Welcome back. Today we delve into the meaning of holiness. The common definition given is “set apart” because God is definitely set apart or different from creation. To understand God, we must understand his holiness and what set apart means. Usually you hear words like pure, righteous, sacred, godly, and consecrated, but what do those words mean to us today? People live whatever way they want and still want to be considered pure like Madonna’s image of herself in “Like a Virgin.” Additionally, unless you are a history buff, when was the last time you have heard or used the word consecration in any of its forms? These words along with holiness have fallen from our vocabulary.
Let us enter this endeavor with great humility. Remember that we are trying to understand an ocean when we have only seen a pond. I agree with J. C. Ryle whole heartedly when he wrote about holiness:
I might have chosen a subject more popular and pleasant. I am sure I might have found one more easy to handle. But I feel deeply I could not
have chosen one more seasonable and more profitable to our souls.
– J. C. Ryle, Holiness
I identify with his feelings of inadequacy:
I fear lest I should give a defective view of holiness, and not say all that ought to be said; or lest I should say things about it that ought not to be
said, and so do harm (42).
Holiness is needed in the 21st century just as much as in Ryle’s day. 
It is necessary for our souls, for our health, for our service to God, for our worship of God, and for our lives lived in real beauty, joy, and hope.
Question: How much is holiness on your radar scope of conscious thought?
Tell the Next Generation 