When considering the word holy, it signifies something pure, clean, sacred, and set apart. Holy embodies moral and spiritual excellence, something to be revered, belonging to, devoted to, or empowered by God. In the Bible, holy primarily relates to God separating from the world that which He chooses to devote to Himself. God instructs His people to be holy to Him, as seen in Leviticus 20:7-8, 26: "Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you. . . . And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples that you should be Mine." Being chosen by God and set apart for His purpose makes us holy in an initial sense, but becoming holy as He is holy is a process that requires growth and obedience. Exodus 22:31 echoes this, stating, "And you shall be holy men to Me," indicating that by following God's instructions, we shall be holy. God has created certain things as holy, such as the Sabbath, and provides guidance on how to keep this weekly holy day. The annual holy days, designated as holy convocations, are set apart for His purpose. The Tabernacle, and later the Temple, contained a separate room known as the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place in the sanctuary. The Ark of the Covenant itself is holy, with specific instructions from God on how it must be handled. Sacrifices, offerings, and God's tithes are also holy. Paul refers to the brethren as holy in several writings, calling them saints, which means holy ones or sacred ones. Our attitude toward what God has made holy must reflect respect and reverence, recognizing the sanctity of these elements as set apart by Him.

To be holy means to be set apart, a cut above, separated for God's use. It is more than being moral or nice, because holiness reflects God's own character: His majesty, power, and perfect righteousness. Truly reflecting that character requires His Holy Spirit. God makes things holy for His purpose, which is why He sanctified the Sabbath as a sign, a beacon and evidence, of His covenant with His people (Ezekiel 20:12). He made Abraham holy by separating him from his family, and Abraham trusted Him, walked blameless, and became God's friend. He then chose Israel as a holy people and special treasure, a model nation and light to others, but they largely failed to take the covenant to heart. Today God has made His called ones holy in the same way (Deuteronomy 14:2; I Peter 2:9). This is not earned, since He chooses the weak and foolish so that no one may boast, and He chose them before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-6). Christ died to purchase and purify a people for Himself, and His ongoing life and interaction with them helps them become holy. Holiness is a daunting, lifelong process of sanctification, conversion, and overcoming through trials. God commands, "Be holy, for I am holy" (I Peter 1:15-16), so believers must prepare their minds and resist temptation. They show holiness by bearing fruit: love, patience, kindness, humility, and forgiveness.

Sanctification, the process of being set apart for God's purposes, carries with it the profound implication of holiness. The term "sanctify" inherently suggests cleanliness, purity, blamelessness, and sacredness, which are reflected in the English words holy, holiness, consecration, devoted, and dedicated. These concepts are interwoven with the idea of being separated for a divine use, emphasizing not just a separation but a transformation into a state of purity and devotion to God. God demands that those He has called and set apart become holy as He is holy. This is not merely a call to be distinct, but to embody cleanliness and purity in conduct, to live a life that reflects His nature. As a spiritual house and priesthood, those set apart are to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, maintaining holiness in both living and in the offerings they present. This holiness is essential to being a suitable dwelling place for God, requiring a separation from spiritual impurity and a commitment to a clean life. Furthermore, those chosen by God are described as a special, holy, clean possession, bearing a priestly character in relation to Him and the world. This identity as a royal priesthood under the New Covenant underscores the privilege and responsibility to live in a manner that witnesses to God's nature, keeping His commandments, statutes, and judgments. Through this obedience, the sanctified demonstrate their set-apart status, proving they are the holy ones dedicated to His purpose.

God's holiness is a profound and transcendent purity, indicating His beyondness, otherness, and aboveness. He is great beyond human comprehension, exceeding every superlative that can be applied to Him. The word "holy" sums up everything that can be known and said about God, encapsulating the totality of His excellence. The vastness of His creation, from the immense size of the sun to the incomprehensible heat at its core, and the boundless expanse of stars like Sirius and Polaris, reflects a mere trace of His majesty and power, underscoring how holy He is. His love, mercy, and every attribute are equally beyond human measure, originating from within Him as the source of all greatness and splendor in the universe. God's constancy further exemplifies His holiness, as He never changes amidst a world of decay and entropy. His reliability and trustworthiness are transcendent, assuring that He will never leave nor forsake, and His words will never pass away because He is always there to enforce them. His steadfast love is as certain as death, yet it overturns death through His power to raise and restore life. His understanding, goodness, mercy, justice, and kindness are infinite, marking Him as transcendent purity in every aspect. God calls humanity to be in His image, to be holy as He is holy. This call can be overwhelming due to the immense difference between His sinless nature and human sinfulness. Yet, His purpose is not to crush but to provide an image of what humans are to become, transforming them from glory to glory. Holiness, meaning to be separate, cut away, sanctified, and a cut above, involves purifying oneself as He is pure. It is a fundamental requirement to enter the Kingdom of God, extending beyond mere righteousness to encompass every aspect of life—thinking, speaking, acting, working, loving, and attitudes. The path to holiness is not easy or always clearly marked, fraught with difficult choices and trials, yet God has designed a path for each individual that can be attained. He ensures that no trial is beyond one's capacity, providing the necessary grace to overcome. Holiness involves relationships, most importantly with God, established through Jesus Christ. This relationship, nurtured through prayer and obedience, allows His holiness to be communicated and reflected in human lives. Growing in grace, a continuous process of sanctification through the Holy Spirit, produces the fruits of His Spirit and moves toward glorification, when humans will shine with His radiant beauty. God's grace is not limited to unmerited forgiveness but includes all necessary gifts tailored to each person's circumstances, enabling them to fulfill their function within the body of Christ. This cooperative effort requires human will and effort alongside His grace, without overestimating or underestimating oneself. The overwhelming growth unto holiness is provided by God, balanced perfectly by His wisdom to apply just the right pressure for each individual to overcome and become holy as He is.

