Embracing Holiness: Discovering God in Relationship

Genesis 1-2; Mark 1; Job 1

I’ve been rethinking my theology lately, looking at my life and considering the outcome of faith that I see in others. I’ve been listening to and reading different schools of thought, experiencing a good shaking.

With all these new thoughts, I’ve been considering the term “holiness.” We know our God is holy, and that we are called to be holy as He is holy. In the past, when I’ve considered this concept, the verse about the role of priests always follows suit.

Ezekiel 44:23 “They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.”

There’s a separation implied here. The priest is to teach the difference between light and dark, good and evil, the sacred and the profane.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines holiness like this: HO’LY, adjective. 1. Properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper, or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections.

There’s a separation here. And so, as I’ve been considering what it means to be holy, as I’ve thought through my own understanding, the picture I’ve had is just that. God on a throne, high and lifted up. Distant. Separate. Alone. And so the call is to see God as alone, and to come into that aloneness. And yet, that can’t be quite it, can it?

There’s something else. Something so beautiful, that the more I meditate on it, the more my heart longs for God.

Could it be that we need to define holiness through the lens of relationship? Let’s go back to the beginning.

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

The word here for God here is Elohim. It’s plural. Elohim created the heavens and the earth in relationship.

John jumps right into this in his gospel:

John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”

Do you see it? In the beginning was a relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This relationship is holy, and we are invited into this very dynamic. We are included.

We’re being invited into their covenant. And like marriage, when we come in it is to the exclusion of all others, which is separation, to be sure. But the focus in marriage isn’t on who one is excluding, but rather, the union you are entering into.

Today, consider this: You have been brought near. And it’s in this union, that we find our life, our joy, and our purpose. Holiness is separation from what is profane, but to truly come into it, we must come into this face-to-face invitation. This is the Way!

Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompt

Reflect on the concept of holiness as relationship rather than separation. How does understanding holiness as being invited into the divine relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit change your approach to living out your faith daily?

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