There are several verses in the Bible that command all children of God to be holy because God is holy. One example is found in Leviticus 11:45 which says, “..you must be holy because I am holy.” The definition of holy is “dedicated or consecrated to God”. In the Old Testament, the Israelites had to consecrate themselves or cleanse the sin to be prepared to encounter a holy God.  

The book of Leviticus contains instructions that were given to the Israelites on what to do and not to do to live a holier life. There are many commands of how to be holy and what to do to avoid defilement. Leviticus 11:46 says, “For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. So do not defile yourselves . . .”.

The way people become defiled is through sin. As humans, we can never live a life from birth to death that is holy, one that is free from sin. All humans have either had bad thoughts, lied, cheated, stolen or committed some other sin at some point in life. Once we commit a sin, we are no longer holy or set apart, we are defiled.

So how can God command that we be holy, how can we ever successfully obey this command? The answer is simple, belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. In John 17:19, Jesus says. “And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.” It is through the sacrifice of Jesus that we are made holy. There is nothing we can ever do to earn holiness and because we are all imperfect, we cannot be holy by our actions. Once we accept that Jesus died on the cross for us and we accept His holy sacrifice, then we are made holy through Him. Yes, we will still sin as we are humans. But, through Jesus, we are forgiven and made holy each time we approach Him to receive His forgiveness, love and mercy.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, help us to be holy through Your sacrifice. Fill us with strength and patience and Your peace. Help us to walk by faith in You and Your Word. Help us to trust in Your plan and be an example of Your love to all around us. Lord, help us to grow in You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.