The word holiness can sound like a church word that is hard to understand, but the basic idea is simple.
Holiness means being set apart for God.
God is holy. Everything about Him is pure, right, and completely free from sin. The Bible says, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of armies.” Isaiah 6:3.
Because God is holy, He calls His people to live differently.
Peter wrote, “Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.” 1 Peter 1:15.
Holiness does not mean that a Christian becomes perfect and never sins again. If that were true, none of us would qualify. Holiness means that we now belong to God, and because we belong to Him, our lives should begin to reflect Him.
Before we came to Christ, we lived for ourselves. We followed our own desires, made our own choices, and often did not care what God wanted.
When God saves us, that changes.
We are no longer our own.
The Bible says, “For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20.
Holiness begins with belonging to God.
That is why holiness is not just about avoiding bad things. It is also about choosing what pleases God.
Paul wrote, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3.
The word sanctification is closely connected to holiness. It means that God is changing us and setting us apart for Himself.
That change does not happen all at once.
A new believer may still struggle with old habits, old attitudes, old thoughts, and old desires. But the difference is that sin should no longer be comfortable.
A believer may fall into sin, but he should not want to stay there.
God begins to change the heart.
The things that once did not bother us begin to bother us. We become more aware of our words, our thoughts, our choices, and the way we treat others.
That is part of growing in holiness.
Paul wrote, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1.
Holiness involves saying no to sin.
But it also involves saying yes to God.
We are told to put away anger, bitterness, lying, sexual sin, greed, and other things that belong to the old life.
At the same time, we are told to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love.
Holiness is not just removing what is wrong. It is allowing God to produce what is right.
This is why holiness is closely connected to obedience.
Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15.
We do not obey God in order to earn salvation. Salvation is a gift of grace.
But once we belong to Christ, obedience should matter to us because we love Him.
A holy life is not a life that says, “How much sin can I get away with?”
A holy life asks, “What pleases God?”
That is a very different way to live.
Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
Notice the word pursue.
Holiness is something we are to take seriously. We do not simply sit back and hope spiritual growth happens.
We read God’s Word.
We pray.
We turn away from sin.
We obey what God shows us.
We allow Him to correct us.
We keep growing.
And when we fail, we confess our sin and return to Him.
Holiness is not about looking religious.
It is about becoming more like Christ.
A new believer should not be discouraged because he is not yet where he wants to be. Growth takes time.
But there should be movement.
There should be a growing desire to please God and a growing hatred for the sin that once controlled us.
The question is not, “Have I become perfect?”
The better question is, “Am I becoming more like Christ?”
That is what holiness looks like in the life of a believer.