“As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” — 1 Peter 1:15
Few words have suffered more misunderstanding in modern Christianity than the word holiness.
For some, holiness conjures images of rigid rule-keeping, joyless religion, and endless lists of prohibitions. For others, it sounds like an impossible standard reserved for spiritual giants, missionaries, pastors, or Christians from another era.
Yet Scripture presents holiness not as an optional pursuit for the especially devoted, but as the normal calling of every believer.
God’s command is remarkably clear:
“You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).
The question is not whether Christians should pursue holiness. The question is how.
If holiness is essential to the Christian life, what does it actually look like? How does it grow? And how do ordinary believers cultivate holy habits in an increasingly unholy world?
The answers begin not with ourselves but with God.
Holiness Begins with God’s Character
Before holiness is something we pursue, it is something God possesses.
In fact, holiness is one of the defining characteristics of God Himself.
R.C. Sproul often described holiness as the attribute that most clearly captures God’s uniqueness and majesty. God’s holiness refers to His absolute moral perfection, purity, righteousness, and separateness from all evil.
When Isaiah saw the Lord seated upon His throne, the angels surrounding Him did not cry out “love, love, love” or “power, power, power.”
They declared:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3).
God’s holiness is His complete perfection.
He is unstained by sin.
Untouched by corruption.
Perfectly righteous in every thought, action, and intention.
Understanding this changes the way we think about holiness.
Holiness is not primarily about rules.
It is about resemblance.
The pursuit of holiness is the pursuit of becoming more like the God who saved us.
As John Stott wisely observed:
“Holiness is not only separation from evil, but separation unto God.”
That distinction is crucial.
Many people think holiness means merely avoiding bad behavior. But biblical holiness is much larger than that. It involves turning away from sin because we are turning toward God.
Holiness is not simply subtraction.
It is devotion.
It is affection.
It is belonging.
Holiness Flows from Union with Christ
One of the most encouraging truths in Scripture is that holiness is not something believers manufacture.
It is something God produces.
When evangelical ministers gathered in London as part of the Eclectic Society in 1812, they wrestled with the question of spiritual growth and holiness. One minister, Rev. C. R. Pritchett, summarized biblical holiness with three observations that remain helpful today:
- Holiness is entirely dependent upon God’s work.
- Holiness flows from union with Christ.
- Holiness is carried forward through the Holy Spirit.
Those three truths protect us from two common errors.
The first error is believing holiness is achieved through sheer willpower.
The second is believing holiness requires no effort at all.
Scripture teaches neither.
Jesus explained:
“Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
The source of holiness is not self-discipline but abiding in Christ.
Through faith, believers are united to Christ. His righteousness is credited to us, His Spirit dwells within us, and His life begins transforming ours.
This means holiness is not fundamentally about becoming someone we are not.
It is becoming who we already are in Christ.
The Christian life is not an attempt to earn God’s acceptance.
It is learning to live from it.
The Holy Spirit Produces What God Commands
The pursuit of holiness can feel overwhelming if we believe it depends entirely upon our effort.
Thankfully, God never commands what He does not also empower.
The Holy Spirit is the primary agent of sanctification.
He convicts us of sin.
He illuminates Scripture.
He transforms desires.
He strengthens obedience.
He produces spiritual fruit.
Paul reminds believers that the fruit of the Spirit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).
Notice that fruit grows.
It develops.
It matures over time.
The same is true of holiness.
Growth in holiness is often slower than we would prefer, but it is no less real because it is gradual.
The Spirit’s work is persistent.
Day by day, year by year, He shapes believers into the image of Christ.
Our responsibility is not to manufacture holiness but to cooperate with the Spirit’s work through obedience, faith, and dependence upon God.
Why Holiness Matters
Modern culture tends to treat holiness as restrictive.
Scripture presents it as liberating.
Sin promises freedom but produces slavery.
Holiness appears restrictive but produces freedom.
Why?
Because holiness aligns us with reality.
God created us to flourish in relationship with Him. Sin disrupts that relationship and damages everything it touches.
Holiness restores what sin destroys.
It deepens fellowship with God.
It strengthens relationships.
It increases joy.
It produces spiritual maturity.
J.I. Packer wrote that holiness involves both “apartness from sin” and “devotedness to God.”
Those two realities work together.
As our love for God grows, our desire for sin diminishes.
As our affection for Christ increases, worldly attractions lose their grip.
The pursuit of holiness is not primarily about becoming less sinful.
It is about becoming more captivated by God.
Building Holy Habits
If holiness is God’s work in us, how do we actively participate in that process?
Scripture points us toward several practices that place us in the path of God’s transforming grace.
Renew Your Mind
Every battle for holiness eventually reaches the mind.
Paul writes:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2).
The way we think influences the way we live.
Many sinful habits begin as sinful thought patterns.
Conversely, holy living begins with biblical thinking.
Renewing the mind means continually exposing ourselves to God’s truth through Scripture, prayer, study, meditation, and worship.
As God’s truth reshapes our thinking, it reshapes our desires and actions.
Holy habits begin with holy thinking.
Develop Spiritual Disciplines
Holiness grows where spiritual disciplines are practiced consistently.
Prayer.
Bible reading.
Scripture meditation.
Worship.
Fasting.
Journaling.
These practices do not make us holy by themselves.
Rather, they position us to receive God’s grace and cultivate sensitivity to His Spirit.
Just as physical exercise strengthens the body, spiritual disciplines strengthen the soul.
Small acts of faithfulness performed consistently over time produce remarkable spiritual growth.
Practice Daily Repentance
Holiness is not the absence of failure.
It is the habit of returning quickly to God when we fail.
Repentance is not a one-time event at conversion.
It is a lifelong practice.
Martin Luther famously wrote that the entire life of believers should be one of repentance.
Holy people are not those who never sin.
They are those who consistently confess, repent, and return.
Repentance keeps our hearts soft and our fellowship with God strong.
Build Meaningful Accountability
God never intended believers to pursue holiness alone.
Spiritual growth thrives in biblical community.
We need encouragement.
We need correction.
We need accountability.
We need people who know us well enough to challenge us when necessary and encourage us when we are discouraged.
Hebrews 10:24–25 reminds believers to spur one another on toward love and good works.
Holy habits often flourish where accountability exists.
Remove What Fuels Sin
Holiness requires more than adding good habits.
It also involves removing unhealthy influences.
Jesus used dramatic language when discussing sin because He wanted His followers to take it seriously.
Every believer should periodically ask:
- What consistently weakens my walk with God?
- What tempts me toward sin?
- What habits dull my affection for Christ?
- What relationships encourage compromise?
Building holy habits often requires removing unholy ones.
Holiness grows when we stop feeding the desires we are trying to overcome.
The Goal of Holiness
It is important to remember that holiness is not the goal.
God is.
Holiness is the natural result of pursuing Him.
The danger is treating holiness as an end in itself.
The Pharisees pursued external holiness while missing the God they claimed to serve.
Biblical holiness always deepens our love for Christ.
It increases our dependence upon Him.
It magnifies His grace.
It reflects His character.
And it points others toward Him.
The pursuit of holiness is ultimately the pursuit of God Himself.
As we draw nearer to Him, we become more like Him.
As we become more like Him, our lives increasingly display His beauty to the world.
That is why holiness is not merely an obligation.
It is a privilege.
God is not simply calling us away from sin.
He is calling us closer to Himself.
And there is no greater pursuit than that.