A criminal investigation will match DNA samples with the ones found at a crime scene. Once they have a match, the police are able to identify the criminal. Just like DNA samples are authentic body tissues and can’t be faked, holiness can’t be faked either. Authentic holiness comes from God alone.

The apostle Peter wrote to his congregation quoting God’s Word from Leviticus [Leviticus 19:2]:

“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.’”

What does it mean to be holy? Is God demanding perfection? That does not make much sense; when we say: we are “only” human – this is what we are implying: we are imperfect human beings. I believe we often confuse holiness with perfectionism, which puts holiness in the wrong light and makes it seem out of reach.

The moment God becomes real to us is a turning point. From then on our life is in His hands. He is the potter and we are the clay. Whoever has worked with clay knows what that means. A lump of clay on the turning table has multiple false starts before the clay pot is perfectly shaped. Walking with the Lord is an ongoing learning curve and we may not like it, but failure is part of it.

God’s children are deemed holy in the eyes of the Lord when they believe in His mercies and accept His forgiveness. As long as they take course correction and continue to follow Jesus, they walk the way of holiness.