What is Holiness?

[afishamongmany]

When I read in the Bible such words as, 'righteousness' and 'purity' I sort of understand. Even the biblical meaning of 'perfection' as maturity I can take hold of. But when I come to 'holy' and 'holiness' it always brings me up short and disturbs me. I still can't grasp it and find it a rather 'scary' word.
Does it matter? - If one believes the the Bible is the very word of God, it certainly does.

The apostle Peter in his first letter says,
“... but as He who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of living,
because it is written: “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
He is quoting from Leviticus 11:44,45. The context there gives food for thought.
The writer of Hebrews says in chapter 12,
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, ...”
So it seems to me that for a Christian, understanding what holiness is quite important.

><>

 

[Tolworth John]

As I understand it, it is to be set apart from that which is sin or sinful.

 

[mcarmichael]

At least you're asking the right questions...

 

[icxn]

Perhaps an illustration can help... a story from the Desert Fathers:

One of the fathers related of Abba John the Persian that his great charity had brought him to a profound innocence. He dwelt in Arabia of Egypt.

One day he borrowed some money from a brother and bought some flax for his work. Then a brother came and asked him, "Abba, give me a little flax so that I can make myself a cloak." He gave him some readily. Similarly, another brother came and asked him, "Give me a little flax, so that I can make some cloth." So he gave him some too. Others came and asked him for things and he simply gave them cheerfully.

Later, the owner of the money came to reclaim it. The old man said to him, "I will go and get it for you." Because he could not return it to him, he went to Abba James, who was a deacon, to ask him to give him some money so that he could return it to the brother. On the way, he found a coin on the ground but he did not touch it. He said a prayer and returned to his cell. But the brother came once more pestering him about the money, and the old man said to him, "I am very worried about it." Once again he went, found the coin on the ground where it was lying and once again he said a prayer and returned to his cell.

But the brother came back to pester him as before. The old man said to him, "This time I will certainly bring it to you." Once again he got up and went to the place where the coin lay on the ground. He said and prayer and went to tell Abba James, "Abba, as I was coming here, I found this coin on the road. Please make it known in the neighborhood, in case someone has lost it; and if its owner is found, give it to him."

So the old man went and asked about it for three days, but no one who had lost a piece of money came. Then the old man said to Abba James, "Then if no one has lost it, give it to this brother, for I owe it him. As I was coming to ask you for alms in order to give him his due, I found it."

The old man was astonished that, having a debt and finding that piece, he had not picked it up at once and given it to him. It was equally to his credit that when someone came to borrow something from Abba John, he did not give it him himself, but said to the brother, "Go and help yourself to whatever you need," and when someone brought anything back to him, he would say, "Put it back where it belongs." If the borrower did not return the thing he did not say anything to him."​

 

[W2L]

Holiness is living separate from the world. We dont follow the ways of the world, we instead follow the Lord. The Lord teaches us that the world hates Him and us.

 

[W2L]

2 Corinthians 6:14 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.”[c]
17 Therefore

“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”[d]
18 “I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”[e]

7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

 

[W2L]

Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

 

[afishamongmany]

As I understand it, it is to be set apart from that which is sin or sinful.

Hello John,
Yes both the hebrew and the greek word have the sense of being set apart. Saint and sanctified are also derived from these same same root words.
But what does that mean in your daily life? Is being holy the same as being sinless?
Go well
><>

 

[afishamongmany]

Perhaps an illustration can help... a story from the Desert Fathers:

One of the fathers related of Abba John the Persian that his great charity had brought him to a profound innocence. He dwelt in Arabia of Egypt.

One day he borrowed some money from a brother and bought some flax for his work. Then a brother came and asked him, "Abba, give me a little flax so that I can make myself a cloak." He gave him some readily. Similarly, another brother came and asked him, "Give me a little flax, so that I can make some cloth." So he gave him some too. Others came and asked him for things and he simply gave them cheerfully.

Later, the owner of the money came to reclaim it. The old man said to him, "I will go and get it for you." Because he could not return it to him, he went to Abba James, who was a deacon, to ask him to give him some money so that he could return it to the brother. On the way, he found a coin on the ground but he did not touch it. He said a prayer and returned to his cell. But the brother came once more pestering him about the money, and the old man said to him, "I am very worried about it." Once again he went, found the coin on the ground where it was lying and once again he said a prayer and returned to his cell.

