Sometimes when we speak of God, we use the word “holy,” a word many people use to express surprise or shock! But what does it mean for God to be holy? Let’s find out as we discuss the holiness of God.

The Hebrew word for “holy” literally means “separate” or “set apart.” This is helpful for us because it means, at least in part, that when we’re talking about God’s holiness, we’re talking about His absolute purity. He is unstained by sin and evil. He is perfect in every way, and perfectly good all the time. 

Everything He does and says is right.

This means that the moral code we find in Scripture, the commands for how God’s people are to conduct themselves, are a reflection of His holy nature. They are not there to rob us of joy, or prevent us from living a full and complete life. God gives His commands for our good, to help us pursue holiness. 

They show us His expectations for humanity, the standard of what it means to be holy from God’s perspective, even as they show us how far short we fall from those standards. 

And most importantly, God’s holy commands draw us to the only person to ever fulfill those commands: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who by faith makes us holy before God and gives us His Spirit to empower us to pursue holiness day by day.