What do I know of holy?

"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.'" ~I Peter 3:16

What does it mean to be holy?

A word study on net.bible.org produced these definitions:

holy: set apart to the service or worship of God; reserved from profane or common use; free from sinful affections; pure in heart; godly; guiltless; acceptable to God

Oswald Chambers has this to say on the subject of holiness,

"Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind--placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself."

WHOA! God demands holiness, absolute purity, in EVERY aspect of my life. But how can this holiness be attained when every aspect of my being--my speech, my actions, my thoughts, my desires and feelings, my mind, soul and body--is completely, totally and all-inclusively infected, degraded and depraved by my sin?

We need to be holy and live holy lives--anything less is unacceptable to God. We gain this holiness through a relationship with Jesus Christ. He is our substitute, our propitiation for our sins. His righteousness is transferred to us and God reconciles us to Himself through him.

"God can put [us] into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer."

-Oswald Chambers

My fellow Christians, my brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Do you believe that we need to be holy? Do you believe that God can come into you and make you holy through the blood of Jesus Christ? Search your being. What parts of your life do you still need to surrender to God? What unholiness are you tolerating in your own life? Are you willing to give up the sin in your life so that God can work his holiness in you and bring glory to himself? Ask your heavenly Father, who is ready and willing to do all that you ask of him, to transform your heart, to give you a heart of absolute purity. We are called to be holy, and even more, we are destined for it. Don't let anything hold you back from attaining it.