But the brother came back to pester him as before. The old man said to him, "This time I will certainly bring it to you." Once again he got up and went to the place where the coin lay on the ground. He said and prayer and went to tell Abba James, "Abba, as I was coming here, I found this coin on the road. Please make it known in the neighborhood, in case someone has lost it; and if its owner is found, give it to him."

So the old man went and asked about it for three days, but no one who had lost a piece of money came. Then the old man said to Abba James, "Then if no one has lost it, give it to this brother, for I owe it him. As I was coming to ask you for alms in order to give him his due, I found it."

The old man was astonished that, having a debt and finding that piece, he had not picked it up at once and given it to him. It was equally to his credit that when someone came to borrow something from Abba John, he did not give it him himself, but said to the brother, "Go and help yourself to whatever you need," and when someone brought anything back to him, he would say, "Put it back where it belongs." If the borrower did not return the thing he did not say anything to him."​

Hi there icxn,
An interesting story that raises all sorts of questions in my mind. But it doesn't seem to me to address 'holiness' as such.
Go well
><>

 

[afishamongmany]

Holiness is living separate from the world. We dont follow the ways of the world, we instead follow the Lord. The Lord teaches us that the world hates Him and us.

Hi there W2L,
Yes we are 'set apart' by God. He knows those who are his. But we are in the world and we need to interact with the world, no? Do you believe that such things as monasticism or a life lived as a hermit are ways to become holy?
Go well
><>

 

[W2L]

Hi there W2L,
Yes we are 'set apart' by God. He knows those who are his. But we are in the world and we need to interact with the world, no? Do you believe that such things as monasticism or a life lived as a hermit are ways to become holy?
Go well
><>

I will answer with a a scripture.

2 Corinthians 6:14 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.”

7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

 

[Traveling teacher]

I will answer with a a scripture.

2 Corinthians 6:14 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.”

7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

amen and amen

without holiness we cannot enter into heaven.........
Hebrews 12
dont be decieved manyteach a gospel that says holiness is not necessary

 

[W2L]

amen and amen

without holiness we cannot enter into heaven.........
Hebrews 12
dont be decieved manyteach a gospel that says holiness is not necessary

Amen.

 

[food4thought]

Hebrew (Strong's dictionary):
H6944 קֹדֶשׁ qôdesh (ko'-desh): From H6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstractly sanctity
H6942 קָדַשׁ qâdash (kaw-dash'): A primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally)

So the idea behind holy in Hebrew is cleanness (morally or ceremonially).

Greek (Strong's dictionary):
G40 ἅγιος hagios (hag'-ee-os): From ἅγος hagos (an awful thing) compare G53, [H2282]; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated)
G53 ἁγνός hagnos (hag-nos'): From the same as G40; properly clean, that is, (figuratively) innocent, modest, perfect

Also in the Greek we see the connotation of purity/cleanness.


Holy items in the temple were "set apart" as holy, in order to keep them ceremonially clean. In the same way, if we wish to be clean, we must be set apart to God in a world that will desecrate us morally.

Hope this helps;

Mike

 

[food4thought]

One more point: agape is holiness. When we agape, we are doing God's will, therefore we are ceremonially and morally clean before Him.

 

[PollyJetix]

Hebrew (Strong's dictionary):
H6944 קֹדֶשׁ qôdesh (ko'-desh): From H6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstractly sanctity
H6942 קָדַשׁ qâdash (kaw-dash'): A primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally)

So the idea behind holy in Hebrew is cleanness (morally or ceremonially).

Greek (Strong's dictionary):
G40 ἅγιος hagios (hag'-ee-os): From ἅγος hagos (an awful thing) compare G53, [H2282]; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated)
G53 ἁγνός hagnos (hag-nos'): From the same as G40; properly clean, that is, (figuratively) innocent, modest, perfect

Also in the Greek we see the connotation of purity/cleanness.


Holy items in the temple were "set apart" as holy, in order to keep them ceremonially clean. In the same way, if we wish to be clean, we must be set apart to God in a world that will desecrate us morally.

Hope this helps;

Mike

This is the oft-quoted definition of holiness: the state of being without sin.

