What does it mean to be holy? What does that look like? Is being holy and being perfect the same thing?
Are we ever going to get to being 100% holy? Doesn't that happen when we go to heaven? Like, what's the point of trying if we can't achieve it?
Another thing: Where is the line between being good and trying because you want to please God but also knowing there is grace and forgiveness? So if you mess up ... what does it matter because you will be forgiven? We should want to be good, right? These questions probably sound insane to you, but I promise I am not crazy. Thanks for answering all my crazy questions!
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Re: What does it mean to be holy?
by jimwalton » Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:50 pm
Always glad to talk to you.
"What does it mean to be holy?” “Holiness” basically means separated out from everything else. God is holy because He is distinct. There is nothing like Him. When the Sabbath day was made holy (Ex. 20.8), it was supposed to be a day separated out from the other days, distinct in how we treated it. When vessels were made holy for the temple, they were dedicated to the Temple so that was their only use. They couldn’t be used for common tasks any more, but only for Temple use—separated out from all the other pitchers, bowls, etc. Israel was holy because they were separated out from the other nations to be a people unto God. We are supposed to be holy in that we are dedicated to God and God alone, separated out from the rest of humanity. We live for Him, we are dedicated to Him, consecrated for His service.
“What does that look like?” Total commitment to God. We serve Him. He is our only master. We do what He wants us to do because we are dedicated to Him. We die to self and we come out from the world and be separate because we are holy—separated out for God’s use.
“Is being holy and perfect the same thing?” Not at all. Obviously God is both holy and perfect. We can be holy, but we’ll never be perfect.
“Are we every going to get to being 100% holy?” Since holiness is being separated out for God, God’s will, God’s kingdom, and God’s service, yeah, we can be 100% holy. It’s a term of dedication, not flawlessness (perfect).
“Does that happen when we get to heaven?” In a sense holiness won’t be necessary in heaven because we will already have completely left this world and all its temptations and entrapments behind. Holiness is the only possible state in heaven.
“What’s the point of trying if we can’t achieve it?” I think we can. Holiness is most accurately understood as dedication. We can be 100% dedicated, even if we aren’t flawless in our execution of it.
“Where is the line between being good and trying because you want to please God, but also knowing there is grace and forgiveness?” It is always a mistake to think that because God is so completely and lovingly forgiving I can be lax in my behavior and not have to be so concerned about slip-ups. That’s like thinking that my wife loves me so much and is a forgiving person, it doesn’t matter if I’m not so anal about hurting her. Anyone who is dedicated to God and loves Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength wouldn’t want to do ANYTHING to hurt Him or to compromise the relationship. When Paul thought that his teaching about grace might be construed as not having to work so hard at pleasing God, he responded with a commanding, “Don’t EVEN go there!” (Romans 6.1-14; Gal. 5.13). I love my wife so much I would never want to do anything that hurts her, or even makes her wonder, or causes concern. Nope, instead I will do everything in my power to let her know how loved she is and that I live for her.
“So if you mess up, what does it matter because you will be forgiven?” It’s very freeing to know I will be forgiven, but the last thing I want to do is mess up. I’ve separated myself unto Him by my own choice, I’ve signed on the line to honor Him, and I have learned through the years to love Him deeply. “Messing up” isn’t on the radar. Just like at your job, you’d never say, “Well, it’s OK if I mess up. They won’t fire me.” This is not how to approach your job. It’s not how to approach my marriage. It’s not how I treat my relationship with God. But when we DO mess up, His love and forgiveness carry the day.
“We should want to be good, right?” It’s not a matter of morality (being good). I didn’t become a Christian to become good. I can be good without God, and a lot of people are. I want to be like God (Eph. 5.1). I want my mind to work like His, I want my heart to be like His. I want my actions to be what He would be like. It’s not a matter of being good. I am so in love with Him, Im being honest when I say that being good isn’t on my mind and being good isn’t the motive or the goal. I want to be in Christ.
Keep asking. You ask great questions.
"What does it mean to be holy?” “Holiness” basically means separated out from everything else. God is holy because He is distinct. There is nothing like Him. When the Sabbath day was made holy (Ex. 20.8), it was supposed to be a day separated out from the other days, distinct in how we treated it. When vessels were made holy for the temple, they were dedicated to the Temple so that was their only use. They couldn’t be used for common tasks any more, but only for Temple use—separated out from all the other pitchers, bowls, etc. Israel was holy because they were separated out from the other nations to be a people unto God. We are supposed to be holy in that we are dedicated to God and God alone, separated out from the rest of humanity. We live for Him, we are dedicated to Him, consecrated for His service.
“What does that look like?” Total commitment to God. We serve Him. He is our only master. We do what He wants us to do because we are dedicated to Him. We die to self and we come out from the world and be separate because we are holy—separated out for God’s use.
“Is being holy and perfect the same thing?” Not at all. Obviously God is both holy and perfect. We can be holy, but we’ll never be perfect.
“Are we every going to get to being 100% holy?” Since holiness is being separated out for God, God’s will, God’s kingdom, and God’s service, yeah, we can be 100% holy. It’s a term of dedication, not flawlessness (perfect).
“Does that happen when we get to heaven?” In a sense holiness won’t be necessary in heaven because we will already have completely left this world and all its temptations and entrapments behind. Holiness is the only possible state in heaven.
“What’s the point of trying if we can’t achieve it?” I think we can. Holiness is most accurately understood as dedication. We can be 100% dedicated, even if we aren’t flawless in our execution of it.
“Where is the line between being good and trying because you want to please God, but also knowing there is grace and forgiveness?” It is always a mistake to think that because God is so completely and lovingly forgiving I can be lax in my behavior and not have to be so concerned about slip-ups. That’s like thinking that my wife loves me so much and is a forgiving person, it doesn’t matter if I’m not so anal about hurting her. Anyone who is dedicated to God and loves Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength wouldn’t want to do ANYTHING to hurt Him or to compromise the relationship. When Paul thought that his teaching about grace might be construed as not having to work so hard at pleasing God, he responded with a commanding, “Don’t EVEN go there!” (Romans 6.1-14; Gal. 5.13). I love my wife so much I would never want to do anything that hurts her, or even makes her wonder, or causes concern. Nope, instead I will do everything in my power to let her know how loved she is and that I live for her.
“So if you mess up, what does it matter because you will be forgiven?” It’s very freeing to know I will be forgiven, but the last thing I want to do is mess up. I’ve separated myself unto Him by my own choice, I’ve signed on the line to honor Him, and I have learned through the years to love Him deeply. “Messing up” isn’t on the radar. Just like at your job, you’d never say, “Well, it’s OK if I mess up. They won’t fire me.” This is not how to approach your job. It’s not how to approach my marriage. It’s not how I treat my relationship with God. But when we DO mess up, His love and forgiveness carry the day.
“We should want to be good, right?” It’s not a matter of morality (being good). I didn’t become a Christian to become good. I can be good without God, and a lot of people are. I want to be like God (Eph. 5.1). I want my mind to work like His, I want my heart to be like His. I want my actions to be what He would be like. It’s not a matter of being good. I am so in love with Him, Im being honest when I say that being good isn’t on my mind and being good isn’t the motive or the goal. I want to be in Christ.
Keep asking. You ask great questions.
Last bumped by Anonymous on Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:50 pm.
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