What Does It Really Mean to Be Holy?
How God’s Set-Apart Love Changes Everything
If I’m being real, “Be holy, for I am holy” has troubled me for most of my life. There have been times I heard those words and felt nearly crushed by them. Holiness always seemed like a mountain too high to climb, meant only for people who had it all together, Bible and historical heroes. I’d see my own failures, my mess, my struggles, and quietly think, “I just don’t have what it takes.”
But instead of admitting that, I’d put on my mask and play the part in public. I did my best to look the part of a holy man. I smiled and talked the talk. On the outside, I tried to act like I was measuring up, even when inside I was drowning in self-doubt and disappointment.
Then, there were other seasons when I’d look around and compare myself to others. Sometimes I’d think, “At least I’m not as far gone as that guy.” For a moment, it was comforting to measure my life by someone else’s failures, finding a sense of worth in being a little more “together.” Sometimes, I even let myself say it out loud, pointing out where someone else was missing it, maybe to distract from my own cracks and shortcomings.
But here’s the humbling thing I’ve learned. Whenever I see myself as above someone else, whenever I use “holy” as a measuring stick or a weapon, I’ve already missed the heart of holiness. And every time I hide behind my mask, I miss out on the freedom God really offers.
Holiness Is Not About Measuring Up
In the Bible, “holy” doesn’t just mean “morally perfect.“ The original words mean “set apart, different, belonging to God.“ Holiness is first about God claiming you as His own, not about you climbing your way up some ladder of good behavior.
It’s like a father kneeling in the dirt, pulling his hurting child close, and whispering, “You are mine.“ Holiness starts with belonging, not performing. That belonging is for every struggler, doubter, and weary believer who’s ever put on a brave face to make it through.
“Be Holy” Not a Threat, Not a Trophy
When God says, “Be ye holy, for I am holy,“ He isn’t shaking a finger at us or handing out gold stars. He invites us to share in His life, to experience His peace, His love, and His perspective on the world. His holiness isn’t cold or distant. It’s warm, and it runs toward both the unworthy and those who think they have it all together.
Here’s the reality I’ve had to face. If you think you’re holy because you keep the rules better than others or because your failures aren’t as apparent, you’re not actually living a holy life. Real holiness never puffs up. It humbles. It doesn’t put people in their place. It meets them in their pain.
And if you, like me, have learned how to put on the mask and play the game, know that God sees right through the mask and loves you, anyway. He invites us to take it off and come as we are because that’s the only way real change ever happens.
Christ in Us. Not Us Trying to Copy Him
For years, I thought holiness was about trying harder to be like Jesus. But the Bible teaches something deeper and far more freeing. Holiness isn’t me straining to imitate Jesus from a distance. It’s Christ Himself living in me, expressing His love and mercy through my ordinary, stumbling, sometimes masked-up life. He is my hope of glory. Holiness is about letting Him do in me what I could never do on my own.
Holiness isn’t about avoiding people who “don’t measure up“ or about putting on a show for others. It’s about letting Jesus live His life through you, loving those you’d rather avoid, forgiving those you want to judge, and offering mercy where you’ve only ever known criticism.
Where Holiness Shows Up
Holiness is not just for church services or quiet moments of prayer; it is a way of life. It shows up when you’re tempted to roll your eyes at someone else’s mess. It shows up when you want to list out all the reasons you’re better or more spiritual. Holiness pulls you back and says, “You’re just as needy for grace as anyone else.”
It shows up when you’re tempted to put on your mask and hide. Holiness invites you to take the mask off and find freedom in God’s love for the real you.
Holiness looks like this.
Letting God’s love name you, not your past or your performance.
Bringing both your hurt and your pride to Him, honestly.
Forgiving, even when it costs you.
Letting go of your need to control, impress, or compare.
Trusting that God is working, even in your mess.
The Invitation for the Tired, the Proud, and the Masked
If you’re tired and feel you don’t measure up, I get it. I’ve been there.
If you’re proud and feel you’re doing pretty well, I get that, too. I’ve been there, and it’s just as dangerous.
And if you’re just plain worn out from pretending, from wearing a mask, let me say you’re not alone.
Holiness is for all of us. God calls us “holy,“ His, set apart, beloved, not because we earned it, but because He made us His own.
God’s invitation isn’t “Be holy, or else.“ It’s, “Be holy because you are mine, and I am making you new.”
If you’d like to discuss how this applies to your own story or how to take the next step, let’s walk through it together. Holiness isn’t a solo climb. It’s a road we walk with the One who calls us His own.