What Does It Mean To Be Holy?

Psalm 29:2, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

Why does God require His followers to be holy? God requires that we come before Him in holiness. If we are to enter into His presence, we will do so under the covering of Holiness. The Psalmist said it best, if we are to give God the glory that is due Him, if we are to truly worship Him we will do so in His holiness. Holiness is an indispensable element of our relationship with God. Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”

Man was created in the image of God, and until he sinned he was the reflection of God. After the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God pronounced the curse of sin upon all creation. All that God had created would carry the scar of man’s failure.

The sin in mortal man cannot be representative of God. Therefore, the sin must be cast aside and abandoned. That is done in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus provided everything we need to be true disciples through His cleansing blood. Look to the cross, believe in the cleansing of Christ, be washed in His blood and He will make you clean and holy. We are then the reflection of God.

A disciple of Christ will reflect the character of God. 1 Peter 1:16, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Peter’s reference is to the command of God in Leviticus 11:44-45 for the people of God to be holy as the one who has called them is holy. Jesus was also our example and was without sin. 1 Peter 2:22, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:”

Holiness is a New Testament teaching and has become a serious issue in the 21st-century church. If we believe and accept the Bible we must declare that holiness is an absolute in the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is the Bride of Christ and is destined to be presented to Christ as a holy bride washed in the blood of the lamb. Ephesians 5:25, “...Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That 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.” The Bride will be presented in holiness. Jesus shed His blood on the cross as a sacrifice to atone for our sin. In Him, sin is cast aside and abandoned, never to be remembered. The believer is wholly washed becoming a child of God and prepared to be the reflection of his Father. Amen! (continued)