Appointed as Holy Ones
Our identity in Christ means that God has appointed every believer as holy.
Paul makes this clear when he greets the Ephesians, calling them hagiois (ἁγίοις – “holy ones, saints”).
He does not say “to those who feel holy” or “to those who are perfect,” but to those whom God has set apart in Christ.
This is an objective truth of faith.
Unearned Purity
In the Jewish temple, only the priests could enter the holy place, and the high priest only once a year into the Holy of Holies (Lev. 16:2).
Holiness seemed limited, guarded by curtains.
Yet now, through Christ’s death, the curtain has been torn (Matt. 27:51).
Holiness is no longer restricted to a class of priests—it is the calling of all who believe.
Peter confirms this when he writes: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9).
Living Temple
Josephus, the historian, often emphasized the holiness of Jerusalem as a unique city.
But the apostles declared something more radical:
holiness is no longer tied to a place but to a person.
Wherever Christ is present, there holiness dwells.
Illustration
A clay lamp in a Roman house may seem common, fragile, and cheap. Yet once lit with fire, it becomes the very vessel of light.
So too, the believer—ordinary in the world’s eyes—becomes extraordinary once filled with Christ’s Spirit. Holiness is not about the lamp itself, but the flame it carries.
Humor and Puzzle of Life
A child once asked, “If God made me holy, why do I still spill my milk?”
Even saints stumble, but our identity is not canceled by clumsiness.
Holiness is not the absence of weakness, but the presence of Christ.
Biblical Cross-References
- Paul insists,
“God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love” (Eph. 1:4). - The writer of Hebrews exhorts,
“Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). And - Jesus Himself prayed,
“Sanctify them in the truth;
Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
Quotes to Meditate On
“Holiness does not consist in doing uncommon things,
but in doing everything with purity of heart.”
— Teresa of Ávila.
“It is not great men who change the world,
but holy men.”
— D. L. Moody.
Holiness is not the result of flawless conduct,
but the mark of God’s seal upon you in Christ
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