But in the next point, holiness of character is attributed to God in a pronounced ethical sense. The commandment: «Be holy; for I am holy» (Leviticus 11:44; 19:2), clearly implies an ethical conception. Human beings cannot resemble God in His incommunicable qualities. They can reflect his image only in the sense of those moral qualities of justice and love in which true holiness consists. Among psalmists and prophets, divine holiness becomes above all an ethical reality that convinces people of sin (Isaiah 6:3, 1) and the demands of those who want to stand in His presence with pure hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3). ho`-li-nes (qadhosh, «holy», qodhesh, «holiness»; hagios, «holy»): Dignity and even holiness are sometimes more about cloak and vest than some people imagine. Holiness is a word that can make us uncomfortable. It seems sublime, threatening, foreign. We instinctively feel that God`s holiness has dangerous connotations. Its purity challenges our sinful attachments and compels us to renounce them in order to enjoy the greatest of all possessions – belonging to a God with infinite love and power. Casually coming to the sins we cherish with a firm heart, or coming lightly as if they were not a big problem, could be like throwing ourselves on a burning fire in the hope that we will not perish.
How can we, who are sinful and broken, hope to enter the presence of a holy God and survive the experience? As far as God is concerned, the term holiness is used in the Old Testament in two different meanings: To me, the national assignment of piety and holiness is like a white shirt pulled over dirty skin. The Hebrew word for «holiness» is qōdes, a word that emphasizes the realm of the sacred as opposed to all that is ordinary and profane. The adjective qādôš, «holy», refers to God and what belongs to Him. In various places in the Hebrew Scriptures, God is called «Holy One of Israel.» Priya`s holiness was reflected in the way she cared for the needy in her community. Example: The sanctity of this relic is a hotly debated topic in religious circles. The idea of holiness is expressed here mainly through the word hagios and its derivatives, which are very close to the words of the Q-D-SH group in Hebrew and are used to render them in the Septuagint. The peculiarity of the New Testament idea of holiness is that the outward aspect has almost completely disappeared and the ethical significance has become the highest. The ceremonial idea still exists in contemporary Judaism and is generally supported by the Pharisees (Mark 7:1-13; Luke 18:11). But Jesus proclaimed a new view of religion and morality according to which people are purified or polluted, not by something external, but by the spirit of their hearts (Matthew 15:17-20), and God is not to be worshipped either in Samaria or Jerusalem, but wherever people seek Him in spirit and truth (John 4:21-24). in the highest sense, God belongs (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 15:4), and to Christians who are consecrated to the service of God and to the extent that they conform in all things to the will of God (Romans 6:19; Romans 6:22; Ephesians 1:4; Titus 1:8; 1 Peter 1:15). Personal holiness is a work of progressive development. It continues under many obstacles, hence the frequent exhortations to vigilance, prayer and perseverance (1.
Corinthians 1:30; 2 Cor 7:1; Ephesians 4:23 Ephesians 4:24). (See Sanctification.) Holiness is a state of religious purity or devotion, as stated in Our Faith that holiness comes from serving others and frequent prayer. But from this purely ceremonial holiness flows a superior, spiritual and ethical holiness. Unlike other creatures, man was created in the image of God and was able to reflect the divine image. And since God reveals Himself to be ethically holy, He calls man to a holiness similar to His own (Leviticus 19:2). In the so-called «law of holiness» (Leviticus 17:1-26:46), God`s requirement for moral holiness is clear; and yet the moral content of the law is still mixed with ceremonial elements (Leviticus 17:10; 19:19; 21:1). In the Psalm and Prophecy, however, a purely ethical conception appears—the idea of human holiness based on justice and truth (Psalm 15:1) and the possession of a contrite and humble spirit (Isaiah 57:15). This corresponds to the knowledge of a God who, being ethically holy, places more importance on justice, mercy, and low piety than sacrifice (Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6–8). Nevertheless, this «inner gentleness» awakened the future preacher to a youthful aptitude quite unusual for holiness. While many religions have a form of holiness, it is understood differently depending on the context. Some religions attribute sacredness to certain objects and transform them into relics or sacred objects. Sometimes people may have holiness, such as religious leaders or people who follow the laws of their specific beliefs.
Holiness is considered a goal for many major religions. Religion emphasizes holiness rather than grace. Irreligion emphasizes freedom rather than holiness.