What does it mean to be holy? This is a question that I often considered, an idea that I found myself wanting to understand more about; a seemingly unreachable but demanded trait for Christ followers to have or do or become. From the beginning of my journey and the farther I walked down the path of what Scripture describes as living righteously, something was always missing that felt most important, something that holds it all together and prevents the ups and downs of living right and living not so right. As I went through a deep study of the New Testament, I kept coming across the same teaching, the same principal of what Christ wants for His bride, His church, to be—or to become. I often asked myself this question throughout my journey, and in prayer I always expected it to be something that God was supposed to transform me into or give me as I tried to devote myself to Him. But as I studied, I felt I should compare the Laws of Moses to the teachings in the New Testament, and out of seemingly nowhere, like a light bulb flipping on in my mind, I instantly understood it in a whole new light.
I don’t know how I never saw it before, and I surely don’t know why I didn’t understand it. We are not called, not meant, to just be made holy simply by a calling or by our salvation. We are not made holy by simply saying the sinner’s prayer, and we surely are not made holy just because of God’s grace and forgiveness toward us. It’s not something we are made into from an outside source like being transformed into a likeness of what we never were before, it’s not an instant change in mind, a transformation of our bodies or being given a brand-new heart, and it isn’t given to us through salvation. What it means to be holy isn’t having something we suddenly receive; it is how we conduct and live out our lives in the view of God. With all that said, we can begin to dive into the Scriptures that teach us how God really wants us to be holy, from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
Leviticus 20:7-8 (NKJV)
7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
This verse was taken from the midst of a very heated Commandment from the Lord delivered by Moses, a fiery testament of God’s distaste for the vile things that the people of the world were doing that He found to be, in a more proper term; unholy. He speaks to His people about what is evil and what to do about the evil, and in there He commands His people to do something about how they conduct their lives. They are to consecrate themselves and be holy because He his holy. To keep His statues, his Commandments and Laws, and do what He requires of them. Next, after delivering this heated Commandment, He says it again.
Leviticus 20:26 (NKJV)
26 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.
“You shall be holy to Me,” this phrasing is very specific, and it is not alone only in the NKJV translation. Being holy, to be holy, is not just for us, He wants us to be holy because everything we do, everything we say, everything we think, it is all to God and of His creation. He created it a certain way, and last I checked He had every right to demand it to be a certain way. With everything we do, we do unto the Lord as His creation in His created world. He says to be holy to Him, and this is an important measure of His character and shows that everything we do is noticed, and He takes how we conduct our lives personally.
The other side of this statement is about the way God wants to see us. He not only wants us to be holy toward Him in how we conduct our lives but He also wants us to have the lifestyle, the appearance, for lack of a better word, of being holy. He wants us to appear holy before His sight. “… be holy to me.”
Numbers 15:40 (NKJV)
40 and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.
Like in this verse in Numbers, being holy is often paired with remembrance. To remember to be holy, to remember to live in a certain way that God sees fit. You tell me; why would we need to remember to be something that is given to us without effort? Because it is not. Being holy is something we are commanded to do, to strive for, to live throughout our days in every effort to be holy just as He is holy. An impossible yet honorable and highly favored attribute of the most blessed and powerful of God’s people and prophets throughout history, and consistently reminding ourselves to be holy, to remember to be holy, is extremely important to keep ourselves holy in the view of God.
Holy, which in a spiritual sense can also be paired with words like “clean” and “pure” and “correct” in how we live our lives, is very important in God’s eyes and He is heard throughout Scripture expressing His feelings about impurity and unholiness. In the New Testament, the New Covenant that we live in, the washing and cleansing of our sins looks very different than it used to, but not everything has changed, and God surely has not changed. God takes holiness seriously, so much so that in the past God would exile or separate a person from the rest of his people for being unclean, physically and spiritually.
Deuteronomy 23:10-11 (NKJV)
10 If there is any man among you who becomes unclean by some occurrence in the night, then he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come inside the camp. 11 But it shall be, when evening comes, that he shall wash with water; and when the sun sets, he may come into the camp.
Being separated from God in this manner is not how He tends to deal with His people in this time, which is entirely thanks to Christ’s great sacrifice to allow us connection and forgiveness through Him to the Father. To asked to be cleansed and forgiven instead of separated until our time of uncleanliness is over. But this doesn’t mean we are clean. We can’t live our lives in a manner that is unclean and expect that just because we keep asking to be cleansed that it makes us clean. Walking in holiness is incredibly important in our walk with Christ, it is what allows Him to draw closer to us and trust us with more of His holy power and authority, and more of His blessing.
Deuteronomy 23:14 (NKJV)
14 For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.
In a time where war was everywhere and God was leading His people to conquer, He repeatedly commanded His people to all be holy, every one of them. This allowed Him, and His holy presence, to be in the camps among them to give them victory over their enemies. Even though the battles of the past are over and we are no longer called to kill our enemies and conquer their lands, we are still called to a great battle happening in our time, a spiritual battle against darkness, evil spirits, and principalities, and this battle requires us to be holy. All of us!
Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Imagine the power and authority through Christ that the church can wield, through prayer and fasting, together in agreement to fight against the evil of this age if we would all be holy! But consider the opposite, a church where many pray and fast, living holy, spending long hours of faithful devotion to fight the evil that we face every day, but in the midst of their congregation is an unholy and unclean people. How can the Spirit of the Lord fall upon a church filled, or even partially accompanied, by people who are unclean and unholy in the sight of God? What more could the church do if the bride of Christ would just be holy?
Isaiah 56:1-2 (NKJV)
1 “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
This portion of Scripture comes between the turning age of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Between God’s Old Covenant with His chosen people and His New Covenant with all the world included in His grace through Christ. Along with his prophecies about the coming of Christ, Isaiah also spoke about holiness and living righteously, in which he includes, “Blessed is the man who does this, … and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” Being holy is more than just asking to be cleaned and living generally good and not doing anything horrible by today’s standards. But what God considers evil is a much broader term than what we think about today, and being holy requires us to keep our hands from doing any evil.
Matthew 5:27-28 (NKJV)
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
From our thoughts to our actions, we must be holy. Jesus spoke about holiness and God’s Laws many times, and he gives us a deeper understanding of how God views sin and unholy living if we will take the time to study Scripture. The context of this verse in the gospel of Matthew is so important because it repeats the need for holiness on the inside as much as the outside. Adultery is evil and unholy, but everyone knows that. God, however, sees it much deeper. He sees our thoughts and intentions, our deepest desires and hidden secrets. All our unconfessed sins and unclean habits. To lust for, intend or desire, wish we could even though we can’t, daydream or imagine; God sees these and accounts these for the sins themselves. This is one example of sin and unholy living, but there are so many we face throughout our lives. We need to holy in all areas, for God sees beyond what is visible on the outside.
Galatians 5:16-21 (NKJV)
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
It is incredibly important, made especially evident by the time and age that we now live in, that we must learn to be holy and live righteously. To walk in the spirit and be holy in the way we conduct our lives. From the “biggest” of sins to the little white lies, we need to be holy. To truly say we know Christ, that we are Christ followers, men and women of the faith, we must conduct ourselves in a holy manner as to offer not just our prayers of need but ourselves as clean and approved before God’s sight. Going back to Ephesians, Paul gives us another example of what holy living should like in our lives.
Ephesians 4:20-32 (NKJV)
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
God wants us to be holy, and He has been revealing this through His Word and through His prophets for ages. How we live our lives is a direct reflection of what we have on the inside, if our hearts and minds are of the lusts of the flesh, so will our actions follow. If our hearts and minds are of the spirit, of the holiness God has commanded us to, our actions will speak to the holy living that we are called. This is something that the church desperately needs in this time, to turn away from the flesh and live holy lives! There are great blessings and great moves of God coming to those who live holy and follow His Commandments.
Isaiah 56:4-5 (NKJV)
4 For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant, 5 Even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
As Isaiah writes what God says in this portion of Scripture, even the eunuchs who keep God’s Commandments will be given greater blessing at the end of their lives than the greatest on earth. To those who keep God’s Commandments, great things are coming. But being holy requires sacrifice, it requires us to lay down many of the things of this world and set ourselves apart from them. The words consecrated, sanctified, and holy all have one thing in common; they refer to being set apart, removed, separate from the unholy things and people of this world. All of these words are used in Scripture for specific purposes, and with good reason, to guide us to separate ourselves from the sinful things of the world and to be holy before the Lord. Paul wrote a good example of this in 2 Corinthians 6.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NKJV)
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”17 Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
There is a very good reason why Paul writes this the way that he does. Three very important points that can often be mixed or missed in this passage that actually hold incredible importance to us as believers living a holy life. “What communion has light with darkness?” What business does light and darkness have together? Why would we mix the things of God with the things of the world? God’s ways are holy, and His people are meant to be holy and separated from the evil of this world. You don’t mix prayer with filthy language, church services with gambling, and you don’t mix God’s people with the sons of the devil, “for you are the temple of the living God.” We are, our hearts and our spirits, the temple of the living God, the Spirit of Christ, the Lord’s Holy Spirit. In Deuteronomy 23:14, he says it perfectly, “that He may see no unclean among you, and turn away from you.” For the Spirit of the Lord to be among us, to take full residence within us to empower us with His power and authority, we must be clean and holy vessels! God cannot fully use us in a state of unholiness and uncleanliness, and He cannot reach us with our hearts filled with sin. “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” To be touched by the Lord, used by His mighty hand, to see Him move in our lives and in our world, it is such a beautiful thing. But unholiness separates us and prevents Him from reaching us in all new ways, at a whole new level. We can be saved, repented and trying to be righteous, serving ministry and following God’s calling in our lives, washed by the blood of Christ, and yet still far from God’s reach if we are living with unclean thoughts, words and actions in our lives. You might make it to heaven, barely squeezing through the door by repenting and giving up the big sins to try and follow Christ when it’s easy enough, knowing you can seek forgiveness when you mess up, but this kind of living will never afford you a powerful connection and interaction with the God and Creator of all that is. He desires to connect with us, to fill us with His power and authority to use us for great purposes and great moves of God in our world, but we must be holy, not barely squeezing through the door, especially not as the valley of decision narrows and the time of His grace comes to a close.
