Why Holiness?

Updated: January 16, 2026

Because according to the Bible we won’t see the Lord without it! (Hebrews 12:14) So maybe we should make sure that we know what “holiness” means, right?

It can’t mean perfection or purity, as we know that only One met that standard. Reading the Bible we see God working with and approving all kinds of people. So how did they qualify? They didn’t qualify themselves: God qualified them! He is the One Who makes men holy when they dedicate themselves, just as in the Old Testament, when things became holy by touching the altar.

When we are Born Again, it is essentially like us putting ourselves on God’s spiritual altar. Having been made holy (aka, sanctified, same root word as holy in Greek), we spend our lives learning to stay on that altar. That is, we grow in knowledge and understanding, renewing our minds and becoming transformed on the inside so that we think, act, and speak differently. Soon our lives don’t look like they did before because we are different. We begin to shy away from any anything that goes against God’s Spirit within us. We become such that we don’t want to do the shameful things we used to do because we aren’t comfortable with it anymore. This is what happens when God makes a person holy, and that person lives as a testimony to God’s amazing grace and power.

Note that holiness does require decision on our part. God is not going to make us stay on that altar! We have to choose to live a separated life. (Otherwise, this sacrifice isn’t really a gift to the Lord but more like a payment.) The rest of the world doesn’t understand, and some may even ridicule us for refusing to participate with them. Don’t be surprised. If they persecuted Jesus, they will persecute you! (See also Why Fun?)
(Hebrews 12:14, Romans 3:23, Romans 15:16, Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 1:4, Exodus 29:37, Hebrews 10:10, Ephesians 5:8-10,17, Colossians 1:22, 1 Peter 4:1-5, 1 Corinthians 6:9-13, John 15:18)