What Does “Holy” Look Like?

Be honest.  Aren’t you a bit intimidated by the word “holy”?  How about by passages like this one?

But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.  1 Peter 1:15-16

What is it that makes us fear being labeled as “holy”?  I suppose one of our excuses for not wanting to be seen as such is the much-feared “holier-than-thou” label.  The dictionary says that term refers to someone who is “characterized by an attitude of moral superiority”.  The first recorded usage of the term was in the 1850s, which helps explain the “thou” part of the phrase.  I’m sure those words were first hurled at some public figure who was just trying to stand up for God’s viewpoint or, perhaps, they were lobbed at some self-righteous so-and-so who was trying to show how “holy” he was.  But after 150 years, I’d say it’s time to stop fearing the “good” four-letter word.

God didn’t call all believers to be holy to point out our deficiencies.  He called us to be holy to point out our differences – from the un-holy world in which we live.  Holy doesn’t mean we’re supposed to be perfect.  Where did we ever get that idea?  Holy means we are to be “set apart”.  How about a list?  See if any of these words are any more appealing to you than holy: sacred, consecrated, sanctified, hallowed.  I’ll bet you recognize some of those from the pages of your Bible, too!  What they ALL have in common is that they are not this word: secular.  Oh no!  Another word study.  Secular is a word we probably hear more often in our culture than holy.  What does secular mean?  Earthly, worldly, non-spiritual, materialistic, profane.  Doesn’t it make sense that our God, who defines “holy”, calls us to reflect Him rather than the world in which we live?

If I challenge you to think of something that you identify as holy, what would it be?  I’m betting it’s not your reflection in the mirror.  The writer of Hebrews says this about Jesus:

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature…  Hebrews 1:3

In terms we might all understand, the writer is saying that Jesus is the “spittin’ image” of the Father.  He is God’s exact look-alike, but in human form.  Holy doesn’t mean we must be perfect – we know better!  We need only to reflect the image of God in our lives and actions.  Jesus took care of making us acceptable to a perfect God by His sacrifice.  Our job now is to let everyone glimpse that picture of that perfect God and His Son.  That’s why holiness requires being different from the world in which we live.  Because if our lives reflect what’s going on around us, others will see the same fallen, corrupt, immoral, wicked world in which they already live.  But if they see H-O-L-Y when they look at us, then they can perceive H-O-P-E for themselves. 

Being holy isn’t about our character.  It’s about God’s.  It sounds trite, but when people look at you, they should see Jesus reflected in you.  I certainly have more work to do to make that happen.  Am I striving to be holier-than-thou?  No.  Just holier-than-I-am. 

Jacob