For ages, Christians, philosophers, and theologians have discussed and studied the idea of holiness. It is frequently believed to be a quality or way of being exclusive to saints and supernatural beings.  

However, what is holiness?

Is it something that even common people can accomplish? 

If so, how can we get there? 

We shall examine the definition of holiness and its importance in diverse religious traditions in this essay. We will also explore the ideas and methods that can direct us toward a more virtuous way of living. We shall turn to the Bible’s teachings as we set out on this journey, as it is a timeless manual for anybody attempting to comprehend and embody purity.

Recognizing the Idea of Holiness.

As a notion, holiness includes a deep level of moral and spiritual purity. It explores the areas of divine connection and personal transformation, going beyond simple religious observance. It is necessary to acknowledge holiness’ innate relationship to God’s divinity to comprehend it. The concept of holiness is used to describe God’s flawless and unadulterated essence in a number of religious writings, including the Bible. Humans are urged to pursue holiness as a reaction to God’s love and grace, not as a way to obtain favor or salvation. It entails a lifetime process of sanctification, during which we gradually match our ideas, deeds, and attitudes with God’s moral norms. 

1 Peter 1:15–16, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'” This verse provides an example of how holiness demands a strong dedication to righteousness, purity, and obedience to God’s instructions. Holiness requires unwavering trust in the Holy Spirit’s power, which changes our hearts and gives us the ability to live by God’s rules within us. Living a life dedicated to God, marked by love, honesty, modesty, and a desire to exalt him in all facets of existence, is what it means to be holy.

The Significance of Pursuing Holiness.

Believers must strive for holiness. We come into alignment with God’s will and purpose for our lives via the pursuit of purity. To become holy, we must actively collaborate with the Holy Spirit and permit Him to change us. 

As Paul says in Colossians 3:10, “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” A daily commitment to prayer, Bible study, and abiding by God’s commands is necessary for this rejuvenation. 

Pursuing purity helps us grow closer to God and serves as powerful ambassadors of His righteousness and love to the outside world. We are reminded in Hebrews 12:14, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; for without holiness, no one will see the Lord.” Pursuing holiness is a lifelong process that molds our character and brings God’s glory into our existence rather than being a one-time occurrence.

1 Peter 1:16 – Be Holy, for I am Holy.

We can find direction in 1 Peter 1:16—where we are invited to be holy in the same way that God is holy—when we strive to be holy. This verse serves as a reminder of the expectations God has for His people. Holiness is a manner of living that embraces all facets of our existence rather than just an abstract idea. It entails conforming our words, deeds, and attitudes to the nature and will of God. 

We acknowledge that to be holy, we must rely on God’s grace and the power of His Spirit to transform us. We are able to live righteously and show the world how holy He is because of our everyday submission to Him. As we set out on the path of holiness, may we always seek God’s direction and rely on His strength, understanding that it is via this pursuit of purity that we come nearer to God and enjoy the rich life He has promised.

Leading a Holy Life Every Day

Although leading a holy life daily is difficult, it is a calling that followers of Christ are encouraged to seek. Aligning our thoughts, words, and deeds with God’s Word and His will for our lives necessitates a deliberate commitment. It entails asking for His direction and depending on His might to withstand temptation and subdue the flesh’s wicked cravings. 

It entails practicing humility, love, and forgiveness from the heart, as Jesus instructed in Matthew 5:44–45. Being holy is genuinely wanting to glorify God in whatever we do, not about being flawless. Daily submission, self-control, and faith in the ability of the Holy Spirit to change us are necessary. Let us keep in mind the assurance found in 1 John 1:9 that God is true and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness as we endeavor to live a pure life.

Give your Body as a Living Sacrifice, According to Romans 12:1.

 The apostle Paul exhorts Christians to present their bodies as living sacrifices in Romans 12:1–2. This stirring declaration captures the spirit of holiness and our total submission to God’s work. It exhorts us to give ourselves entirely to the Lord, realizing that our bodies are like vessels meant to be used for His purposes. 

We confess our desire to live a life set apart for God’s glory by offering ourselves as living sacrifices. It entails making an effort to live according to His desire so that His transformational power can operate inside and through us. This verse serves as a reminder that holiness is a sincere submission to God’s divine design rather than just an outward show of virtue.

Following God’s Instructions for Holiness

As followers of Christ, holiness is more than just accepting God’s instructions. It necessitates a strong dedication to following His Word and a profound regard for it. Scripture is filled with many guidelines that point us in the direction of living a holy life. 

