The Mandate for Holiness

The Mandate for Holiness

For I [am] the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I [am] holy.

Leviticus 11:45

And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Exodus 19:6


Holiness is the characteristic of being separate. It comes from the ancient Hebrew word "kadash" which means separate or cut away. In the book of Leviticus, God commands the Children of Israel to BE Holy; why, because He wanted to distinguish them from all of the other nations of the world. He wanted to isolate them from all worldly and ungodly influence. When seen in this light it makes sense that God would want His people to be Holy. However; there is a deeper understanding to holiness. God doesn't simply give the imperative to be holy and end there; He (God) actually establishes the purpose and basis for this imperative by saying: "Be ye Holy, for I AM Holy". This is an amazing revelation. God is saying to His people BE in a manner that I AM. In other words, the reason for your holiness is my holiness. The problem here is: if the word holy means to be set apart and God is saying be set apart as I am set apart, what is God really saying. What is He set apart from. He is separate from sin. This is a key attribute to God. He is not identified or in communion with sin in any way. His thoughts, His actions, His intentions are completely void of any and all sin. How could God's people fulfill this instruction.

When we attempt to fathom the implication of this, it is truly mind boggling. How can a sinful man be separate from sin, when he is inherently sinful. Well; he can't. This is what makes this passage so powerful; the fact that God was telling the Children of Israel to do something that they did not have the capacity to do. For most people this would be seen as an irreconcilable issue, but for those of us who have understanding we know that when God says BE it means that He has purposed within Himself something which HE will establish. The verb tense in Be Ye Holy is the same verb tense in Genesis 1 when God said "Let there BE light". Some Hebrew translations read "Light in Me Be", which suggest that the Light already existed in God before it was spoken into manifestation. What God was saying to us is that "You must be, you have been purposed to be, you will be holy, because I (your Father, the Creator) AM Holy". When Jesus came to earth and died on the Cross for mankind He became the catalyst and the object of holiness for all who believe in Him. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior He (Christ) makes us Holy.

Christ Jesus imputes (by the Spirit) and superimposes (by the Spirit) His righteousness and His sinlessness nature on us. For the Christian, however, the commandment to Be Holy is something that we have the responsibility to do because now we have Christ's nature. We must walk in Holiness. This means that we must act like God, function like God, speak like God. Peter admonishes us to be holy in every area of our lives. We must put things that defile out of our lives. We must abstain from lust and perversion. We must stay away from environments that do not bring glory to God. We must even dress and conduct ourselves in a manner that represents holiness, not to be holy but to reflect the holiness we have been given through Jesus Christ. The question is: Am I walking in Holiness in every area of my life? Am I walking separate from the world? Or; am I allowing the world to influence me? Am I walking separate from sinners? Or; am I living like a sinner? If you are born again, holiness is a requirement for your life.



Kynan T. Bridges
Senior Pastor
Grace & Peace Global Fellowship, Inc