True holiness is manifest, not in a halo above the head, but in a life lived for God’s glory—our grand purpose. To that end we were created; to that end we were redeemed; to that end Jesus gave Himself, “that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). Holiness holds an essential and central role in biblical Christianity.
In the Old Testament, the word translated as holy is the Hebrew word kadosh, which means “to set apart,” referring to the Lord setting something apart from the profane, and dedicating it for a particular, sacred purpose. In the New Testament, the word translated as holy is the Greek word hagios, which also forms the root for the words translated as saint, sanctify, and sanctification.
God calls all Christians to be saints, to be set apart and dedicated to His holy purpose. The call is universal, extending to all the church, and to all times and places. It sounds forth from the pages of Holy Scripture: “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1Peter 1:16). Holiness unto the Lord is a theme that runs from cover to cover in the Bible.
While God calls us to be holy, He does not expect us to attain to holiness through our own strength or wisdom. The power to make someone holy, to sanctify, resides in God alone. Only by the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ are we able to live in “holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life” (Luke 1:75).
True sainthood, then, does not come about through the act of canonization, but through the continued work of God’s sanctifying grace in the heart. The Holy Spirit guides all believers into truth, into holiness, into lives that are fully consecrated to God. Anything that draws away from truth and holiness is not of God.
Additionally, true holiness bears the fruit of humility, glorifying God (the source of our holiness), not the individual. The so-called holiness that engenders pride in the heart, and produces a “holier-than-thou” attitude is false. Jesus pulled the cloak off that kind of “holiness” during His earthly ministry, revealing it for what it really was—self-righteousness and hypocrisy.
As Christians, we are called to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24); and to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). The Lord has paved the way for us; we do not need to fall short of God’s call to holiness.
The Way of Holiness is set before us in God’s Word. To the regenerate heart, it is a glorious, beautiful way, offering Heaven as its destination. Every step on the Way of Holiness brings us closer to Him and makes us more like Him. The way of sin is darkness and misery, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18) .
The verses, quotations, and proverbs in this book have been compiled to highlight the beauty of true holiness; to emphasize the necessity of holiness in a believer’s life; and to encourage the pursuit of holiness. Certainly, given the spiritual battle of these unholy times, we may welcome and embrace every encouragement toward biblical holiness.
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