Understanding Holiness

Holiness is the eternal nature of God. God is uniquely holy. In fact, the main reason why we worship God is because He is holy, and worship is our response to the holiness of God. Someone said, we thank God for His Goodness; we praise God for His Greatness and we worship God for His Holiness.

All covenant children of God (both Old and New Testaments) are called to be holy. But, there are two entirely different ways to holiness.

Old Testament Holiness

"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" (Lev. 11.45, NKJV, emphasis added).

"And that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for you God" (Numbers 15:40, emphasis added).

In the contexts of the above verses, we learn that the way to holiness for all Israel under Moses Law was by keeping the commandments of God and the entire Law all the time. The Law was a complicated set of rules and regulations. It was a full time job for Israel to keep the Law of Moses. But none was able to keep the Law successfully. Therefore none of them were holy in the sight of God.

God gave His reason why He wanted His Covenant people to be holy:

"And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine" (Lev. 20:26).

In other words, unless Israel is holy and separated from other peoples, God would not receive them as His people.

New Testament Holiness

"But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:15,16, emphasis added).

God's Will for His New Covenant people is also to be holy.

Let us now consider what Paul said to the elders of the Church in Ephesus:

"So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32, emphasis added).

Notice that the word "sanctified" or "sanctification" comes from the Greek word "hagiazo" which means "to be made holy" or "set apart and consecrated to be holy".

There are two promises in Acts 20:32:

1. Inheritance of God are for those who are made holy.

2. The Word of God are able to build us up and make us holy.

At the commission of Paul, Jesus said to him:

"I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 26:17,18, emphasis added).

In other words, the way to holiness is made possible by faith in Jesus Christ. Sanctification is part of the salvation process and those who are made holy will receive an inheritance.

God provides many ways by which christians can be sanctified or made holy.

1. By the Wod of God or the truth of God's Word.

Jesus said, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth" (John 17:17,19).

Read also Eph. 5:26,27 - Christ sanctifies the Church with the washing of water by the Word.

2. By the Holy Spirit.

".... because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13).

Read also 1 Peter 1:2

3. By the Blood of Jesus.

"Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate" (Hebrews 13:12).

Read also 1 Peter 1:2

4. By God Himself.

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 5:23).

This is God's provision for making christians fit to be the bride of Christ, through the process of sactification, so that Christ's bride is found blameless and made whole at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Local Church, where Jesus is the Head, is the place appointed by God to prepare the bride of Christ through the process of sanctification.