  We
need to live out that reality in our day-to-day lives, which Peter tells us how
to do in 1 Peter 1:13-16.

In Romans 12:1, Paul urges us to, “…in view of God’s mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual
act of worship.”  How do we do this?
We must stop conforming to the pattern of this world (trying to fit in), but be
transformed by the renewing of our mind and allow God’s Spirit to change the
way we think.  Being a Christian is more
than being known for attending a Christian church.  It is being holy.  It is letting my Christian values saturate every
part of my life and every minute of the day.

We are sinful.  Yet, God’s mercy was
extended to us when Jesus Christ died on the cross as payment for our sins.  He took our sins and we received His holiness.
In view of that mercy we are holy, or
set apart for God’s purpose.  In view of
His mercy, I will remember that I am set apart for His service. He doesn’t expect me to be perfect.  He does expect me to remember Jesus’ sacrifice
on my behalf.

Being set apart for His service
doesn’t mean that I must become a missionary or that I must work in the church
building.  Holiness is to be expressed in
every aspect of my life.  All of my life
is to be dedicated to God as my spiritual act of worship.  Being holy isn’t natural, and it isn’t
something we can do under our own strength. Walking in holiness requires the Holy Spirit
received when we become new creations.

When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our
hearts, we become new creatures. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17) Holiness is only
possible when we put on the new self and live life as the new creatures God intended
us to be.  Although holiness isn’t
natural to us, we are instructed in Scripture to follow or pursue holiness.

We should look for opportunities to be holy.  Being holy may mean:

1) Not listening to the same music as our family
and friends or watching the same television programs.

2) Holiness may involve changing the way we
dress, think, or respond to temptations.

3) Most certainly, holiness means being set apart
for the Master’s use.

Holiness is not primarily about moral purity.
It’s first and foremost about union with God in Christ and sharing in
Christ’s holiness.  Its secondary meaning
is about life in grateful service to God and others.  Only a biblical, Christ-centered holiness will
safeguard believers from the trap of moralism and help us recover our spiritual
footing in today’s world.

Let us take God’s call to holiness seriously!