The question of whether it is possible for humans to be holy is an important one for Christians. After all, the Bible repeatedly calls followers of God to “be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 11:44-45). Yet the Bible also clearly teaches that only God himself is truly and perfectly holy (Revelation 15:4). So how do we reconcile these biblical truths?
In short, the Bible teaches that because of Jesus, Christians can and should pursue holiness, even though perfect holiness is found only in God. Through Christ’s sacrifice, the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to progressively become more like Jesus in our thoughts, words and actions. So while absolute moral perfection is not possible in this life, Scripture calls believers to continually grow in holiness as we await the day when we will be made fully holy in God’s presence.
Let’s dig deeper into what the Bible teaches on this important topic:
The Holiness of God
First, the Bible unequivocally teaches that only God is truly and completely holy. Holiness includes God’s absolute moral perfection, majesty, righteousness, and separation from all that is sinful and impure. Multiple passages emphasize that God’s holiness is unique and unrivaled:
Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11)
For I am God, and not a man, the Holy One in your midst. (Hosea 11:9)
And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8)
There is no one and nothing else that is perfectly holy except God himself. From eternity past to eternity future, God’s inherent moral purity and majestic perfection set him apart from all of creation.
Humanity’s Lack of Holiness
In contrast to God’s supreme holiness, the Bible is clear that all of humanity lacks true holiness and righteousness before God. Because of the Fall, humans are born with a sinful nature that leads us to rebel against God’s perfect commands (Romans 3:9-18; 5:12-14). Even the most moral, religious person falls infinitely short of God’s standard of holiness:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
None is righteous, no, not one… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:10, 23)
The sobering truth is that on our own, none of us can produce true inward moral purity or earn favor with God through our flawed attempts at righteousness. We all desperately need the gift of holiness that we cannot manufacture or attain ourselves.
The Holiness Made Possible by Jesus
The amazing news of the gospel is that while we have no holiness in ourselves, Jesus came to make us holy! By perfectly obeying God the Father, and then laying down his life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, Jesus opened the way for the gift of salvation and transformation:
And because of him [Jesus] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)
All who repent of their sins and trust in Christ alone are forgiven, declared righteous, and given new spiritual life. At conversion, believers are sanctified (made holy) by being joined to Jesus through faith and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:11).
This is possible because on the cross Jesus took our sin and impurity upon himself, in exchange giving us his righteousness and holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21). We contribute nothing to earn or deserve this gift. It comes solely by God’s grace, not our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). The holiness that could never be obtained through law-keeping is freely given to those who believe in Christ (Romans 3:21-22).
The Call to Pursue Holiness
So in Christ, Christians are made holy before God. Our standing and acceptance before him is based wholly on Jesus’ righteousness, not our own. But while we can’t earn holiness, Scripture still calls followers of Christ to pursue holiness!
Having been cleansed of sin, believers are commanded to live in a way that reflects our new holy status in Christ. We are to grow in living out the moral purity required by God (1 Peter 1:14-16; Hebrews 12:14). By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to put ungodly attitudes and actions to death (Colossians 3:5-10), be renewed in our minds (Romans 12:2), and walk in love, light and wisdom (Ephesians 5:1-21).
The Bible calls this process of becoming more like Christ sanctification. Sanctification is the Spirit-empowered process of growing in holiness as believers in this life. Some key truths about sanctification:
- It flows from having been declared holy (justified) at conversion (1 Corinthians 6:11). Being set apart as belonging to God motivates us to live accordingly.
- It involves putting off old ways of sin and putting on new godly attitudes and actions (Ephesians 4:22-24).
- It means pursuing practical holiness in all parts of life: actions, speech, sexuality, desires, thoughts, use of time and abilities (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8).
- It is a process that will never be completed fully in this life. We will struggle with sin until we go to be with Christ (1 John 1:8; Philippians 3:12-14).
- But through Christ we can make steady progress in godliness when we walk by the Spirit, immerse ourselves in Scripture, andavail ourselves of the means of grace God provides (Luke 9:23; John 8:31; Galatians 5:16-17; Colossians 1:10-11; Hebrews 5:12-14; 2 Peter 1:3-11).
So biblical holiness requires both a declared status before God based on Christ’s work alone, as well as an ongoing pursuit of increased personal godliness by the power of the Holy Spirit. These must go hand in hand.
One Day Made Perfectly Holy
Thankfully, the Bible promises that while progressive growth in holiness will happen slowly with struggles in this life, the day is coming when Christians will be made completely holy. Upon death or at Christ’s return, believers will be fully transformed to be like Jesus – holy and blameless before God (1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:1-3).
Until then, Christians rely daily on Christ’s finished work for acceptance before God, while also pressing on toward maturity through the ongoing sanctifying work of the Spirit. By God’s grace and power, holiness is possible now, even if not yet perfected. So we pursue holiness eagerly, while awaiting the glorious day we will be made perfectly holy in God’s presence.