Why Does Holiness Matter?

But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

In God We Trust takes a deeper look at living a truly God-focused life. You’ll learn not only to defend your faith according to the authority of God’s Word, but also to live it out in every part of life.

Today’s big question: why does holiness matter?

Throughout the Scriptures, we see a huge celebration of the holiness of God; yet, most of us really don’t have a full grasp of what it means to be holy. The original word for holiness in the Hebrew meant to be “set apart” or to be “separated from” something. As it applies to God, we see that He is exalted above and completely separate from any type of sin, flaw, or moral imperfection.

It’s interesting to note that God’s Word proceeds from mouth of a holy God. The Scriptures are perfect and infallible, and they can be trusted in every way. It is the fact that God is holy that allows Him to be able to give us such a document.

The Scriptures also indicate that, even as God is holy, we should be holy in all manner of lifestyle. We are to follow that divine example. Now on this planet, we certainly will never attain complete holiness, for we are ever warring with our old, sinful nature. But holiness is the target for which we are to direct our actions. Sin puts a barrier between us and God. Holiness brings communion and fellowship with Him–holiness is required in order for anyone to have eternal life with God in heaven (Romans 8:11–14; Hebrews 12:14). This was accomplished through Jesus Christ as He took on all of our sins on the cross so that God may see us as holy (Colossians 1:19–22).

As we grow in our journey with God and become stronger in our own personal holiness, we will actually begin to hate sin and its effects. We grow to despise those things that interfere with our intimacy with God and those things which bring so much pain to others here on this earth. And we will seek to avoid those things with a passion.

Toilet water may appear to be clean, but you would never be so foolish as to take a drink of it! That’s because no matter how pure it may look, you still know that it is contaminated. And it does not take much impurity to make that water unclean! In a similar way, we must understand sin to be a filthy contaminant to our spirit, and we must avoid those things through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today’s big idea: seek to live a holy life, and you will enjoy an amazingly close relationship with the holy God.

What to pray: pray that God will help you to see those contaminated areas in your life and that He will help you to turn away from those things and turn toward Him!