“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering”
God appeals to three titles of the child of God to live the Christian life: “elect of God, holy and beloved.” Today we come to the second title.
“holy”
“Holy” means separated unto God. This separation means that God can take the worst believer and, by His grace, can turn him into someone who is holy, set apart unto God. God calls believers holy in Hebrews 3:1,
“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.”
The word “saint” is the same as “holy.” God calls Christians “saints” (holy) in Colossians 1:2,
Colossians 1:2, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse.”
The meaning of holy, saint, sanctification, and holiness is set apart. There are two ideas of holiness: 1) positional–our eternal status with God and 2) experiential–holiness that we experience daily. God calls us “holy” and challenges us to be holy in 1 Peter 1:15,16, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’
Principle:
God appeals to our status of being set apart to live the Christian life.
Application:
Some are afraid of the word holy because some have tried to trademark it into a special meaning for spiritually spooky people!
When we receive Christ as our Savior, God sets us apart to Himself positionally. Because we belong to God, who is set apart and unique, we are to be uniquely like Him. Then we become the raw material for which God to work. He will begin to chisel us, sand us down, and steelwool us into His likeness. God carries on this work until He makes us exactly like the Lord Jesus. God will complete that work when Jesus comes again.
Hebrews 12:14, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