For instance, God commands His people to be holy in the book of Leviticus because He is holy (Leviticus 19:2). All facets of our lives are called to holiness, including our words, deeds, and thoughts. According to Mark 12:31, Ephesians 4:32, and 2 Timothy 2:22, we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, to extend forgiveness to others as we have been extended, and to pursue righteousness and turn away from wickedness. We show our love for God and our dedication to modeling His virtues in our life by abiding by His commands. We can walk in holiness and get closer to God every day because of the transforming power of God’s grace, which is experienced by obedience.

Be Holy Because I, the Lord Your God, Am Holy, Says Leviticus 19:2.

To comprehend the relevance and meaning of Leviticus 19:2 properly, we need to examine the biblical definition of holiness. Being holy involves more than just adhering to regulations or performing outward displays of religious devotion. It’s all about changing from the inside out so that we reflect God’s essence and character. God emphasizes that He is holy in Leviticus 19:2 when He names His people holy. This verse reminds us of God’s exacting standards for moral purity and holiness in His people.

Living a unique life, different from the world, and marked by submission to God’s will is what it means to be holy. It includes all facets of our existence, such as our speech, relationships, thoughts, and actions. It calls on us to pursue righteousness, purity, and integrity in all that we do.

Other scripture passages can also provide us with direction and inspiration as we strive to be holy. For example, Peter reiterates the appeal to holiness in 1 Peter 1:15–16, telling believers to act holily in all that they do, just as God is holiness. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs us on the attitudes and deeds that characterize a holy life, such as forgiving others, loving our adversaries, and abiding by humility.

We are not capable of becoming holy with our efforts. God’s grace is at work in our lives. God gives us the ability to walk in holiness and transforms us through the power of the Holy Spirit. We must give our lives to Him so that He might mold us into His likeness and conform us to His holy nature.

Seeking Holiness With Prayer

As we strive for holiness, prayer becomes a vital instrument in our quest. We can develop a close, personal relationship with God by prayer, which enables Him to reshape and form us into His image. Praying is more than just asking God for what we want; it’s also about giving ourselves over to His will and asking for His direction in all areas of our lives.

When we pray, we confess our sinfulness and realize that purity cannot be attained by our strength. Prayer makes it possible for us to obtain the grace and fortitude required to withstand sin, fight temptation, and make decisions that are in line with God’s will for our lives.

To explore deeper into the journey of spiritual growth and holiness, you might find the book Finding Our Way Home: Reclaiming the Kingdom in Post-Evangelical America to be an enriching resource. This book offers profound insights and guidance on embracing holiness and reclaiming the values of the Kingdom of God.

We can open up to God in prayer, admitting our transgressions, pleading for pardon, and requesting that His transformational power take effect within us. It’s a period for introspection during which we connect our beliefs, aspirations, and deeds with the truth that God has revealed in His Word.

Furthermore, prayer gives us a way to lift up others in prayer and ask God to bless them in their lives. It enables us to mirror the qualities of our holy God by showing others in need our love, compassion, and kindness.

By committing to a life of prayer, we give the Holy Spirit permission to operate in our lives, changing our thoughts and hearts and giving us the ability to live by God’s precepts. We obtain the fortitude, rejuvenation, and direction needed to face the difficulties and temptations of this world via prayer.

Hebrews 12:14 Says That no one May See the Lord if They are not Holy

Hebrews 12:14 emphasizes that holiness is a prerequisite for anybody who wants to establish a close relationship with the Lord, not just a suggestion. No one can truly experience God’s presence and splendor if holiness is lacking. This verse is a potent reminder of the significance of living a life that is set apart for God, a life that embodies His virtues and character.

Fundamentally, holiness is the state of moral and spiritual purity, apart from the wicked influences of the outside world. It entails giving our entire existence to God’s service and committing ourselves to Him. This calls for a profound shift in our beliefs, dispositions, and actions, all of which are informed by the veracity of God’s Word.

We must constantly seek God’s presence and submit our will and desires to His heavenly rule to be holy. This entails developing a passionate desire to live according to God’s commands and a genuine love for Him. We are able to resist the temptation to sin and live a life that pleases God because of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Developing qualities like love, humility, forgiveness, and compassion is another aspect of being holy. These characteristics make us like Christ and allow us to be His hands and feet in a world that is in need of repair.

Walking in Christ’s Light

A life dedicated to holiness naturally flows into walking in Christ’s light. As we walk in the light of Christ, we make an effort to match Jesus’ teachings and example with our deeds, thoughts, and attitudes. This entails modeling the virtues of our Savior by leading an honest, kind, and moral life.

