Portrait of God: Rediscovering the Attributes of God Through the Stories of His PeopleSample

The God of Holiness

In our culture, the word holiness has become as distant and arcane to us as some far-off tribe.

When we try to conjure a definition of holiness, we usually get a few images. Maybe we think of moral purity. Things like not lying or cursing or no sex before marriage. And those are fair responses. But they’re a bit like holding up a bottle of water when asked to explain a waterfall. Holiness is something altogether higher than just following the rules. Though holiness is never less than moral standards, it is always more than mere morality.

There is no one who is morally perfect except God. There is no one as wise or good or loving as Him. And these moral attributes are not only perfect but also so intense as to be more than we can bear to look upon.

The amazing thing is that we are called to partake of this holiness! “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

To know Him means to be changed by Him. That change can bring temporary pain, but it always leads us to real joy, freedom, and peace. And to holiness.

We’ve been invited to something greater than morality—we’ve been invited to experience the very power of God’s life, which infuses our being and changes the world around us.

In a culture that has skewed images of God, our personal holiness can show others what He is really like. Not a God who is mad at us or trying to stop us from having fun, but a God who loves us enough to conform us into His likeness, His holiness.

How can we trust in God that He is trying to give us something better when He is asking us lay something down?