What is holiness? Where does the idea of holiness come from? It is a very very old concept. It is a term describing our relationship to God in the covenant. In the covenant, God claimed Israel as His own. He gave them wonderful promises. They would be His dwelling, He would be their God, and they would be His people. He would be a father to them and they would be His sons and daughters. But that relationship comes with requirements. That relationship requires knowing God as He is, not as we would have Him to be. Coming that close to God engenders a love that is filled with an awe bordering on terror--like looking over the edge of a great high precipice into the vast void below. One feels drawn into the depths as if to fall and be devoured by it--no matter how beautiful the vista, it's a terrifying feeling. Just so, in the fear of the Lord, we are to pursue holiness. Holiness is being exclusively separated unto God in everything. In covenant, we are dedicated to Him and utterly at His disposal. He sets the requirements according to His nature revealed first of all in the law and finally in the Lord Jesus Christ. God gives us great and precious promises and, because we possess them, we are spurred on to that purity that the term holiness represents. He tells us that He treasures us. Holiness is our answer to that great privilege. |