Ephesians 1:3-4 (NKJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love
He chose us to be holy, He calls us daily to live in holiness and cleanliness before Him. There are wonderful and great purposes for why God calls us to holiness, and most importantly it is that we could be pure to join Christ, as his bride and church, to our everlasting place of joy in the fulfillment of His love for all our generations.
Ephesians 5:27 (NKJV)
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
These are the promises at the end of our journey, for the holiness in which we are called to live. With understanding these promises, our godly ambition to reach farther and seek deeper to be holy before Him should be expanded more than ever before. To be counted worthy as part of His beloved bride, His church.
Ephesians 7:1 (NKJV)
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
God has an incredible distaste for unholiness, He makes a great point of this through many harsh judgments throughout the Old Testament. His Laws given down to Moses and His Words spoken through the prophets, God has given clear instruction all throughout Scripture that He desires, and absolutely requires, holiness from His people. But as the New Testament was given to us, God’s New Covenant with the world, the gentiles included, He comes to us with new gifts and blessings for our holiness and devotion to Him. There are so many incredible blessings being poured out on God’s holy people in this time. The church, Christ’s holy bride, needs to come to a new place of holiness to truly unleash the power and anointing that is awaiting a truly devoted and holy church. As I pointed out earlier in this study, just imagine what can be done if the church would truly be holy! But imagine the opposite, the amount of damage and loss of spiritual power and authority within the congregation because of unholiness among some of its members. All members of the church, like the members of a single body, must be washed clean in order to return to the camp and be counted as holy for the Lord’s spirit to reside among us.
Coming toward the end of this study on holiness, I want to look at a few of the writings on holiness from 1 Peter.
1 Peter 1:14-16 (NKJV)
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
In all your conduct, not by what you are made to become or transformed into through salvation, not what you are given and not what you can earn, but by holy living through how you live your life.
1 Peter 1:17-19 (NKJV)
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
The Lord judges us all by our works, visible and non-visible, not by good intentions or feelings or a sinner’s prayer. The Lord will judge all the world by what we have done and how we conduct ourselves during our time here. Peter points out something very specific in this verse, and I feel it may also be overlooked or underappreciated unless you are looking for it. He compares our redemption through the means of Christ’s blood to the money used at that time. Christ’s purchase for our chance and opportunity of salvation into the kingdom of God, he compares the worth of Christ’s blood to gold and silver. Not in a way as if there is any comparison, but with praise and honor esteeming His precious blood higher than any currency of this world, and we need to do the same. With love and honor esteeming His blood and sacrifice as greater than anything of this world, and with fear of His judgment for dishonoring His sacrifice through our unholy living, because His blood is not only precious, but also worthy of absolute honor and obedience for what He has done for us.
1 Peter 2:11-12 (NKJV)
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
What does it mean to be holy? It means conducting our lives, purposefully and intentionally, in a way that honor’s the Lord. Abstaining from the sins of the world, keeping our eyes pure, our hands away from evil, our mouths clean and free from unclean words, keeping our thoughts pure, and correcting our hearts toward Him.
I have sought for so long to be made holy so that I could be more and do more for God in a way that I never could before, but I never received it in the way I wanted. It took God reaching out to me, flipping a switch in my mind to open my eyes to the truth about His call to holiness. We are to separate ourselves as holy, and to conduct ourselves accordingly. We are to consecrate ourselves and be holy. Be holy toward the Lord, appear holy before the Lord, and live our lives in a way that pleases Him. Only then do we truly invite Him to move in mighty ways within us and in our lives.
Do not be discouraged, true holiness is an impossible feat for the sinfulness of flesh, but the attempt and the unending battle to push farther and farther toward holiness, to try and reach the holiness that God desires of us, He has promised to bless those who truly chase after Him even if they can never be perfect. The love and devotion required to chase after the impossible moves God’s heart in ways that bring blessing like you would have never received before. And the closer we come to the holiness He wants to see in us, the more he will move among His people. But do not be slow, and do not come to the battle unprepared or unstudied in the Word of God, because soon the valley of decision will be gone and the doors of salvation will be shut where no more can enter, and those who are faithful and holy must hold on until He returns.