The most succinct definition I can give for “holiness” is this: the quality of being uniquely possessed by God. For instance, the ground upon which Moses stood when he saw the burning bush is “holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). People who have a special relationship with God are known in the Bible as a “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). Even in modern vernacular, those who, in an emotional sense, become “possessed” by God amidst their worship are called “holy rollers”.
(a famous “holy roller”)
Perhaps the best example to look to for usage of the word comes from the biblical description of the tabernacle. Inside the tabernacle there is a general courtyard; within that there is a unique “holy place”. Only priests can go into the holy place to make atonement because the place is set apart, or uniquely possessed by God. Finally, at the back of the “holy place” is the “holy of holies”. This just means that it’s extremely unique in its divine possession. So unique, in fact, that only one priest could only go there one time a year.
Now, if holiness is the quality of being uniquely possessed by God, sanctification can be known as the work of God whereby he possesses us uniquely. Romans 6:22 says, “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.” In that sense, we are currently sanctified, we are currently possessed by God. But in another sense, we are still in the process of being sanctified (we aren’t there yet). Paul indicates this in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 when he writes, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.” God has sanctified us; and we sanctify ourselves by remaining holy in our decisions.
My question is this: how do we experience God’s holiness? I believe God wants us to know he is holy. Not only that, but to some extent, he wants us to fathom how holy he is. Numerous passages reveal that God possesses a humanly unattainable, unimaginable holiness…as a standard for ourselves! (Exodus 15:11, Isaiah 8:13, 1 Peter 1:15). The reason he wants us to know his holiness is because as we come to grips with what we can of God’s holiness, we ourselves will be made into more holy creatures. Consider Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” Key words I note are “we”, “beholding”, “Lord”, “transformed”, and “same”. As we gaze upon the Lord, we become more and more like him.
So, the “who”, the ultimate source of soul-transforming holy awe, is Jesus Christ. But even the Pharisees gazed upon the Savior as he performed miracles and were not changed? Their problem: an absence of faith. So for those of you who have no faith, it is impossible to experience the holiness of God.
But if you do have faith, you can know that by examining the person of Jesus Christ, you will come to experiences the holiness of God more thoroughly. Subsequently, by having a clearer picture of God’s holiness through your faith-filled, personal knowledge of Christ, you will be sanctified to become more like him.
If you’re curious about the next segment, here’s a verse I really like pertains to it: “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”
By the way…writing about Bible subjects rather than specific verses is really difficult. If you’re wondering the reason why I haven’t posted more lately, part of it is because of that.
