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119_Defining holiness

Lev 19:1-8 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.

5 “When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is tainted; it will not be accepted, 8 and everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.

There’s a story about a young boy who visited a great cathedral with his grandmother. As they walked through its towering arches, he saw beautiful stained-glass windows, each depicting a saint. The sunlight streamed through the glass, painting the stone floors with radiant colors. Later, when his Sunday school teacher asked him what a saint was, he thought for a moment and then answered, “A saint is someone the light shines through.”

This simple yet profound definition echoes the call of Leviticus 19:1-8, where God declares, “Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” When the Almighty, All-Knowing God reveals something about Himself, we can only understand it by seeing Him in action. One of the things God repeatedly affirms about Himself is His holiness. But what does holiness mean? How are we to grasp it? Holiness is not merely about moral purity or religious rituals; it is about being set apart for God’s purposes. God defines His holiness not in abstract terms but through His expectations for His people’s conduct. His character is revealed in the instructions He gives regarding worship, relationships, justice, and daily life.

From the very beginning, man was created in the image of God. Genesis 1 tells us that God shaped a formless and empty world, filled it with life, and exercised His dominion by assigning purpose to each created thing. Then, He commanded mankind to reflect His image by being fruitful, multiplying, and exercising dominion over creation. Humanity was meant to be a living reflection of God’s holiness. This is why God strictly prohibited the making of idols—because He had already set His image in man. Any image fashioned by human hands would, at best, be a distorted reflection of man himself, and at worst, an imitation of something far less than himself.

The definition of God’s holiness unfolds progressively throughout Scripture. In Leviticus 19, we see a detailed expansion of God’s moral and ceremonial law as the Israelites prepared to enter Canaan. They would encounter foreign customs and religious practices that could tempt them away from God’s standards. To safeguard them, God outlined principles covering worship, respect for parents, justice, personal conduct, and interactions with strangers and the vulnerable. Holiness was to permeate every aspect of their lives.

Some commands in this chapter are directly applicable to us today. For instance, the commands to honor parents, reject idolatry, and refrain from stealing, lying, or dealing falsely remain fundamental to a godly life. Other commands, such as prohibitions against mixing crops, breeding different livestock, or eating fruit from a tree before its fifth year, may seem outdated. However, these laws still reveal deep spiritual truths. Paul, in his New Testament writings, draws on Old Testament laws to illustrate broader principles. In Deuteronomy 25:4, we read, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.” Paul applies this principle in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18, explaining that those who minister in the church have a right to material support. The law about the ox is not merely about fair treatment of animals but a reflection of God’s justice. Similarly, prohibitions on mixing different kinds of crops or fabrics teach us about maintaining the distinctiveness of God’s design.

God’s holiness is also reflected in how He values human life. He commands, “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it,” and forbids practices like divination, body mutilation, and tattoos, which were common among pagan cultures seeking to manipulate spiritual forces. These commands reveal God’s concern for the dignity and sacredness of the human body, which He created as a vessel for His service. Our bodies belong to Him, and how we treat them should reflect His holiness.

Holiness is also seen in how we treat others, especially the vulnerable. Leviticus 19:32 instructs, “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man.” This seemingly small act of respect reflects a greater truth—that reverence for the elderly mirrors our reverence for God, the Ancient of Days. But we live in a time where, as Paul warned in 2 Timothy 3:2-4, people have become “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy.” Holiness requires that we live counter to these cultural currents, demonstrating love and honor even when society does not.

God’s call to holiness extends to our integrity in business and daily transactions. He commands that weights and measures be just, reminding His people that their honesty in commerce is an act of worship. This principle still holds true—whether we are running a business, paying taxes, or dealing with people fairly, our integrity is a reflection of the God we serve. The Israelites were reminded that they were once slaves in Egypt, rescued by a just and merciful God. Likewise, we, who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, ought to be the first to uphold justice and righteousness in our dealings.

To live a holy life is to imitate God, who is love. Paul exhorts in Ephesians 5:1, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us.” Holiness is not a cold, rigid separation but a dynamic life of love—love for God and love for others. Jesus, who perfectly fulfilled the law, showed us that true holiness is lived out in love. He summarized the entire law in two commandments: to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. In Him, we see a holiness that is neither distant nor exclusive but one that reaches out, heals, and redeems.

God’s holiness is not about isolation but about transformation. Jesus, who was without sin, walked among sinners without being defiled. Instead, His holiness brought life and healing to those around Him. We, too, are called to reflect this holiness—not by withdrawing from the world, but by living in such a way that His light shines through us. May our lives be stained-glass windows, through which the world sees the beauty of our holy God. May we guard our hearts and minds against impurity, yet open them wide in love to those in need, that they too may come to know the God who calls us to be holy as He is holy. God bless.