Holiness

Occurrences in Scripture

Holiness appears throughout both the Old and New Testaments. It is especially frequent in Leviticus, where the representative verse is Leviticus 19:2: "Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." The same command appears in Leviticus 11:44–45. In Isaiah 6:3 the seraphim cry, "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts," and in Revelation 4:8 the four living creatures offer the same praise. Exodus 3:5 calls the ground where God appeared "holy ground," and Exodus 19:6 calls Israel "an holy nation." In the New Testament, 1 Peter 1:15–16 quotes Leviticus in calling believers to a holy life.

Meaning and Background of the Term

The Old Testament Hebrew adjective is qadosh, and the noun is qodesh. The New Testament Greek adjective is hagios. The etymology is commonly explained as "to separate" or "to set apart," although scholars disagree on this point. In the Old Testament, holiness refers first to the character of God Himself. It then refers to what is dedicated to God, including the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3), the tabernacle and the Most Holy Place, the priests, and the offerings. Together with holiness, the distinction between clean and unclean governed both worship and daily life.

From the Old Testament to the New

The New Testament extends holiness from the sphere of cultic ritual to the lives of those who are in Christ and in the Holy Spirit. Paul calls the members of the church "saints," that is, "holy ones" (1 Corinthians 1:2). First Thessalonians 4:3 states, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification," and Hebrews 12:14 speaks of "holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." The petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be thy name" (Matthew 6:9), belongs to the same line of thought.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

Denominations differ in how they understand sanctification, the process by which believers are made holy. Presbyterians in the Reformed tradition regard sanctification as a gradual, lifelong process that follows justification (being declared righteous), and they teach that perfection is not attained in this life. Methodists and Holiness churches that follow Wesleyan theology emphasize "entire sanctification." They understand entire sanctification as an experience of grace received by faith and describe it not as a state entirely free of sin but as one in which love for God and neighbor has been made perfect. At the same time, many theologians stress that biblical holiness means first of all "belonging to God." For this reason, some are critical of equating holiness solely with the keeping of particular rules of conduct.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the Sino-Korean character seong (聖, "holy") is widely used in words such as seonggyeong (the Bible), seongdo (saints), seongjeon (temple or sanctuary), and seongchan (Holy Communion). Holiness denominations such as the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church bear the word seonggyeol ("holiness") in their names and teach regeneration, sanctification, divine healing, and the Second Coming as the Fourfold Gospel. The hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty," written by Reginald Heber, is often sung at the opening of worship.