To live in the light of Christ, one must constantly pray and read the Bible to receive His knowledge and direction. We get a greater comprehension of Christ’s purpose for our life and the path He wants us to take as we immerse ourselves in His teachings.

Moreover, discernment—the capacity to tell what is godly from what is not—is necessary for walking in Christ’s light. This discernment is the result of a deep connection with God and an awareness of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. It entails making decisions that God will approve of and avoiding anything that could impede our spiritual development.

In the end, walking in the light of Christ is an ongoing process. Living according to God’s precepts and persistently seeking His presence is a daily commitment. Knowing that we are in association with our Heavenly Father and living according to His plan brings us joy and peace as we walk in the light.

To sum up, holiness is a crucial component of a Christian’s spiritual development and relationship with God. It is a gift from God that we can acquire via faith and following His Word; it is not something that we can accomplish on our own. According to 1 Peter 1:15–16 in the Bible, “you shall be holy because I am holy; therefore, just as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all that you do.” We can work toward holiness and live a life that pleases God by praying, reading the Bible, and trusting the Holy Spirit to lead us. May we never forget this as we seek holiness and strive to deepen our faith.

Author’s Bio: Merry is a seasoned writer and SEO specialist with a passion for crafting compelling narratives that resonate with readers. With a background in Christian marketing, she has spent five years honing her skills as a content writer and SEO expert at  a prominent Christian brand. 

As an evangelical pastor and theologian, I find myself increasingly at odds with American Evangelicals on a wide range of topics. In my 2006 book, McChurched: 300 Million Served and Still Hungry, I predicted this about the Christian Right and its agent of political dominion, the Republican Party:

You will not be welcome in the Promised Land envisioned by the Christian Right. That is not a place that welcomes believers in the sovereignty of God.

Nor will you be welcome in the evangelical Church. That is not a place that welcomes broken people.

Since that time, I have become increasingly alarmed at the disdain for critical thinking among “people of the book” and the social impact of the Christian Right. A “good-vs.-evil” ethic has emerged that feeds into the worldview of the self-righteous, Christian or otherwise.

The Inerrancy of the Bible:

Underpinning the theology of both the Christian ideologue and the Christian philosopher/theologian is the inerrancy of the Bible. In the one case, the Bible is the final authority, supporting through select verses unchallenged parochial ideas such as America or modern Israel being God’s chosen instruments of divine judgment.

In the other case, the Bible becomes a historical revelation of the super objectivity of the Godhead, rendering genocide and infanticide mere expressions of divine selection.

A current example of indifference to the fate of the “evil” among us concerns the 100,000 to 1 Million Iraqi civilians who perished in the Gulf War. As well, the resurrection of the Gulag in America as a vehicle for segregating and oppressing rebels and minorities is greeted with objective indifference unless prospecting for converts.

Happy to Quit This Earth:

Theologian and Christian apologist, William Lane Craig, in his Reasonable Faith web site, posts his interpretation of Old Testament infanticide against the Cannanite people:

…if we believe, as I do, that God’s grace is extended to those who die in infancy or as small children, the death of these children was actually their salvation. We are so wedded to an earthly, naturalistic perspective that we forget that those who die are happy to quit this earth for heaven’s incomparable joy. Therefore, God does these children no wrong in taking their lives.

Projected into the modern era, we should rejoice when children are killed in time of war because they are going to heaven. As for those of evil distinction above the age of accountability, they were destined for Hell anyway, a premature execution of divine predestination waived only in the case of infanticide.

There is one notable exception for the Christian Right. It is abortion, which, under the microscope of objective morality, ought to be a matter for great celebration. Every aborted fetus is a life happily rescued.

American Prisons – God’s Will for the “Evil”:

The moral objectivity of the Creator becomes the imprimatur for genocide, infanticide and the domestic version of Gulag Supremacy, the American prison. There, “evil” folks are summarily contained. What happens to them within their containment or thereafter is of little concern or consequence apart from budgetary considerations that impact the lives of us “good” folks.

According to Bill Boyarsky in an article in Truthdig, however, the rush to increase minimum sentencing and abuse of three-strikes laws has unmasked an evil of racism and classism within the criminal justice system. “Who cares about the criminals?” he asks. “Some of the journalists I met with last week said they get the same reaction from their editors.”

