The meaning of holiness in the Bible has to do with the moral aspect and refers to decorum and rectitude towards God. The Bible teaches Christians that they must reproduce the holiness of God in their own lives with the help of the Holy Spirit.
It is about following a religious ideal and is associated with the approach one has to God and achieving a close relationship with him to form a more authentic and truly Christian character.
Holiness is also related to our daily life, where this Christian value must be put into practice in the family and within marriage. In this way the believer earns the respect of others.
meaning of holiness in the bible
In the Bible, since Exodus, emphasis is placed on the concept of holiness, where God is exalted for his holiness and it is precisely this that characterizes actions, promises and words. In addition, places are sanctified only by the presence of God. As can be seen in the following biblical quote: “And he said: Do not come near; remove your shoes from your feet, because the place where you are is holy ground.”
In this sense, it is important to highlight different aspects that define the meaning of holiness in the Bible, such as:
1.- The name of God “Jehovah”
The main feature of holiness is the name of God “Jehovah”, as can be seen in this quote: “They also made the plate of the holy diadem of pure gold, and wrote on it as a seal engraving: HOLINESS TO THE LORD” (Ex 39:30)
In this sense, the maximum representation of holiness belongs to Jehovah and is superior to all others. And the word “Most Holy” denotes excellence and majesty.
Said plate was named as “the holy sign of dedication”, which revealed that the high priest was set apart due to a special holiness service. We can witness this in the following quote: “You shall also make a sheet of fine gold, and engrave on it as a seal engraving, HOLINESS TO JEHOVAH”(Ex 28:36)
In this sense, the name of God is sacred and is removed from all blasphemy. Jehovah must be held as holy, sanctified above all others, and disrespect for his name deserves the death penalty:
“And the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; so they brought him to Moses. And his mother was called Selomit, daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. “And they put him in prison, until it was declared to them by the word of Jehovah. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Bring the blasphemer out of the camp, and let all that hear him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.” (Le 24:11-14)
So Jehovah God is the originator of all righteous principles and laws, and represents all holiness, so any person or thing that is holy becomes so because of being associated with him and his worship.
No one has the capacity to have wisdom and understanding unless they have discernment of the Most Holy.
Therefore, there is only worship of Jehovah through holiness, and if a person points out that he practices uncleanness, he is abhorrent in the presence of the Supreme.
So when Jehovah prophesied that he would open a way for his people to return to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, he said the following: “It will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not pass through it.” —Isa 35:8.
2.- The holy spirit of God
The spirit is Jehovah’s active force and is subject to his control and always fulfills his purpose. It is venerable, graceful and pure, set apart by God for a use of great benefit. For this reason it is said that his spirit is “holy” and is named as “the spirit of holiness.”
In this sense, when the holy spirit is on a person, it drives him to act with holiness. Therefore, all unclean behavior presupposes “grieving” that spirit. This is indicated by the following passage from the Bible: “But they were rebellious, and made his holy spirit angry; wherefore he became their enemy, and he himself fought against them.” —Isa 63:10.
In the Bible it can be seen that a person who saddens or hurts the Holy Spirit attempts against him and constitutes a sin that, according to Jesus, has no forgiveness. As seen in this quote: “Therefore I tell you: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven them. (Matt 12:31)
3.- Jesus Christ, the son of God
Jesus Christ is the representation of the Holy One of God, and this holiness is given by the Father, who formed him as the only begotten Son, and maintains his holiness as the one who is closest to the Heavenly Father.
When his life was transferred to the womb of the virgin girl Mary, he was born as a holy and human Son of God, and he has been the only human being who has achieved perfect holiness and without sin, and that when he finished his earthly life still it was “loyal, without guile, uncontaminated, separate from sinners.” —Heb 7:26.
4.- Christian holiness
The holiness of Jesus Christ was perfect, complete and manifested in his actions and in his word. He managed to maintain that holiness despite having to suffer a sacrificial death, he managed to make others achieve holiness. So holiness does not belong to them by their own merit, but it comes to them through Jesus Christ.
5.- Clean conduct
Those who have a clean and holy conduct before Jehovah strive, with the help of God’s spirit, to achieve the holiness of God and of Christ. For this, you must study the Word of God and apply it to your life, have a procedure of holiness, cleanliness and moral integrity.
In this regard, being holy implies one of the commandments: “According to the Saint who called you, make yourselves holy also in all your conduct, for it is written: ‘You have to be holy, because I am holy.'” —1Pe 1:15, 16.
Those who become members of the body of Christ become a holy temple of living stones for Jehovah, constituting “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession.”. (1Pe 2:5, 9) So they must cleanse themselves of “all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”. —2Co 7:1.
6.- God imputes holiness to them
God considered believing men and women to be saints who existed long before Jesus came to earth and showed them the way to heavenly life. As visualized in the following quote: So, brothers, being free to enter the Holy of Holies through the blood of Jesus Christ, through the new and living way that he opened for us through the veil, that is, through his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God. (Heb 10: 19 -21)
In the same way a “great crowd” that does not belong to the 144,000 who were “sealed” can receive holiness before God. These are observed with clean garments, washed with the blood of Christ, and all who dwell in heaven and on earth will be holy, for “Creation itself will also be freed from slavery to corruption and will have the glorious freedom of the children of God”. —Ro 8:20, 21.
7.- Jehovah rewards holiness with blessings from on high
Holiness is granted to the person as a merit that God offers him and that has an immediate impact on his family, since if a member of the family nucleus is a believer, trusts in God and follows his designs, he can bless his family and benefit her in multiple ways. Therefore, the apostle Paul advises:
“If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and yet she agrees to dwell with him, do not leave her; and the woman who has an unbelieving husband, and yet he agrees to dwell with her, should not leave her husband. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in relation to his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in relation to his brother; otherwise her children would truly be unclean, but now they are holy.” —1Co 7:12-14.
In this way, within a home, the non-believing spouse can be sanctified by his believing spouse, and blessings can be seen in that home because God’s mercy protects the family of believers, even when they are not holy or pure. . In this way, the holiness of a person is the light within a home of non-believers, and that light can expand to such an extent that everyone will reach the feet of the Lord.