Holy is both a characteristic of God as well as a lifestyle for us to emulate.
In reference to God, holy means sacred, worthy of worship, praise, and adoration. In the Hebrew culture, a word was repeated three times to place emphasis on it.
This is used with holy in reference to God: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come,”(Revelation 4:8; also see Isaiah 6:3).
In regard to people, holy means living according to a moral code or standard. Throughout the Bible, God commands and implores us to be holy. In Leviticus 11:44, God says, “Be holy, because I am holy,” (which is quoted in 1 Peter 1:16.)
The word holy is also attached to other words to elevate them, such as Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost), Holy Communion, Holy of Holies, Holy Bible, and so forth.
Compare to righteous.
Key verse about Holy: “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.” (Leviticus 11:44, NIV)
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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