God is Holy

In his first letter, the apostle Peter teaches the early Christians an important lesson. He says:   

“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 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.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV).

In other words, Peter explains that the reason Christians are expected to live separately or ‘differently’ from the ways of the world is because of the holiness of God. But if we don’t understand what holiness means – or how and why God is holy – then not only are we not going to understand this lesson, we will misapply the principle. Thus, we will fail to be diligent in a way of life that is to be holy.

So what is holiness? How is God holy – and why?  And how can we be holy? Well, ‘holy’ in English simply means ‘set-apart’. Other words with the same meaning are the words ‘sacred’ and ‘consecrated.’

In Leviticus, for example, Aaron, the brother of Moses, is being consecrated as High Priest. We read that he is washed, clothed in special garments, and anointed with oil. Since Aaron’s sons would help Aaron with the work in the tabernacle, they were also washed and clothed. After being consecrated, a special sacrifice was offered for them by Moses. During this sacrifice, Aaron and his sons were to place their hands on the head of the sacrificial animal while it was killed. Then the blood of the sacrifice would be placed on the tip of their right ear, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot. It was so they might realize they couldn’t come before God ‘just as they were’. That they might understand that the shedding of innocent blood was needed as a covering for their sinfulness before they could approach God.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before Nadab and Abihu, two of Aaron’s sons, tried to serve God in a way they thought acceptable. And immediately paid the price for that mistake with their own lives. At which Moses tells Aaron the words from God:

“By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.” (Leviticus 10:3; NKJV)

After that, God goes into more detail about the standards of ‘acceptable’ conduct. Not just for the priests – but for all of God’s people. And amongst the list were behaviours which would ‘defile’ them before God. But then God tells them WHY this was so important to Him (and the words Peter quotes later):

“For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44-45; NKJV)

This leads us to the answers to our questions about holiness:

First: All of us have inherited a human nature that has the capacity for sin. And by way of explanation, the word ‘sin’ simply means “to miss”. In other words: To ‘miss the standard’. And it is because we do sin that we will, eventually, die. None of us is exempt from this reality.

Second: The act of consecration was to ‘set them apart’ from the other people. The anointing. The special garments. The blood of the sacrifice. They were all acts of commitment to serve Him. To signify that they were being ‘set-apart’ to serve God. So that is what the word Holy means: Set apart. Sacred. Sanctified. Separated. Nadab and Abihu arrogantly thought they could do it their own way – and in the process, they denigrated what God wanted. God, in His righteousness, made it clear to everyone that it was unacceptable. 

Third: the reason God wants to separate those who are His is that He dwells alone because He himself is separate. There is no one like Him. In Deuteronomy 6:4, God says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” It means ‘alone’.  There is none like Him. His ways are separate too:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9; NKJV)

Because God is holy, God expects His people to be holy too:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4; KJV)

In other words, holiness is God’s purpose for His people. In fact, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews says that without holiness, we will never see God:

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14 (KJV).

So how can WE become holy? 

Holiness does not come from self-effort, nor can it be earned. The belief that one can earn holiness and salvation is a form of legalism. But neither does holiness come by sitting back and doing nothing… Waiting for God to turn off the television for you, or for someone else to block your access to the internet, or to curb your angry temper.

Simply, holiness comes in two ways. One after the other, and to clarify – it’s not one or the other – but both… and the order is important. 

The first way is by setting ourselves apart. By consecrating our lives TO Him in the way Jesus taught: by baptism. An act of changing our natural allegiance. From the ways of the world to the way of Christ. After all, Christ’s whole purpose was that we might be set apart and holy. Paul wrote to Titus:

“…Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14; NKJV).

Paul also told the church in Ephesus:

“..even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27; KJV)

So, baptism is then the prerequisite, the first step. But we don’t get baptized and then say, “Now I can do what I want – when I want – and with who I want.” That simply isn’t biblical.  

So, the second part is equally as important: by living a life of obedience. Again: not a life of legalism. We don’t earn holiness points. Our obedience is not a ‘one-time’ or ‘once in a while’ type of obedience. It is an ongoing, life-long obedience. Keeping God’s law – and trying to walk before Him in a way that is pleasing. Not because we earn holiness that way, but because we have been brought to a newness of life IN CHRIST. As Jesus said:

“If you love me you will keep my commands” John 14:15 (NKJV)

If we do those two things, one after the other, in faith:

• If we make a commitment – in baptism–  to separate ourselves to Him
• And we follow that with a life of faithful obedience, according to the teachings of Christ 

Then God has promised to work with us.

To develop us.

To transform us.

Then, by the grace of God, a new pattern of behavior will emerge in us. 

As we find ourselves transformed from a life which is carnal, earthly, sinful… to a new life, in Christ, which is spiritual and holy. It only starts when we commit to separating ourselves from the world, and with time and obedience, the world becomes more and more ‘alien’ to us. The ways of God and Christ become more natural to us, and what we desire the most…

Because He is holy.