This word has dictionary definitions such as “moral perfection” and “absolute separation from evil” and “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness” yet the idea of spiritual perfection without any evil or unrighteousness is beyond my power of thought. The quality of who and what God is that eludes me the most is His holiness.
I get it that He commands His people to “be holy as I am holy” in the sense of being “set apart” and not the same as other people. That is, holiness described as “having the characteristics of moral or ritual purity” that calls me to understand I have been set apart for God. The problem comes in acting like it by being pure in motive and all that I do.
Leviticus 20:26. You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
While this idea of being set apart forms many of the uses of this Word in the OT, holy also describes God who is different from all others, high above, perfection yet approachable and knowable. He simply is holy, without any need to make Himself so. He can set people and things apart making them “holy” but the adjective form of this word is used only for Himself. He is unlike anything else, making His holiness beyond my comprehension. How can I be what He asks for when I can scarcely imagine it!
He did help us mere mortals with something; He sent Jesus so we could see what holiness looks like. Hebrews 7:26 says, “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”
Looking at holiness that way, the sacred is not about things, places, or rites, but the life of one Person. That is, only God is holy (Revelation 15:4 says, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy . . . .”) and this holiness is visible in the person of Jesus Christ who is the only one who walked this earth without sin:
1 Timothy 3:16. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Jesus displays the holiness of God in human flesh, in terms we can see and hopefully understand. He also invites us to put our faith in Christ because in trusting Him, He comes to live in us, to be our righteousness. With Him as our Savior, we are called to be like Him, set apart and unlike those who are still ruled by sin . . .
Romans 12:1. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
1 Peter 1:15–16. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. The Bible says this quality of being holy and in set apart for God is made possible by the holiness of Jesus and the Holy Spirit who live in and empower people of faith. The more I know of God’s holiness, the more I can recognize it yet the more I realize how far I am from being like He is. My inadequacies are strong and I cannot fully grasp this mystery. A perfect being exists. He calls me to be like Him. He says I am holy. He provides a perfect Son and His Spirit to help me live that way — and I look in the mirror and am astonished. Only an incredible God could come up with such an incredible and seemingly impossible plan and then challenge me to follow through.
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