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My definition of holiness
By Basil Rehill | September 23, 2011
Holiness is one, if not the most important aspect of God’s character. “Holiness is what God is. Holiness also comprises his plan for his people.” [1] In Isaiah 6:3 the seraphim calls out “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” The Hebrew word for holy means “sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart” [2] God is unlike anything or anyone else in the entire universe. He is unique and totally separate from all of creation. Exodus 15:11 says “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Another aspect of God’s holiness is His absolute purity. In Habakkuk 1:13 addressing God it says “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong.” God cannot even look at evil.
The example we have is from God as to what Holiness is and looks like. We are told in Leviticus 11:44, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” Holiness is “the state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity. Applied to the Supreme Being, holiness denotes perfect purity or integrity of moral character, one of his essential attributes.” [3] We are called as Christians to be holy. “To be holy is to be morally blameless. It is to be separated from sin and, therefore, consecrated to God. The word signifies “separation to God, and the conduct befitting those so separated.” [4] We can look at 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 for more information on what this looks like. In general we are to be separate from this world. We are not to be like the world, but are to be like God in his disdain for evil and His love for purity.
The more we draw close to the Lord the more we discover that we are anything but holy. When Isaiah saw God he said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”, Isaiah 6:5. Our pursuit of holiness is a lifelong endeavor. Because of this there are many hindrances, but we are encouraged in scripture to be watchful, prayerful and to persevere.
Practically speaking holiness is an attribute that we need to pursue daily in our prayer life, in our fellowship, in our Bible study and in our actions. It is this pursuit that motivates our perseverance in overcoming the obstacles that life throws in our way. Holiness is the caret that is hung before our eyes urging us to take the next step in faith. It is also the attribute that we cannot attain in our own strength, but must rely on our cooperation with the Holy Spirit for progress. The desire for holiness is at the root of counseling. Without this as a goal for counselees we have our ladder against the wrong wall. We can work diligently and faithfully but will hit the wrong target.
I have seen my own failures in not seeing holiness as my goal. When I try and try to attain the lofty goal of helping another and my goal is to help them through this problem they are having right now, I lose sight of what is really important. I can put a Band-Aid on the wound, but if I don’t stop to look at what is causing this reoccurring problem I have left those who come to me for care in a deeper hole than when they first came to me.
[1] Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Edited by Walter A. Elwell Copyright 1996 by Walter A. Elwell. Published by Baker Books, a division of Baker Book House Company, PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, Michigan
[2] Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Hendrickson Pub; Revised edition 1996.
[3] Webster’s Dictionary 1828, Foundation for American Christian Education; Facsimile of 1st edition (June 1, 1967)
[4] The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges. Navpress, Colorado Springs, CO 1996
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