What Makes Someone or Something Holy?

What Makes Someone or Something Holy? Just a quick google search of the word holy produces the definition “to be dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred.” According to this definition, if I commit a building to God, then that building is holy. If I dedicate the way I dress to a religious purpose, then that means the way I dress is holy. If I talk differently from how others speak and sprinkle in words like Jesus, church, amen, or praise the Lord, then I am a holy person. If I act a certain way or stay away from the places that a Christian should not go, maybe that will make me holy.

The problem with this is that holiness, or the state of being holy, is totally dependent on me and my behavior. Is it possible that I can dress holy and not be holy? Is it possible not to wear jewelry, not listen to “worldly music,” dress modestly, say the right things, go to church every week, and still be missing the mark? What if holiness is not so much a set of behaviors as much as it is a manifestation of God’s presence?

Let’s explore, for example, the moment that Moses encounters that burning bush on Mount Horeb. Moses drew close to this bush that was apparently burning but was not being consumed. Then he hears the voice of God saying, “Moses stay back and remove your shoes because the place where you are standing is holy ground.” What made that place holy? The presence of God, or the location where Moses was standing? When God gives the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, He orders the nation of Israel to not come close to the mountain on pain of death. Why? Was it because that mountain was unique, or sacred, or was it because the presence of God had descended on it, and that made the mountain holy?

These examples, and many others in scripture, seem to indicate that holiness or something being holy is not dependent on what we say or do. However, it is solely dependent on whether we are in the presence of God or not. The fact is that you can look and act holy and really not be holy. If you are looking to be holy, don’t change your behavior. Don’t stop sinning. Don’t dress differently. Don’t talk differently. Don’t change a thing! All you need to do is get in the presence of Jesus, and as you are in the presence of Jesus, He will tell you to come closer or stay away. He will ask you to take your sandals off or keep them on. He will tell you what to say, where to go, and how to live because Jesus never leaves you the same as how He found you.

Today, if you are feeling that you need to change, don’t. Just desire to be in His presence because that is true holiness, and that is where lasting change will begin.

Pastor Anthony Nix

Anthony serves as the Pastor For Anderson Seventh-day Adventist Church in Anderson, IN. A charismatic communicator with a message that motivates discipleships to Jesus, Anthony teaches on a variety of topics, emphasizing God’s unfailing love and His desire to be in relationship with His creation. He is a graduate of Southern Adventist University. Anthony and his wife Nayeli have three beautiful and loving children.