What Does the Bible Say About Holiness?
Holiness is an attribute that is difficult to define. It has caused some Christians denominations to dress in certain ways and other denominations to prohibit certain behaviors like playing cards, dancing and employing instrumental music in worship services. The Bible does assign some outward signs to holiness, but mostly it uses the term to motivate people to become more like God.
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Identification
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The Old Testament word for holiness is the Hebrew word "kadosh." This means to be separated or consecrated and is used to describe God, holy days, holy garments and holy people. The New Testament Greek word for holiness, "hagios," carries a slightly more specific meaning. It refers to being set apart for sacred use and also applies to the same kinds of things as the Hebrew word.
Significance
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The biblical concept of holiness in the Old and New Testaments relies on the assertion that God is holy. It is the cry of the seraphim who surround God's heavenly throne. They proclaim "holy, holy, holy" both in the vision that Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6:3 and that John saw in Revelation 4:8. This is understood to mean that there is no other god like him. Even the name of the third person of the Christian trinity, the Holy Spirit, conveys this idea.
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Effects
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Because of the biblical belief that God is holy, he calls his people to also be holy. This has certain implications for behavior. Since God's chosen people are supposed to be holy, they should not eat any meat that was killed by other animals. Since priests are especially considered holy, they must not marry either prostitutes or women who have been divorced (see Exodus 22:31 and Leviticus 21:7).
Types
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Specific categories of things are called holy in the Bible. The Sabbath is a day that commemorates the seventh day of creation when God rested, according to the biblical creation story. His people are commanded to keep this day holy, or different from the other six days, by refraining from work. Other holy days include the Jewish feasts of Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shavuot, Purim, Hanukkah and Passover. The garments, anointing oil, incense, bread and water that priests used were considered holy as well. In this case, "holy" meant that these things were restricted from the common people.
Expert Insight
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The New Testament concept of holiness follows these ideas. Holiness is a calling that involves living in a way that is not impure. Holiness is the result of believing God's promises and an act of reverence to God. People who adopt a lifestyle characterized by the biblical idea of holiness understand it to be a process. The Apostle Paul suggests that holiness can be "perfected" by a commitment to continue to purify ourselves from "everything that contaminates body and spirit" (see 2 Corinthians 7:1 and 1 Thessalonians 4:7).
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