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Throughout Scripture, we read of being holy, or exercising holiness as believers in God.
The biblical definition of holiness in the Old and New Testaments is to be set apart for God, to live differently from the world, and to walk in obedience to Him.
It is true that God called upon His people, in the Old Testament, to walk uprightly with Him and exercise holiness. Examples include Abraham, who was commanded to “walk before Me [God], and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1), and whose life was marked by obedience and faith.
Other examples include Moses, through whom God declared, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2); and Joshua, who called the people to “put away the foreign gods… and incline your heart to the Lord” (Joshua 24:23).
We also see this call in the life of Daniel, who made a firm decision not to defile himself while living in a foreign land (Daniel 1:8).
However, it is not just a frequent call to live in holiness found in the Old Testament; it is also found in the New Testament. From the book of Hebrews, which speaks of “the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14), to the book of James, which teaches that faith is shown through our actions (James 1:22; 2:17), there are commands to walk in holiness.
Peter wrote, quoting God (Leviticus 19:2), “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15–16).
Yet the most profound and meaningful examples of holiness come from the Lord Himself. From the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–12) to the declaration of the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:37–39), Jesus expected His followers to live a life of service and to bear the fruit of His teachings and ministry (John 13:14–15; John 15:8).
Jesus directly taught that one must be heavenly focused, and not part of the world, teachings that quite literally defined holiness (Matthew 6:19–21; John 17:14–16).
The common call of being the light and salt of the earth further supports the command of holiness and calls to action the Christian’s service to their fellow man (Matthew 5:13–16).
Being set apart was the identifying marker of God’s chosen people in the early days of the kingdom of Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6; Leviticus 20:26), and it signals the definition of Christianity today (1 Peter 2:9). From the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), to being bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20), holiness is expected in the believer, to showcase the saving power of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:10).
We are left contemplating how Christians can be the salt and light of the earth if they do not walk with the Lord and fulfill His greatest teachings and commandments (Matthew 5:13–16; John 14:15).
The answer is they cannot. Christians must be the light in a dark world, one desperately needing the sacrifice of Christ. To claim the name of Christ, yet not walk in holiness, is to contradict the very purpose for which we have been saved (Matthew 5:16; Titus 2:14).
