See also: Holiness
Definition · Webster 1828 · Scriptures · Corruption · Roots · Usage · Related
📖 Biblical Definition
Holiness is the quality of being set apart unto God and conformed to His purity—separation from sin and consecration to the LORD. It belongs first and supremely to God Himself, whose holiness is the crown of His perfections, the very glory before which the seraphim cover their faces, crying, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.’ God’s holiness is His transcendent majesty and His absolute purity—He is exalted infinitely above the creature and utterly separate from all evil. From this flows the holiness required of His people: ‘Be ye holy; for I am holy.’ The believer’s holiness has a twofold aspect. There is a positional or definitive holiness: in Christ, every believer is set apart, sanctified, called a saint (a holy one) from the moment of his union with the Savior, however imperfect he yet is. And there is a practical holiness: the actual purity of heart and life, the conformity to God’s character, which the believer is to pursue and grow in throughout his days. This holiness is not mere external religiosity nor a grim list of prohibitions, but the beauty of a life set apart for God—purity of heart, integrity of conduct, devotion of affection, and conformity to the image of Christ. It is commanded of all the redeemed and is the indispensable evidence of saving grace: ‘Follow... holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ To despise holiness is to despise the God whose nature it reflects and the salvation whose purpose is to make us holy, for Christ gave Himself for the church that He might sanctify and cleanse it, and present it to Himself glorious, holy and without blemish. The pursuit of holiness is therefore no optional extra for the eager few, but the calling of every Christian and the very end for which he was redeemed.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Webster 1828 defines HOLINESS as the state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity; and the perfect purity of God.
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HOLINESS, n. — 1. The state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity. Applied to the Supreme Being, holiness denotes perfect purity or integrity of moral character, one of his essential attributes. 2. Applied to human beings, holiness is purity of heart or dispositions; sanctified affections; piety; moral goodness, but not perfect.
HOLY, a. — Properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections.
📖 Key Scripture
1 Peter 1:15-16 — "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
Hebrews 12:14 — "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."
Isaiah 6:3 — "And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."
2 Corinthians 7:1 — "...perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Holiness is corrupted into legalistic externalism (a grim list of taboos) on one side, and dismissed as “legalism” or “works” on the other—by an antinomian grace that treats the pursuit of holiness as optional or even dangerous.
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Holiness is corrupted first by reduction to legalistic externalism—a grim catalog of prohibitions and permitted behaviors, a holiness measured by what one does not touch, taste, or handle, by hemlines and haircuts and a list of forbidden amusements. This Pharisaical counterfeit majors on the external and the trivial while neglecting the weightier matters—purity of heart, justice, mercy, love—and breeds the proud self-righteousness Christ condemned in those who cleaned the outside of the cup while within were full of extortion. True holiness is not first a list but a likeness: conformity of heart and life to the character of God, beginning within and flowing outward.
The opposite corruption, more fashionable today, dismisses the very pursuit of holiness as ‘legalism’ or ‘works-righteousness,’ treating any earnest call to purity as a threat to grace. On this view, to preach holiness is to risk legalism, and the safest course is to emphasize grace, acceptance, and freedom while leaving the demand for holiness muted. But this is a grave distortion of grace, which Scripture says teaches us to deny ungodliness and to live soberly, righteously, and godly. Grace does not abolish the pursuit of holiness; it empowers it. And holiness is not optional: without it no man shall see the Lord, for Christ redeemed His people for the very purpose of making them holy. The biblical doctrine steers between the Pharisee and the antinomian: holiness is the God-given, grace-empowered conformity of the whole man to the character of God—commanded of all, pursued by all the redeemed, and the indispensable mark and end of saving grace.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
The doctrine rests on God’s qōdesh (apartness, holiness)—the thrice-holy LORD—and the call to be hagios (holy) as He is holy.
Usage
"Holiness is being set apart unto God and conformed to His purity—positional in Christ, practical in pursuit."
"‘Follow holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord’—it is no optional extra but the mark of grace."
"Holiness is corrupted into a list of taboos by the legalist, and dismissed as ‘works’ by the antinomian."