Believers are enabled to grow in holiness on account of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, foreshadowed by the OT sacrificial system, and through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
Holiness begins with God's initiative
God chooses who and what is to be holy
2 Chronicles 7:16 parallel 1 Kings 9:3 See also Exodus 20:11; Numbers 16:7; 2 Chronicles 29:11; Zechariah 2:12
For I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
God chooses and calls his people to holiness
Deuteronomy 7:6; Ephesians 1:4 See also Deuteronomy 14:2; Romans 1:7; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 1:2, 1 Peter 1:15
For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.
For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love
Holiness is conferred by the holy God
Holiness is conferred by the presence of God
Exodus 29:42–43 See also Exodus 3:4–5, Exodus 19:23; 2 Chronicles 7:1–2
For the generations to come, this burnt offering shall be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you. I will also meet with the Israelites there, and that place will be consecrated by My glory.
Holiness is conferred through covenant relationship with God
Exodus 19:5–6 See also Deuteronomy 28:9; Ezekiel 37:26–28; 1 Peter 2:9
Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations — for the whole earth is Mine. And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites.”
Holiness is conferred by the sovereign action of God
1 Thessalonians 5:23 See also Leviticus 20:8; Isaiah 4:3–4; Ezekiel 36:25; Zephaniah 1:7; Acts 15:9; Hebrews 2:11
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holiness through the OT rituals
Cleansing from what is unclean
Numbers 8:6–7 See also Exodus 19:14; Numbers 19:9; Nehemiah 12:30
“Take the Levites from among the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. This is what you must do to cleanse them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification. Have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
Purification and atonement through sacrifice
Numbers 8:12–14 The OT sacrificial system and holiness laws foreshadow the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ that enables believers to grow in holiness through faith. See also Exodus 29:35–37; Leviticus 8:14–15, Leviticus 16:5–10, Leviticus 16:15–22, Leviticus 16:29–30
And the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer to the LORD one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and then present them before the LORD as a wave offering. In this way you shall separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will belong to Me.
Consecration by anointing
Leviticus 8:10–12 See also Exodus 29:21, Exodus 40:9
Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he consecrated them. He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them. He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.
Holiness through Jesus Christ
Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
Hebrews 10:10 See also Ephesians 5:25–27; Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 9:13–14, Hebrews 9:23–28, Hebrews 10:14, Hebrews 10:19–22, Hebrews 13:12; 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10
And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Through relationship with Jesus Christ
1 Corinthians 1:2 See also 1 Corinthians 1:30
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
Holiness through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit
2 Thessalonians 2:13 See also John 3:5–8; Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:7–8; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2
But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.
The human response to holiness
Repentance
1 John 1:9 See also Ezra 9:1–7, Ezra 10:1–4; Psalm 51:1–10; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:11–13; James 4:8
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Faith
Galatians 5:5 See also Romans 1:17–18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13
But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness.
Obedience
1 Peter 1:22 See also Psalm 119:9; John 17:17; Romans 6:16–19
Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.