To be holy means to be set apart as sacred and special because of God's presence, requiring humility, reverence, and respect rather than being treated as common or profane. Most who claim Christianity lack any clear understanding of this concept despite its frequent appearance in Scripture, often responding that they do not know its meaning or offering vague ideas such as living morally or making faith a priority. The first mention of the term occurs when the Angel of the Lord appears to Moses in a burning bush that is not consumed. God instructs Moses to remove his sandals because the ground is holy, as His presence has made the place sacred. This act of removing footwear signifies putting off what is profane when approaching what belongs to God, and the same pattern repeats when the Commander of the army of the Lord appears to Joshua, again commanding the removal of sandals on holy ground. In the Tabernacle, priests washed their feet and hands at the laver before entering the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, entering barefoot in garments that included no footwear, demonstrating the same required reverence. God placed His presence in the seventh day, blessing and sanctifying it so that it too is holy ground. The command to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy repeats the language of setting apart what belongs to God, and the Sabbath functions as a sign of the covenant by which He sanctifies His people. Keeping the feet from trampling this holy day by refraining from ordinary work, personal interests, and idle words shows respect for what God has consecrated. The Sabbath also serves as a test of willing obedience, identifying those who surrender to God's will and providing the time for physical rest, reflection, spiritual growth, and assembly with fellow believers. Because God is holy, those He calls must likewise be holy in all conduct, approaching Him and what He has made holy with the internal humility and external respect that His presence demands.

God's name is holy because He is holy. His holiness sets Him apart, making Him incomparable, unique, and unapproachable in the sense that no one comes close to being like Him. His name must be held in awe and reverence, reflecting everything that majestic name implies. Where God's name is regarded as holy, there is peace and beauty without end, as in heaven. In contrast, where His name is not reverenced, as on earth, there is violence, evil, imperfections, and filth of every kind. God's holiness touches every facet of life, extending His lordship over all creation, including economics, child rearing, education, religion, politics, marriage, dating, athletics, and romance. He is utterly different, and His uniqueness is a matter of witness before the world. As His people, there is a responsibility to proclaim that Our God is God, reflecting His holiness in every aspect of life. The purpose of redemption is to serve Him without fear, and the nature of this service is in holiness and righteousness. Holiness is essential for true worship, spiritual growth, and obedience. God is holy, and mankind, created in His image, must strive to be holy as well. Though it is primarily the work of God in us, we are called to make serious efforts to attain it. When confronted with God's holiness, as seen in Isaiah's experience, one becomes unraveled, feeling naked and exposed before the absolute standard of holiness. Even the purest creatures, like angels, are impure in comparison to God's holiness. His holiness is elevated to the superlative, repeated thrice as holy, holy, holy, marking its supreme importance. In the presence of Jesus Christ, the Holy One of Israel, His disciples felt terror and discomfort, unable to categorize Him, for He was separate, apart, and unique in His holiness. Similarly, Peter, upon witnessing holiness incarnate, saw himself as small, unworthy, and filthy, longing to escape the comparison. Holy means to be transcendent, above and beyond, separated by an infinite distance in every quality. God's holiness is foreign to us, presenting a study in contrasts where meeting the Absolute reveals our creaturely nature. His love, justice, and every attribute are holy, distinguishing Him from human thought and behavior. Even inanimate objects can be made holy, set apart and consecrated by God for His service, elevated from the commonplace. As holy brethren, we are sanctified by God, lifted from the commonplace in our relationship with Him, and set apart unto purity. Holiness for us involves not only God's sanctification but also choices and attitudes leading to right conduct, seeking to produce the divine likeness of holiness in all behavior through the aid of His Spirit.

Holiness means being different, set apart for a special purpose, and without it no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). God gave the law of clean and unclean to mark His people off from the nations around them, and that principle undergirds it (Leviticus 11:44-47; Deuteronomy 14:2-3). Christians are spiritual Israelites, the Israel of God, so they now bear the responsibility to be holy as God is holy (I Peter 1:13-16). As God's spiritual temple, sons and daughters, they have a duty to make themselves as clean, pure and holy as possible. Paul calls them to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of both flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (II Corinthians 6:16-7:1), so holiness covers every area of life and not just the spiritual. The law of clean and unclean meats is one of several dozen laws, including those on quarantine and sexual behavior, that guard against physical and spiritual impurity and bear directly on the practice of holiness. That law predates the Old Covenant, going back to Noah, so it did not pass away with that covenant. In the Millennium the priesthood will teach the difference between clean and unclean, and nothing unclean will enter the New Jerusalem, whose citizens will all be holy. Keeping these laws is part of preparing for that destiny.