Yet, that makes the definition of God's central character dependent on that which He is NOT.

Let me phrase it this way:
God was who He is, long before sin existed.
God was Holy, from eternity past.
Long before sin came along.

How could holiness have been defined back then, without referring to sin?

 

[Tolworth John]

Hello John,
Yes both the hebrew and the greek word have the sense of being set apart. Saint and sanctified are also derived from these same same root words.
But what does that mean in your daily life? Is being holy the same as being sinless?
Go well
><>

It means having to be aware of what I think, say, look at and how I behave.

Needless to say I fail at it constantly.

 

[food4thought]

This is the oft-quoted definition of holiness: the state of being without sin.

Yet, that makes the definition of God's central character dependent on that which He is NOT.

On the contrary, it is stated in positive terms that He is morally clean. This means that everything He thinks and does is morally pure.

Let me phrase it this way:
God was who He is, long before sin existed.
God was Holy, from eternity past.
Long before sin came along.

How could holiness have been defined back then, without referring to sin?

Cleanness, purity.

I also stated that agape is holiness.

 

[fhansen]

When I read in the Bible such words as, 'righteousness' and 'purity' I sort of understand. Even the biblical meaning of 'perfection' as maturity I can take hold of. But when I come to 'holy' and 'holiness' it always brings me up short and disturbs me. I still can't grasp it and find it a rather 'scary' word.
Does it matter? - If one believes the the Bible is the very word of God, it certainly does.

The apostle Peter in his first letter says,
“... but as He who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of living,
because it is written: “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
He is quoting from Leviticus 11:44,45. The context there gives food for thought.
The writer of Hebrews says in chapter 12,
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, ...”
So it seems to me that for a Christian, understanding what holiness is quite important.

><>

The definition of holiness, righteousness, justice, is love, the very nature of God that we're to be transformed into. And this is why the Greatest Commandments are what they are.

One way that holiness is commonly described is by using the concept of sinlessness. But sinlessness is just the flip side, or the negative way of describing, the state of one who loves. Because 'love fulfills the Law' (Rom 13:8), it produces sinlessness/ overcomes lawlessness by its nature. Love is the means by which God places His law in our minds and writes it on our hearts, fulfilling the New Covenant prophecy of Jer 31:33-34.

But it doesn't stop with simply opposing sin, from refraining from harming our neighbors, but also with producing positive acts that seek to aid our neighbor when they need help, to make a better world, to strive for God's will to be done on earth.

Love is the heart of justice for man; it's what faith is meant to lead to. This happens because faith is a turning to God, constituting the doorway to relationship or communion with Him, 'apart from Whom we can do nothing' (John 15:5) but 'with Whom all things are possible' (Matt 19:26), so that He may indwell and do His work in us. Only love can overcome the evil in this world-while providing the pathway to God's kingdom for us.

 

[Soyeong]

When I read in the Bible such words as, 'righteousness' and 'purity' I sort of understand. Even the biblical meaning of 'perfection' as maturity I can take hold of. But when I come to 'holy' and 'holiness' it always brings me up short and disturbs me. I still can't grasp it and find it a rather 'scary' word.
Does it matter? - If one believes the the Bible is the very word of God, it certainly does.

The apostle Peter in his first letter says,
“... but as He who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of living,
because it is written: “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
He is quoting from Leviticus 11:44,45. The context there gives food for thought.
The writer of Hebrews says in chapter 12,
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, ...”
So it seems to me that for a Christian, understanding what holiness is quite important.

><>

Indeed, 1 Peter 1:13-16 was referencing Leviticus for instructions for how to have a holy conduct as God is holy. It is also pretty straightforward that observing God's holy days is part of what means to have a holy conduct. Holiness is about being set apart for a specific purpose. For example, vessels in the temple that were holy were used only for one specific purpose and were not used for any other purpose. God is holy because He is set apart for the redemption, reconciliation, and restoration of man-kind and God has made us holy by making us new creations for the purpose of living for the one who died for us and was raised again and by giving us the privilege of being Christ's ambassadors and joining in God's ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). As members of God's chosen people, we are set apart to be a light to the world to show them how to become reconciled to God, how to serve Him, and how to walk in His ways.