Are You a Holy Person?

What do you think of when you hear the word “holy?”

For many it calls up scenes of monks in meditative prayer who have given up the worldly life and all its trappings in order to devote their days completely to communion with God.

For others it might conjure up images of older men in well pressed suits talking about the evils of rock music and new hairstyles.

Still for others holiness might convey the feelings that come over you while singing a great contemporary worship song, feelings of grandeur and majesty of God.

Real holiness is something much different, it doesn’t come from hours of prayer and meditation, it doesn’t come from following a list of rules about how to dress or what music to listen to and it certainly doesn’t come from singing lots of great worship music!

Where does it come from?

Let’s open our Bibles and take a look.

The first time we meet the word “holy” in the Bible is at the burning bush.

And He said, Do not come near here. Pull off your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. Exo 3:5

What Is Holiness?

The Hebrew word Kadosh can be translated as “holy,” “sanctified,” or “set apart.” It is found 640 times in the Old Testament. It is found most often in the book of Leviticus, which makes sense because it contains the instructions for all the priestly duties in the tabernacle.

There are three common usages of the Hebrew word Kadosh.

1. To indicate separation/uniqueness.

2. To describe purity, both moral and physical.

3. To depict something that is honored or revered.

• Holiness can refer very simply inanimate objects like bowls and tools used in the temple. They were holy simply because they were reserved specifically for use in the temple. (Exo 30:26-29)
• Holiness in reference to a person could speak of the fact that they had physically separated themselves for a particular service to God by bathing, refraining from sexual relations, or through some other physical means. (Exo 19:14-15)
• Holiness most importantly is the one word that seems to best sum up who God is. This is why the Seraphim who encircle God’s throne continually call out “Holy, holy, holy” (Isa 6:3, Rev 4:8)

God is holy because he is unique and separate from everything else.

• God is the creator and everything else is the creation!
• God is all knowing and we are limit in our knowledge!
• God is all powerful and we are weak!
• God is perfect and we are flawed!

This list could go on and on, what we understand from it is that God is unlike everyone and everything else. He is holy!

Furthermore, God is morally pure and he alone deserves all our honor and worship!

All Holiness Comes from God

When Moses approached the burning bush God told him that he was standing on holy ground.

Why was it holy?

Was it a special place with rich soil, lots of flowers and beautiful landscape? No.

The place was holy because God was there. Moses did not make that place holy and it certainly did not become holy on it’s own. As with all things it was God who made it holy!

God exists in holiness and holiness flows from his presence.  God is the source of all holiness and without him nothing can be holy. Sometimes we mistakenly think that if we live better, make better choices, follow the rules then we will become holy.

Our good deeds can never make us holy!

But we are all as the unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as a menstruation cloth. And we all fade as a leaf, and like the wind our iniquities take us away.
(Isa 64:6)

Only God can make us holy.

And some of you were these things, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.
(1Co 6:11)

This must have been a lesson that Moses needed to learn. Think back to what happened in Moses’ life before the burning bush. Moses grew up in Egypt, he had a good education, he had power and authority. In all regards he seemed like a great pick to deliver the people of Israel out of bondage.

The only problem was that God was supposed to deliver the Israelites, not Moses. Moses took matters into his own hands and got himself into trouble by killing an Egyptian.

It took God another 40 years to teach Moses the lesson he needed to learn. Moses needed to understand God’s complete holiness before he could be used of God to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Old Testament Law Points to God’s Holiness

There are many laws in the Old Testament that give detailed descriptions of how the Israelites should live and dress. Keeping these laws did not make the people’s hearts holy. God didn’t design the laws as a means of inward holiness but rather as signs to remind the Israelites that they serve a holy God.

Take for example Moses’ experience in Exodus 3. God asked him to remove his shoes but what was more important to God, Moses’ shoes or his heart?

His heart of course! (Read Deu 6:5)

Dirty shoes aren’t really that big of a problem for God, it’s not like Moses removed his shoes and then God said, “Great, now you’re holy!”

Removing the shoes was a sign for Moses, not for God. By removing his shoes Moses would have thought about God’s holiness, he would have been reminded of God’s purity, his uniqueness and the importance of honoring him.

A Holy Lifestyle Is a Response to a Holy God

What about a holy lifestyle, aren’t we supposed to live a holy life too?

Yes, we are called to live holy but we must realize that a holy life must be the result of God’s sanctifying work in our hearts. Without this work the “holiest” life will never result in true holiness.

We need to look at it this way, God sanctifies our heart which naturally and logically results in the ability and desire for holy living.

but according to the Holy One who has called you, you also become holy in all conduct; because it has been written, “Be holy,” “because I am holy.” 1Pe 1:15-16

Peter is quoting from Leviticus 11:14 here, Jesus also quotes the same passage in Matthew 5:48.

What’s important to recognize is the logical flow. We are called to live holy lives in response to God’s holiness. This holiness in our behavior is a reflection of the holiness of Christ in us.

God Calls Us to Treat Him as Holy

One element of holiness that is often over looked is the command to treat God as holy. Let’s go back to Moses at the burning bush again. Moses learned a great lesson about God’s holiness that day when he took his shoes off in the presence of a holy God.

Unfortunately, after nearly 40 years of wandering in the desert with the Israelites, Moses began to forget his lesson on the holiness of God. God told Moses to speak to the rock so that it would produce water but instead Moses struck it twice with his rod (Num 20:8-11).

God was not pleased and he told Aaron and Moses,

Because you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me before the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring in this congregation to the land which I have given to them.
(Num 20:12)

The problem was that Moses and Aaron did not sanctify (treat has holy) the Lord.

You see when God calls us to holiness it’s not just about keeping a list of rules, it’s about honoring him with your life. It’s about living in such a way that points others to an absolutely holy God!

The prophet Isaiah puts it well:

Sanctify Jehovah of Hosts Himself, and let Him be your fear; and let Him be your dread.
(Isa 8:13)

 Question: Are you holy? What makes you holy? How are you pointing others to a holy God?