In the wisdom of Pogo, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Who Cares About Another Sex Offender?:

Here in Maine, we recently passed the 2nd anniversary of the death by ruptured spleen of Sheldon Weinstein in Solitary Confinement, with nary a peep out of the Attorney General’s Office. “Who cares about another sex offender?” “Who cares about another Jew?” “One less mouth to feed!” Would the Christian Right dare say, “He got what he deserved”? I have heard it more than once!

A few of us care. Those of us professing Christians somehow incapable of objectifying murder within prison, carried out directly or indirectly by staff, are saddled with the burden of thinking that, unlike with the Cannanites, God’s timing may have been short-circuited.

Moral Cleansing:

Then there is that sticky matter concerning objective salvation, the antidote to objective immorality – that we are somehow called to love our enemies at a somewhat deeper level than wiping them out for the glory of God, or, interchangeably, for the glory of America.
God save us from the Christian Right before we, too, become targets of their cleansing under divine objectivity through indifferent human agency.

Sources:
• Greta Christina. “One More Reason Religion Is So Messed Up”, AlterNet, April 25, 2011.
• Bill Boyarsky. “Three Strikes and Civil Rights”, Truthdig, May 9, 2011.

Originally Published by Rev. Dr. Stan Moody

Why are Americans so easily caught off guard by evil? Is it because we have embraced the doctrine of the inherent goodness of mankind to the exclusion of the reality of our own individual and national evil?

You would think that the experience of repeated failings as the moral conscience of the world would awaken us to our hypocrisy. Our burgeoning prisons and multiple wars seem to dictate otherwise.

Guys with the White Hats Always Win:

Frontier America, where the guys with the white hats always win, has infected every aspect of our national life. Where once victory belonged to the guy with the fastest draw, white hat guys of today come in the form of suburbanites, corporate executives, elected politicians, service club members, church members and bloggers.

As we watch America degenerate into this insular, tribal model, Martin Niemoller’s famous statement on the purging of target groups during the Third Reich speaks volumes:

First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist…
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist…
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew…
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me…

In the Crosshairs of An Evil Populism:

We came for the communists in the Korean War, the McCarthy Hearings, Viet Nam and the Cold War. We have come for the trade unions through the rise of the Christian Right/Tea Party activism in American politics. To the extent that Jewish people are emblematic of achievement, we who have treasured discipline of mind and career over gender, privilege and race find ourselves in the “crosshairs” of populism.

Nowhere is this disease more evident than in our criminal justice system.

The War-on-Drugs’ watchword of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s – “Just say ‘No’” – was the war cry of an addictive society dismissive of character weakness and mental illness. It is a society oblivious to its own pathologies camouflaged within the folds of belonging.

With few exceptions, prison is rendered to be a colony of people deemed unwilling to say “No” to temptations offering escape from a crushing inability to be “good.” They stand in our courts condemned, guilty or innocent, because most often they don’t look and act like folks we should like to have living next door.

Concentration Camps for Those Who Won’t Say “No”:

With 5% of the world’s population and 25% of its domestic prisoners, U.S. prisons have become concentration camps for those who are grim reminders of our own vulnerabilities to evil. We prefer to congratulate ourselves that we are not like “them,” quickly to move on in our denial.

The sex registry has evolved into a concentration camp without walls for violators of the sacred doctrine of the inherent goodness of mankind. With nearly a million now on the registry, they and their families are ensured of never again masquerading under such a presumption.

The doctrine of inherent goodness leads to gated communities, homogeneous clubs and churches, political parties and action groups and nationalism. Never truer were the words of Samuel Johnson, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel” than of a nation addicted to defending its shifting, evolving morality by cleansing the world of “other”.

Vigilance – the Best Deterrent to Evil:

If we acknowledge the presence of evil in us all, we change the way we react to evil. Cover-up and condemnation decline. We become more transparent as individuals and as a society because we have less to hide. Parents protect their children by assuming that everything and everyone inside and outside the home can be harmful unless proven otherwise.

For such parents, the simplistic “just-say-‘no’” to sex, drugs and violence is replaced with vigilance and intervention that presumes that even our children may have a touch or two of evil.

Vigilance is the best deterrent to evil. Failure of vigilance led to 9/11 and its aftermath, the American police state, overreacting after the fact rather than exerting an ounce of prevention before.

That there is in each of us both good and evil demands that we be cordial, vigilant, protective of our trust and wise in our judgments, taking care of our own business to the extent possible.

Sources:
• Harold Marcuse. Martin Niemoller’s Famous Quotation. U.C. Santa Barbara. April 22, 2011.
• Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page. Quotes On Patriotism. January 18, 2010.

Originally Published Rev. Dr. Stan Moody