“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14 NKJV). The need to be holy is present throughout the entire Bible. So, the need to understand the concept and how to attain it is vital to our standing before God.
The meaning of holiness is “special to God” and “set apart from common use to be employed for God’s use.” Sanctification is the process by which this holiness is attained. Therefore, to be sanctified is to be made holy for God’s unique possession and purpose (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Peter 1:14-16).
As with other salvation concepts, holiness is both a statement of fact in relationship to God and also a goal to which those in such a relationship are to strive to complete. There is no accomplishment of perfection in holiness this side of Heaven. Yet, there is the sanctification every Christian possesses simply because one is in Christ, a perfection in relationship that is obtained by faith which God acknowledges (1 Corinthians 1:30).
In this relationship, the gift is to be so precious and endearing to us that we work to make it, not just promise, but real in our own application. Such is the process or pursuit of holiness that every Christian must fulfill (Philippians 3:12-15; Hebrews 10:12-14). As we see in Hebrews 12:14, to fail here is to lose what we had claimed to love.
