God is holy and there is nothing in Him that is unholy. God's nature is to be perfect and true, in Him we find perfection in everything that He stands for and does. He does not dwell in a place that does not stand in truth. For he is the Almighty god that sits on His throne in holiness.
From the book of Genesis to Revelation we can see that God hates anything that does not stand in holiness. The bible records this in several scriptures:
Scriptures on the holiness of God
Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Ephesians 1:4
Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Leviticus 11: 44 - 47
For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
‘This is the law [a]of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’
Meaning of holiness
According to 1 Peter 1:13-25
Chosen To Live a Holy Life
Be alert and think straight. Put all your hope in how kind God will be to you when Jesus Christ appears. Behave like obedient children. Don’t let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be. Always live as God’s holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. That’s why the Scriptures say, “I am the holy God, and you must be holy too.”
You say that God is your Father, but God doesn’t have favorites! He judges all people by what they do. So you must honor God while you live as strangers here on earth. You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don’t last forever. You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days. And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. That’s why you have put your faith and hope in God.
You obeyed the truth,and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart. Do this because God has given you new birth by his message that lives on forever. The Scriptures say,
“Humans wither like grass,
and their glory fades
like wild flowers.
Grass dries up,
and flowers fall
to the ground.
But what the Lord has said
will stand forever.”
Our good news to you is what the Lord has said.
We are all called to live a life of holiness unto the Lord, A life that is set apart to the Lord, reserved to give glory to God. It is also a life of been disciplined, a life that is focused to the Lord and lives a life of righteousness.
God chose us to be righteous - Romans 3:22 and with the help of His Spirit we can live a life of righteousness in Him. No one can live as God wants us to live without the help of the Holy Spirit. Jesus went back to the Father and sent us the Holy Spirit to be our Helper, knowing that without the Holy Spirit we would not live a life of holiness.
We are born of God and this is why we should have the nature of God in us as believers and trust that because we have God Himself living in us we can live a life of holiness, all this comes to us through faith in Him as our Father. God is faithful and He would not leave us helpless in this realm that we live in. In this day and age it is quiet difficult to live a holy life as God as said but in having help and in faith it can be achieved.
God says He is holy, and we are to be holy as He is. Can that be done by our strength? No it cannot be done the bible records that it is not by might, nor by power but by His Spirit - Zechariah 4:6. Nothing on the face of this earth can be done without the Holy Spirit.
Let us examine some of the true holiness of God
God is love
John 3:16
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.
1 John 4: 7 - 8
Beloved, let us [unselfishly] [a]love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience]. The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]
1 John 4:16
We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him.
This is part of God's holiness and we are told to love even as He loves. Loving God comes first and once we can love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, we can love others as well. The Bible says we are to love our neighbours as ourselves - John 15:13; Mark 12:31; Matthew 5;44. Love is part of the holiness of God that we are to imitate in Christ.
God is Good
Psalm 145:9
The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].
Ezra 3:11
They sang [responsively], praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness (mercy) toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good,
A strength and stronghold in the day of trouble;
He knows [He recognizes, cares for, and understands fully] those who take refuge and trust in Him.
Matthew 7;11
If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him.
This simply means that by our true nature we tend to be sinful and this can only mean that it is the grace of God that helps us to live a holy life and it is also true that the Bible says that with the help of God's Spirit we are not to let sin have dominion over us - Romans 6;14. there is no sin in God not at all and living a life of holiness is not to live in sin. The Bible says to us that the wages of sin is death - Romans 6;23. Now, how do we live this life of not committing sin? I believe that if we truly want to live without sin and mean it then we have the Holy Spirit to help us and this pleases God. This can be done by asking for his help everyday.
God is merciful
Hebrews 4:16
Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].
James 2:13
For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; but [to the one who has shown mercy] mercy triumphs [victoriously] over judgment.
Luke 6:36
Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),
And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?
God expects us to imitate Christ in all things and we are called to be merciful as He is merciful, mercy is another gift that comes from God and to have mercy is to be compassionate towards others, and let us imagine God not showing us mercy? what would become of us? and this is how I think about mercy from God. If I want His mercy I choose to be merciful to other people in my life. God's mercy towards me is great therefore, I desire His mercy everyday and imitate Him as well.
The Holiness of God is great and we are to live a life of holiness. The Bible records that without holiness we cannot see God
Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Therefore, if we choose not to live a holy life, how can we see God and spend eternity with Him.? this is also saying to us that God means what He says and takes the life of holiness seriously.
The Bible records this to us in
Romans 12: 9 - 21
Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good. Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor; never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord; constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength], contributing to the needs of God’s people, pursuing [the practice of] hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them]. Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief]. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself. Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath [and His judicial righteousness]; for it is written [in Scripture], “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will heap [a]burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.
This is just the life of holiness that God wants us to live and like we said it's all with the help of the Holy Spirit that lives in us as children of God.
Also in 1 Corinthians 6: 12 - 20
The Body Is the Lord’s
Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me]. Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will do away with both of them. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body [to save, sanctify, and raise it again because of the sacrifice of the cross]. And God has not only raised the Lord [to life], but will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Am I therefore to take the members of Christ and make them part of a prostitute? Certainly not! Do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall be one flesh.” But the one who is united and joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Run away from sexual immorality [in any form, whether thought or behavior, whether visual or written]. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the one who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]? You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.
Reading this is who we are in Christ and we can live that life of holiness by His grace and the Lord is always willing to help us in imitating Him.
Remain blessed .
