In today’s world, churches and Christians seek to be relevant to people from various walks of life in the pursuit of winning them over to the Lord. Yet, in this noble pursuit, some have abandoned the pursuit of holiness, which is ultimately what God wants His people to pursue.
The most well-known meaning of holiness is to be set-apart. This could apply to someone who is bound to God or to a place where God is present. The word is also used to describe God or His people in the context of perfection or purity. To be truly holy is to be Christ like in the embodiment of holiness and humility.
The holiness of God refers to the absolute moral purity of God and the absolute moral distance between God and His creation. It means that all of His creation functions within a fixed moral order wherein good and evil are never simply relative terms contingent upon society’s moral taste buds. God’s holiness gives us the clearest frame of reference for human corruption and dysfunction across the whole of Scripture.
In the New Testament, divine holiness is mostly clearly attached to the Spirit of the God (Holy Spirit) which is referred to some eighty-nine times. The holiness of God, which served as the primary obstacle that separated God from mankind was now lodged in the person of the Trinity, poured out on mankind through the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. The Holy Spirit brought holiness where there was none and was the means by which believers participated in the holiness of God.
sources: Choosing the Path of Holiness by Joy Allmond, BG Association; The Holiness of God by Richard Lints, the Gospel Coalition
