1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 | Matthew 22:40
Dost thou know the meaning of yon diction?
Have you ever thought about what “holy” means? It’s not just a great word to use before “cow” or “Batman”.
Holy (adjective)
Dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred.
Old English hālig, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German heilig, also to whole.
The Oxford English Dictionary
If something is holy, it is dedicated to God and made sacred. According to Merriam Webster, “sacred” means “set apart for the service or worship of a deity”. So, whether you say “sacred” or “holy,” they both describe something as being intended wholly for serving God.
If you see dedication to God as something you do on your own then you could have a “holier than thou” attitude. Your ‘holiness’ would be based on your own will and efforts. But Paul does not seem to view holiness this way in his letter to the Thessalonian believers.
And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 NLT
Paul prayed for the Lord to make them holy. He views dedication to God as something done by God, perhaps in the same way your grandmother’s fine china was dedicated to use only on special occasions. Granny did the dedicating, not the china. If Paul thought otherwise, he might have written, “May you make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy…”
In the same way, it is God who dedicates you to his service and makes you sacred, but that does not absolve you of all responsibility. Jesus reminds us of the Father’s intent for us, as revealed to us by his Word.
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40 NLT
Your part is to love God completely, and then to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus says that is the entirety of God’s message throughout his word.
As for making you Holy, that is God’s part.
Questions for Group Discussion
- What does ‘holy’ mean to you? Has your definition changed as a result of reading this devotion?
- What does it mean to have a “holier than thou” attitude?
- Does the word ‘holy’ ever evoke anxiety or weird feelings in you? If so, why do you think it does? If not, why do you think it does not?
Challenge: Holy Analysis!
Maybe you need to analyze this harder…
Have you ever tried to explain what the word ‘holy’ means? It’s not easy, is it? Maybe that’s because you’ve never taken the time to really think about it.
Your challenge is to concoct the simplest possible definition of holiness, AND provide a visual aid to reinforce your definition.
Guidelines:
- Start by really thinking hard about what ‘holiness’ means.
- Make sure your definition aligns with scripture. You will need to use a study Bible or Bible Study app to find scriptural references to holiness. Be sure to consider the context of each passage!
- Remember: an example is NOT a definition. (“It’s like my Grandma’s china set.” This is an example of something dedicated to a special purpose, not a definition.)
- You may want to use an example of holiness as your visual aid. (Maybe your visual could be a picture of your Grandma’s china set.)
- Write out your definition–on a small card, if possible.
