Holiness – Bible Study

HOLINESS

What does it really mean to be holy?

For many, the idea can feel distant or overwhelming. Yet throughout Scripture, holiness is not only a description of God’s nature, but also a calling for His people.

In this study, we will explore what holiness means, why it matters, and how it takes shape in our lives as we walk with God.

UNDERSTANDING HOLINESS

In the Bible, the word holy comes from:

Hebrew: qādôš (קָדוֹשׁ)

Greek: hagios (ἅγιος)

Both words mean the same thing: set apart.

The New Testament also uses a related word, hagiasmos (ἁγιασμός), which refers to the process of being made holy.

Simple Definition:
Holiness is being set apart from sin and set apart for God in both who we are and how we live.

What’s your honest reaction to the idea of being set apart from the world?

HOLY IS THE LORD

Leviticus 11:44
For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.

Leviticus 19:2
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.

Isaiah 6:3
And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’

Exodus 15:11
Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

1 Samuel 2:2
There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

Revelation 4:8
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’

What images come to mind when you try to fathom God and His holiness?

A CALL TO HOLINESS

1 Peter 1:15–16
But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’

Hebrews 12:14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

2 Corinthians 7:1
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:7
For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

Ephesians 1:3–6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Romans 12:1–2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

How does knowing God is calling you to holiness make you feel?

WHAT DOES HOLINESS LOOK LIKE

Galatians 5:22–24
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Colossians 3:12–14
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

James 1:27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Romans 6:13
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

Philippians 2:14–16
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

How is biblical holiness different from simply being a “good person”?

HOLINESS COMES FROM GOD

John 15:4–5
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Philippians 2:12–13
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Hebrews 10:10
And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

1 Corinthians 1:30–31
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Galatians 5:16–18
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

What do these passages say about God’s role in our holiness?

After walking through this study, how has your understanding of holiness changed?

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.