Leviticus 19.1, 2

And the LORDspoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORDyour God amholy.’”

The idea of “holiness” essentially involves being separated from what is “common”, or what is everywhere to be found, in order to be devoted to what is not common.

God is not common. Indeed, God is One, One-in-Three, and eternal. You don’t find that everywhere.

God is not part of His creation. He is not contained in time or space. He is eternal in His being, attributes, purposes, and power. The heavens and the earth cannot contain Him, nor can they exist without Him; and He does not dwell in temples or shrines made with human hands. He is altogether unto Himself, wholly unique in His eternal being and attributes. He is completely separate from everything else that exists.

He is holy. What does it mean to be holy? It means to be like God.

The people of God are redeemed unto holiness. Yet, because they are creatures of space, time, and substance, they must work out the requirements and manifestation of holiness within their own ontological reality. They must be always working to separate themselves from what is common and everywhere unto God, Who is also everywhere, but not common.

God is holy entirely unto and within Himself. His people are to be holy unto God and in space and time, thus reflecting through their lives the existence, and manifesting the purposes of, the eternally holy God.

We should expect that the worldview promulgated by a holy God would be unto holiness, especially since God has declared that He intends His people to be holy.

In His holiness God is full of glory, as the people of Israel saw when He descended on the mountain, filled the Tabernacle, and appeared in their midst as a pillar of cloud and fire. The holy God is gloriousin His holiness, bringing a presence of great spiritual power and substance into the experience of human beings, a power which only represents the larger eternal reality of the holy God.

The holiness and glory God intends for His people are sketched in His holy and righteous and good Law (Rom. 7.12). However, that holiness is only fulfilled by His incarnate Word (Matt. 5.17-19) and is brought to fruition in the lives of His people through His Holy Word and Spirit (Jn. 6.63).

Only the holy God can make people holy, and holiness is what He requires of those who bear His covenant name upon them, because He Himself is holy.

Act: Meditate on 2 Corinthians 7.1. What does this mean for you? What obstacles can prevent you from heeding Paul’s instruction? Do you have a prayer partner to help you in this effort to bring holiness to completion in your life?

T. M. Moore

The book of Ecclesiastes is a crucial resource for understanding the Biblical worldview against the backdrop of our secular age. Follow T. M.’s studies in Ecclesiastes by downloading the free, weekly studies available in our Scriptorium Resources page at The Fellowship of Ailbe. Click hereto see the weekly studies available thus far.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.