The Chief Shepherd: Holiness is Awful!

Recently, I was studying the word “holy” and realized that there is a lot of disparity in our understanding of the doctrine of holiness. Many (most?) people today believe that no one can be holy except God Himself. I have heard people “quote” this from the Bible but that Scripture was left out of my Bible <grin>. The nearest to it is Luke 18:19, “‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No-one is good— except God alone.’” But this speaks of “good” - not “holy.” And even the statement of “good” is not to be taken literally - Jesus taught that His disciples would be “GOOD and faithful servant[s]” (Mat 25:21).

Still others understand holiness as the elimination of all sin in our lives. When I joined the Church of God in 1968, that was the prevailing belief about holiness. We were taught that Christians do not commit sin. The problem with that concept was that each of us (without voicing it to anyone else) felt that we were failing in that area. The reality is that I still fail God. And sometimes, that failure probably qualifies as “sin.” (It is only by the conviction of the Spirit and a willingness to confess and repent that I am able to remain righteous before God.)

Our understanding of holiness is difficult because of a confusion of definitions. I found at least six different Greek words from the Biblical texts that the KVJ translates as “holy.” (note 2) Each of these words reflects a variation in the concept of holiness. To the person who only reads the KJV, ALL of those concepts are lumped together in the single word “holy.” The issue is made more confusing since the translators used various other words (sanctify, hallow, saints, etc) to translate one or more of the six Greek words. The result is that when one searches a concordance for the word “holy” (or “holiness”), we are presented with a large number of Scriptures (over 280 such references) that have what seems to be conflicting meanings!

So, what *IS* holiness? Can a common man (or woman) achieve holiness? Evidently, even though many of us might disagree, it is a requirement that every Christian must meet. Look at the writings of Peter:

1 Peter 1:15,16 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Since I do not read Greek or Hebrew, I make use of the Strong’s numbering system that defines every word in the KJV Bible. If you are not familiar with this, you are missing out on a lot in your study of God’s Word. (note 1)

I began my study with Hebrews 12:14, “…be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” The Greek word used there is hagiasmos (Strong’s #37). That particular word is used 10 times and, in the KJV, is translated as “holiness” 5 times (Ro 6:19,20; 1Th 4:7; 1Tim 2:15 & Heb 12:14) and as “sanctification” 5 times (1Co 1:30; 1Th 4:3,4; 2Th 2:13 and 1Pe 1:2). The word generally refers to the act of sanctification. Sanctification relates to the act of dedicating one’s self to God & His work. It is not exclusive to those in full-time ministry as a vocation. It means that we set ourselves apart from the world and its work. We are “pledged” to marry Christ and therefore we keep ourselves “pure” for Him.

From the ten verses using hagiasmos, I found three important issues for all Christians:

We are called to live a holy life
Holiness is enabled by the Holy Spirit
Holiness is a part of the process leading to eternal life

The first concept (we are called to live a holy life) is clear in 1Thes 4:7. This is not an option - it is a calling and a command. It is not something that we can just assume - we are to LIVE it. First Thes 4:4 says that we are to “learn to control [our] own body in a way that is holy and honorable.”

The second concept (enabled by the Holy Spirit) is understood from Scriptures such as 1Tim 2:15 & Heb 12:14. It tells us that we -alone- cannot become (or remain) holy. Such work must be enabled by the Holy Spirit.

The third concept (part of the process) is understood from the previous two concepts and is stated in Ro 6:19 & 22. The first step in the process is to accept Christ and be set free from the slavery of sin. The second step is to offer ourselves as slaves to righteousness. The third step is to live a life of holiness & the final result is eternal life (with Christ).

But this still does not tell us the real meaning of the word holiness. The short etymology is: hagiasmos (38) is derived from hagiazo (37) which is derived from hagios (40).

Hagios (Strong’s #40) is defined as a characteristic of God or one separated to God or one worthy of veneration. It is applied to God Himself or to persons separated to God’s service. It refers in the moral sense to the sharing of God’s purity and to pure clean sacrifices and offerings. Hagios is derived from the Greek word hagos which is not used in the Bible. However, in secular literature of Biblical times, the word hagos refered to “an awful thing.”

The most significant thing about holiness is that it is a characteristic of God. When someone in the Bible came in contact with God they always experienced the awesomeness of His presence. The word “awesome” is used to describe someone (or thing) that is so impressive or overwhelming as to inspire awe, admiration or wonder. It will simply take one’s breath away. This is the characteristic of God that caused Moses, Elijah and John the Revelator to take off their shoes, hide in a rock or fall on their face before the Almighty! The word used in early English was “awful” - which also meant “awe inspiring.” And that is the root meaning of hagios (#40), “an awful thing.” It describes someone (or thing) that is awe inspiring.

1 Peter 3:15,16 But in your hearts set apart [hagiazo, #37] Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. [Emphasis mine]

First, Peter says that we should sanctify (KJV), set apart (NIV), hagiazo (Greek) Christ. This gives us a better understanding of what sanctification really is. We cannot eliminate sin from one who never sinned. But we can “set apart” Christ. We can recognize His awesome (awful) holiness. And, by doing so, we can acquire holiness in our own lives (cf. 1Co 1:30). When such holiness is active in our lives, it will inspire awe in others and they will ASK, “How can you have such hope while you are undergoing such trials?” (See the context at 1Pe 3:14-17.)

The bottom line is that true Biblical holiness is not defined by wearing a particular “uniform.” Those who demand that Christians dress a certain way have missed the point. Harlots may never cut their hair and may wear dresses down to their ankles. What defines holiness is something in the heart that is recognized even by people of the world! The awesomeness of God shines through in a holy life!!

I would sincerly like to hear your comments about this study. Let me know if I missed it.

Note 1: Since you are using a computer, I recommend that you download the Online Bible program at http://www.onlinebible.net/. The program is entirely free and it has an extensive dictionary function using the Strongs Numbers. If regular use of a computer is not convenient, then I recommend that you purchase a written copy of “Strongs’ Exhaustive Concordance.” The book generally is priced from $10 to $30 but it is absolutely invaluable. It is my firm conviction that the second book a Christian should own is “Strongs” - unless they can use the computer equivalent.

Note 2: Strong’s numbers 37-42 are all translated either as “holy” or “holiness” in the KJV Bible. Hagiazo (37) generally means to make holy, consecrate or sanctify; hagiasmos (38) generally relates to the act of sanctification; hagion (39) points to a sanctuary or holy place or someone (or thing) that is worthy of veneration; hagios (40) is the most basic, root word in this series. It refers to the characteristic of God or to those separated to God; hagiotes (41) is only used once in the KJV (Heb 12:10) and it speaks of the resulting state of our holiness; hagiosune (42) is the last word that I found and it speaks to the resultant holiness or moral purity.